FAQs for advisers

Now that the QSuper and Sunsuper merger is finalised, there is some important information you need to know.

How you work with us

There are no immediate changes to your current QSuper contacts, the way you contact us, the way you work with us, or the services we provide, including:

• Access to your QSuper clients’ account information via QSuper Client Summaries
• Specialised service from our financial adviser support line 
• Regular communications and webinars about our products and investments.

In the background we are working hard to align our services, to streamline your experience with us as quickly as we can.

Your QSuper clients will continue to enjoy the same products and services they know and trust. Including:

• Investment expertise delivered via award-winning products¹
• A focus on delivering strong long-term returns
• Fees that are among the lowest in the country²
• Easy account management 24/7, through Member Online and the QSuper app
• The latest super and investment information and education through our website articles, newsletters, calculators, webinars, videos, and podcasts.

QSuper account holders are now members of Australian Retirement Trust, a fund that works for members, not shareholders. It’s important to know that there are no changes to their:

• Investments
• Insurance
• Account details (including any beneficiaries and authorities)
• Pension payment amount and frequency (if applicable)
• Defined Benefit entitlements (if applicable)

There are also no impacts to current insurance claims or members on graduated return to work programs.

For more details on what the merger means for your clients with QSuper accounts, see our Important Information booklet January 2022.

We can leverage our size and scale to seek out investments to protect and grow our members’ superannuation savings, while striving to return profits to them as lower fees and better services.

As part of this commitment, we expect to reduce administration fees from 1 July 2022 on many accounts.

The administration fees members pay from their QSuper Accumulation account(s) and Income account(s), and those that are deducted from the Lifetime Pension pool, are proposed be reduced from 0.16% to 0.15% per annum from 1 July 2022. These fee changes will not impact the amount of administration fees paid from Australian Retirement Trust’s reserves.

This decision to reduce fees is subject to confirmation by the trustee of Australian Retirement Trust. We’ll update our members once this decision has been made.

In the short term, as we are moving assets, investment transaction costs will be incurred that will be reflected in the unit price for some investment options, as outlined in the Important Information booklet January 2022.

You do not need to let your clients know about these changes. Your clients who were QSuper members were sent an email or letter in January 2022 letting them know about the merger and what it may mean for them.

These communications included a link to or copy of the Important Information booklet January 2022 which provides key details about the merger.

If your client had both QSuper and Sunsuper accounts when we merged, they will still have separate accounts. This aims to make sure they do not lose any benefits they had with either fund (like insurance).

We’ll be contacting members with multiple accounts to let them know their options. In the meantime, they can access more information on our website.

Also read our FAQs for duplicate members for more information.

Any existing authorities to release information or beneficiary nominations your clients have with QSuper remain on their QSuper accounts within Australian Retirement Trust.

If your client had both QSuper and Sunsuper accounts when we merged, they will still have separate accounts. This aims to make sure they do not lose any benefits they had with either fund (like insurance).

This also means that if your client has a beneficiary nomination or authority on one account, it won’t automatically apply to the other account.

Our paper-based forms have been updated and some of the previous versions are no longer accepted, as this merger involved a change of trustee. Updated forms, factsheets, and disclosure documents are now available on our website.

QSuper’s phone numbers, Member Centre locations, postal, email, and web addresses have not changed.

The only change is to our registered office address (which will become 30 Little Cribb Street, Milton QLD 4064), and the addition of a web address for Australian Retirement Trust (australianretirementtrust.com.au).

From 28 February 2022, new members must meet at least one of the following conditions to open a QSuper account:

• Be employed by the Queensland Government or a QSuper default employer
• Be a spouse of a QSuper account holder
• Be a child (who joins while under age 25) of a QSuper account holder.

There is an exception: The above conditions do not apply to the QSuper Lifetime Pension. Your clients can start a Lifetime Pension even if they don’t meet any of these conditions (if they are otherwise eligible).

If your client has applied to join QSuper directly (not through the Queensland Government or a QSuper default employer), and has not yet activated their account, they will need to do so within 12 months of their application to keep their account. To activate their account, they will need to put money in it. They can do this by consolidating their super or making a voluntary contribution.

We're building on a strong legacy of working with advisers to help our members, your clients, truly live well in retirement.

Our offer to partner with financial advisers is built to meet this goal and has not changed since becoming Australian Retirement Trust. We value your hard work and are committed to providing you with timely service to simplify your work.