Super co-contribution

If you’re on a lower income, the Australian Government will chip in 50 cents toward your super for every $1 extra  you contribute yourself, up to a maximum of $500 a year. It’s a handy extra injection to your super that could actually make a real difference come retirement.

If you earn less than $37,697 in 2018/2019 and contributed $1,000 or more after-tax, then you’ll qualify for the full $500. Above that, payments are scaled as follows:

To find out exactly how much you could be eligible for, use our Co-contribution calculator.

For Queensland Government employees – If you meet eligibility criteria (see FAQs below) and you’re making after-tax standard member contributions (usually 5% of your salary), you’ll automatically be considered for super co-contributions by the ATO.

For non-Queensland Government employees – If you meet the eligibility criteria, you’ll need to make an after-tax contribution to superannuation to be considered for the super co-contribution by the ATO.

For members salary sacrificing – Contributions made via salary sacrifice are made before tax, so don’t count towards the super co-contribution. If you’re salary sacrificing your standard contributions, you may need to make extra after-tax voluntary contributions to qualify for the co-contribution. You can do this by:

• making a lump sum after-tax voluntary contribution, or
• arranging with your pay office to make additional after-tax voluntary contributions from your pay.

Who exactly is eligible for the super co-contribution?

You are eligible if:

• your total income¹ is less than $52,697 for the 2018/2019 financial year
• you made a non-concessional (after-tax) contribution before 30 June of the financial year
• 10 per cent or more of your total income is earned from eligible activities, including being an employee, running a business, or both
• you’re under age 71 at the end of the financial year
• you haven’t held an eligible temporary resident visa at any time during the financial year
• you’ve lodged a tax return for the financial year
• you have a Total Superannuation Balance less than $1.6 million on 30 June, you have not contributed an amount more than your non concessional contributions cap and you are not entitled to a super co-contribution for any personal contributions you have made that have been allowed as a tax deduction.

Spouse contributions aren’t included when assessing eligibility for the super co-contribution, and the co-contributions don’t count towards the contribution caps.

Do I need to apply for the super co-contribution?

No. It’s all done automatically when you lodge your tax return as normal. The ATO will use the information on your tax return to work out whether you’re eligible and, if you are, deposit the co-contribution directly into your super account.

For regular deductions

If you work for the Queensland Government or a related entity, complete a Start or Change Regular Contributions to Your Super form, and nominate the amount you’d like to contribute.

If you don’t work for the Queensland Government, have a chat to your employer and they’ll be able to point you in the right direction.

For a one-off deposit

• BPAY^® - you can make a voluntary contribution via internet or telephone banking. You’ll find your BPay details in Member Online, or on your latest benefit statement. Please be aware that BPAY® processing times vary between banks when making deposits.
• Cheque or money order - complete a Deposit form, attach your cheque or money order, then send it to QSuper
• In person – drop into our Contact Centre and make a deposit in person by cheque, cash (limited to $1000) or EFTPOS.