第166期播客——澳大利亚的退休金支付

跟着罗布·麦科马克，一边学英语，一边了解澳大利亚的日常生活。这是第166期节目，主题是澳大利亚的退休金如何支付。

Learn English while learning about daily life in Australia with Rob McCormack, podcast number 166, paying for retirement in Australia.

你好。

Hi.

大多数人工作期间根本没怎么想过退休后的事。

During their working life, most people don't think much about their retirement.

他们忙着工作，还要养家，根本没空考虑这些。

They are too busy working in their job and raising their family.

但随着年纪增长，你就会开始琢磨，退休后不再全职工作，日子该怎么过。

However, as you get older, you start to think more about what it will be like when you retire from full time work.

平时的开销，比如吃喝住行，你靠什么来负担？

How will you pay for the everyday things needed to live?

食物、住房、水电账单、娱乐、旅行，诸如此类。

Food, housing, household bills, entertainment, travel, and so on.

难道只能靠存款过日子吗？

Do you have to live only on your savings?

在澳大利亚，符合条件的退休人员每两周可以领取一笔老年养老金。

In Australia, we have an age pension fortnightly payment for those retirees who are eligible.

此外，我们还有一套专门的退休储蓄制度，叫做超级年金。

In addition, we have a special system for retirement saving called superannuation.

在这期播客里，我想简单聊聊我们退休体系中的这两部分。

In this podcast, I would like to talk a little about these two parts of our retirement system.

如果你之前听过我的播客，可能知道我现在是个住在墨尔本的退休人士。

If you have listened to my podcast previously, you may know that I am a retired person living in Melbourne.

所以，你自然会以为我对这个话题相当了解。

Therefore, you would expect me to know quite a bit about this topic.

确实，我亲身经历过这套体系，再加上有理财顾问的帮助，我和妻子现在退休生活过得挺安稳的。

It's true that I have experienced our retirement system, and with the help of an investment adviser, my wife and I have been able to live comfortably in retirement.

我学到最重要的一点是，这套体系其实挺复杂的。

One of the main things I have learned is that the system is complicated.

我想，这大概也是全球大多数养老金和退休储蓄制度的共同特点。

I guess this is true of most pension systems and retirement saving systems around the world.

我可不敢说自己对澳大利亚的退休体系了如指掌。

I certainly don't claim to be an expert on our retirement systems in Australia.

在这期播客里，我只分享一些关键信息。

I will just provide some of the key points in this podcast.

如果想了解更多，建议去澳大利亚政府的Services Australia网站，或者MoneySmart网站查询。

If you want further information, you should go to the Australian government's Services Australia website and the Australian Government's MoneySmart website.

首先，我来聊聊老年养老金。

First, I will talk about the age pension.

澳大利亚人年满67岁后，就有可能符合资格，由联邦政府每两周发放一次老年养老金。

Once Australians reach 67 years of age, they may be eligible for the Age Pension, paid fortnightly to retirees by the Australian Federal Government.

要领取这笔养老金，你必须是澳大利亚居民，并且在澳洲居住满十年。

To receive the age pension, you must be an Australian resident and have lived in Australia for at least ten years.

截至2026年2月，单身人士能拿到的最高老年养老金是每年28,072.2澳元。

The maximum age pension in February 2026 is currently $28,072.2 a year for a single person.

对于夫妻来说，两人合计最高可领每年42,322.80澳元。

For couples, the maximum age pension is $42,322.80 a year combined.

重要的是，养老金是根据经济状况审核的。

Importantly, the age pension is means tested.

这意味着，政府会根据你的资产和收入来确定你能拿到多少养老金，最高不超过上面提到的数额。

This means that your assets, the things you own, and your personal income the money you receive are taken into account in order to decide how much of the age pension you will get from the government, up to the maximum listed above.

如果你拥有大量资产，或者收入很高，你的养老金就会相应减少。

If you own a lot of assets and or you receive a lot of income money then your age pension will be reduced.

如果你的资产或收入超过了某些上限，就可能完全不符合领取养老金的资格。

Where your assets and or your income is above certain limits, then you may not be eligible for any age pension at all.

很多澳大利亚人在工作期间积累了有价值的资产，比如投资性房产、住宅、公寓、办公楼、房车、汽车、船只，还有企业资产。

Naturally, many Australians, over their working life, have been able to buy valuable assets, such as investment properties, houses, flats, or office buildings, caravans, cars, boats, as well as business assets.

企业资产可能包括你自己拥有或参股的公司。

Business assets could be a business they own or have a share in.

金融资产也会被计算在内，比如银行账户、现金、定期存款，以及股票市场的股票。

Financial assets are also considered, which can include bank accounts, cash, term deposits, and shares on the stock exchange.

不过也要注意，你目前居住的自住房并不计入这项经济状况审核。

It's also important to note, however, that the family home, the place where you are living, is not included in this means test.

我觉得这样挺合理的。

This seems fair to me.

毕竟，自己的房子不是投资品，是用来住的。

After all, your home is not really an investment, it's a place to live.

至于收入方面，政府会看你的工资收入——如果你还在工作的话，还有银行账户和定期存款产生的利息，以及其他金融投资的收益，比如年金，股票分红，以及你从海外获得的任何收入。

As far as income is concerned, the government looks at your income from employment, if you still have a job, any interest you are earning from bank accounts and term deposits or other financial investments such as an annuity, from dividends if you own shares on the stock exchange, and also from any income you might receive from overseas.

政府希望确保养老金只发给真正需要的人。

The government wants to ensure that the age pension only goes to those people who really need it.

在决定你能拿到多少养老金时，政府也会考虑你有多少养老金储蓄。

The government also looks at how much superannuation savings you have when considering how much age pension you will get, if any.

接下来我会在本播客的另一部分详细讲讲养老金储蓄。

I'll talk about superannuation in the next part of this podcast.

不过在进入养老金储蓄的话题之前，我要提醒一下，政府还提供其他几种针对退休人员的收入补助，比如房租补贴、水电费援助，以及医疗方面的支持。

However, before I move on to talk about superannuation, it's important to note that there are other types of income support for retired people available from the government, such as rent assistance, support for paying household bills, such as electricity, and also for medical needs.

这些内容我就不在本播客里展开了。

I won't cover those in this podcast.

这些也都是要进行经济状况审查的，更多详情可以在澳大利亚服务部的网站上找到。

These are also means tested, and further details can be found on the Services Australia website.

养老金和其他针对退休人员的福利，根本目的就是确保他们退休后能负担得起合理的生活开销。

The whole purpose of the age pension and other benefits for retired people is to ensure they can pay their reasonable living costs in retirement.

接下来我们聊聊养老金计划。

Now let's talk about superannuation.

这其实是一种专门的储蓄机制，从你刚毕业走上工作岗位的第一天起，就可以定期把一部分钱存入养老金账户，为退休做准备。

This is essentially a special saving system where money can be regularly set aside in superannuation accounts for your retirement right from the first day you start working as a young person just out of school or university.

雇主每两周会按你工资的12%或更高比例，直接存入你的养老金账户，这样到了退休时，你就能拿到这笔钱以及它累积的利息，可以选择按月领取养老金，或者一次性取出，用来支撑退休后的生活开销。

It is paid every fortnight by your employer into your superannuation account at a rate of 12% or more, in some cases, of your salary so that at the end of your working life, you can receive this money along with all the interest it has earned, either in the form of a regular pension or as a lump sum to help you pay your living costs in retirement.

有些雇主支付的比例会超过12%。

Note that some employers pay more than 12%.

在工作期间就为退休储蓄，这个理念实在太合理了。

The concept of saving for your retirement throughout your working life makes so much sense.

每两周拿出工资的12%，数额其实不小，而且这笔钱是由雇主出的，不是你自己掏的。

12% of your salary every fortnight is quite a large figure, and it is paid by the employer, not by the worker.

员工本人也可以从每两周的工资中额外存入一部分到养老金账户，这样账户余额会增长得更多。

The worker themselves can also contribute to their superannuation account from their normal salary each fortnight, which will boost the superannuation account even more.

很多员工通常会存入5%，加起来总共就有17%的工资进入养老金账户。

5% is a typical figure for many workers, meaning a total of 17% of their salary would be paid into superannuation.

坚持四十年这样存下去，退休时就能积累一笔相当可观的金额。

Over forty years of working, this will build up to a very large sum at retirement.

因此，这些员工退休后可能就不需要领取老年养老金了，政府未来在老年养老金上的支出预计会减少。

As a result, it means that these workers will not need an age pension payment when they retire, so government spending on the age pension is expected to be lower in the future.

重要的是，大多数人必须年满60岁并且正式退休后，才能取出养老金账户里的钱。

Importantly, most people cannot take superannuation money out of their accounts until they reach the age of 60, and then only if they are retiring.

这些储蓄纯粹是为退休准备的，一般不能在正常工作期间动用。

These savings really are for retirement and are generally not to be used during your normal working career.

关于养老金账户的税务规定非常复杂，这里就不详细解释了。

The rules about the taxation of superannuation accounts are very complicated, and I won't try to explain them here.

但关键的一点是，存入养老金体系的资金，税率要比体系外的储蓄低得多。

However, the main thing to note is that money saved within the superannuation system will be taxed at a much lower rate than money held outside of the superannuation system.

这样一来，政府就在鼓励大家充分利用养老储蓄体系为退休做准备。

In this way, the government is encouraging people to make full use of the superannuation system for retirement saving.

所以说，这是存退休金最理想的地方。

This means it is the best place to save for your retirement.

除了税率更低，养老储蓄的一大优势在于资金积累的时间很长。

Besides paying lower tax, one of the real benefits of superannuation saving is the length of time over which the account grows.

养老账户的管理者会把钱投资到股票、房地产、大型项目和定期存款等地方。

The money is invested by the managers of the superannuation accounts into things like shares on the stock market, property investments, large projects, and term deposits.

这些投资会产生收益和利息，不断充实账户总额。

These earn income and interest, which add to the account total.

这些收益还会再投资，继续产生更多收入，如此循环下去。

These amounts are reinvested and, in turn, earn more income, and so it goes on.

利息和收益又会带来更多的利息和收益。

The interest and income earn more interest and income.

换句话说，这就是复利效应。

In other words, it compounds.

在长达四十年的职业生涯中，这笔钱可能会增长到非常可观的数额。

Over long periods of time, such as forty years of working life, it can make the total amount grow to very large amounts.

所以政府在计算你能领多少养老金时，会把这笔钱算进去。

That is why it is taken into account when the government works out how much age pension you can get.

如果你的养老金账户余额足够多，就能靠这些积蓄安心养老，完全覆盖生活开销。

If you have a large amount of superannuation, then you can retire comfortably using these savings to pay all your costs in retirement.

那样的话，你就不用依赖国家养老金了。

Then you don't need the age pension.

政府也不用再给你发养老金，这对他们来说也是好事。

Since the government doesn't need to pay you an age pension, they also win.

所以我相信，我们的养老金制度会一直持续下去。

That's why I think our superannuation system is here to stay.

如果你有什么问题或想法，欢迎在网站 www.slowenglish.info 的评论区留言，或者发邮件到 robslowenglish。

If you have a question or comment to make, please leave it in the comments box on my website at www.slowenglish.info, or you can send me an email at robslowenglish.

更多信息。

Info.

我真的很想听听你的声音。

I would love to hear from you.

告诉我你住在哪儿，简单介绍一下你自己，还有你对我的SlowEnglish播客有什么看法。

Tell me where you live, a little bit about yourself, and what you think of my slowenglish podcast.

我当然会用英语给你回信。

I will write back to you in English, of course.

如果你想做个简短的小测验，看看有没有听懂这期播客，链接也在我的网站上。

If you would like to take a short quiz to see if you have understood this podcast, You will also find it on my website.

再见。

Goodbye.

我们下期再会。

Until next time.

Rob。

Rob.