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You've spent a long time building up your super nest egg. How can you access it in your retirement?

When can I access my super?

Your retirement benefit will be fully accessible once you retire after your preservation age. Your preservation age is the age at which your super is fully accessible.

Your date of birth	Your preservation age
Before 01/07/60	55
01/07/60 - 30/06/61	56
01/07/61 - 30/06/62	57
01/07/62 - 30/06/63	58
01/07/63 - 30/06/64	59
01/07/64 or after	60

What can I do with my benefit once I am eligible to access it?

Once you retire and reach your preservation age, you can either:

• take the benefit in cash
• leave it in a QSuper Accumulation account, where the amount will change according to investment returns, which can be positive or negative
• open a QSuper Pension account.

You can also roll over your retirement benefit to another complying fund.

Can I access my super before retirement?

Employees over 55, who have not yet retired, are able to access their super while they are still working under a transition to retirement strategy.

Under limited circumstances, your benefit may be accessed on other grounds. Circumstances that may allow you to access your super include:

• Resignation or retrenchment
• Compassionate grounds
• Financial hardship
• Total and permanent disability
• Death
• Redundancy
• Voluntary Separation Program
• Temporary resident departing Australia

Various conditions apply and full access to your super funds is not always available. It is important to remember the Commonwealth Government wants you to keep your money in super until you reach your preservation age and permanently retire from the workforce.

 

Please note: State and Police accounts - With a State or Police account your retirement benefit is made up of two parts. The first, an amount calculated as a multiple based on the number of years of service, is paid as a lump sum, pension, or combination of both. If you opt for a pension, a further benefit may be payable when you die. The second part, the benefit from your Accumulation account, is paid as a lump sum.