Retirement
Find and Reclaim your Lost Super
There is $17.5 billion in unclaimed and lost super across Australia that needs to be reunited with its owners, according to the Australian Taxation Office (ATO).
Find and Reclaim your Lost Super
There is $17.5 billion in unclaimed and lost super across Australia that needs to be reunited with its owners, according to the Australian Taxation Office (ATO).
Spread across more than 6 million accounts, the ATO said it held nearly 5.4 million of these accounts with a collective value of almost $4 billion as of July 2019.
It expects to be able to reunite $473 million in super to 485,000 members soon, but there is still a lot unaccounted for.
If you think you have lost super or unclaimed super, check out Nest Egg's new interactive map which shows the locations of lost super and unclaimed super money Australia-wide, and consider the following:
What is ‘lost’ super?
According to the ATO, a super fund can report an individual as a lost super member when they haven’t been able to contact that person.
If a super fund has not received any contributions or rollover amounts for an account in a five-year period, this is also the case.
Lost super members are also registered as such if an individual’s account was transferred from another fund as a lost super member account, and no new address has been found.
What is ‘unclaimed’ super?
The ATO has noted that there are a number of ways people might own “unclaimed” super without realising it.
People who should check whether they might be the owner of unclaimed super are the following:
- Members with “lost” super accounts with balances less than $6,000
- Members who have “lost” super accounts that have been inactive for more than five years with insufficient records to identify the account’s ownership
- Super fund members over the age of 65
- Deceased super fund members
- Non-member spouses
- Former temporary residents who never claimed their super money
Search for your super
Unclaimed and lost super is still yours. Therefore, it’s usually quite simple to claim.
According to the ATO, you can find and manage your super using Online Services through syncing of your myGov account to ATO Online Services.
MyGov’s services will enable you to see details of all your super accounts, including any you may have forgotten about.
It will also enable you to find lost super that is still being held by a super fund.
Any super fund money that is held by the ATO under its new powers can also be found through the myGov portal.
Consolidate your super
If you do find yourself the owner of lost super or unclaimed super, it is best practice to combine multiple super accounts and transfer your account balances into one streamlined account.
This can also be done through myGov’s service portal.
Before consolidating, the ATO reminds people to check with their fund for possible exit fees, or whether they would lose any valuable insurance as a result of the change.
Review your super fund
Your super fund is meant to help you secure your retirement, so it is important to ensure you are with a fund that is appropriate for your lifestyle and goals.
Nest Egg has compiled a handy guide that breaks down the many types of super funds, eligibility requirements, things to compare when shopping for a fund and what to do if you wish to change your super fund.
About the author
About the author
Superannuation
Retirement reimagined as Australian optimism meets inflation worries in 2023 super fund insights
The latest reports on retirement confidence among Australians present a spectrum of sentiments, with fresh data revealing surprising optimism in some quarters while exposing underlying concerns in ...Read more
Superannuation
Aussie retirees face a shortfall as ideal retirement nest egg doubles what super will deliver
As Australians look towards retirement, the desired superannuation balance that many believe will ensure a comfortable retirement has significantly outpaced what they are on track to actually save. Read more
Superannuation
Super funds eye 6.5% return in 2023, despite a rocky start
As the year draws closer to its climax, Chant West unveils its projection for super funds in what can only be described as a year of economic ebbs and flows. Read more
Superannuation
A deep dive into Australia’s superannuation system
Australia has a robust retirement savings system known as superannuation designed to provide financial security to Australians in their post-work years. Read more
Superannuation
50,000 super fund members impacted by data breach
Around 50,000 member records were impacted by the breach that took place earlier this month. Read more
Superannuation
Two super funds tipped to reach $1tn by 2040
KPMG has released the findings from a new review. Read more
Superannuation
Super returns fall into the red for FY22
Unless a recovery takes place in the coming weeks, super funds will experience their fifth negative financial year since the introduction of compulsory super. Read more
Superannuation
Could the Super Home Buyer Scheme ‘torpedo’ Aussie super savings?
Industry Super Australia has argued that the scheme would force funds to hold more cash. Read more
Superannuation
Retirement reimagined as Australian optimism meets inflation worries in 2023 super fund insights
The latest reports on retirement confidence among Australians present a spectrum of sentiments, with fresh data revealing surprising optimism in some quarters while exposing underlying concerns in ...Read more
Superannuation
Aussie retirees face a shortfall as ideal retirement nest egg doubles what super will deliver
As Australians look towards retirement, the desired superannuation balance that many believe will ensure a comfortable retirement has significantly outpaced what they are on track to actually save. Read more
Superannuation
Super funds eye 6.5% return in 2023, despite a rocky start
As the year draws closer to its climax, Chant West unveils its projection for super funds in what can only be described as a year of economic ebbs and flows. Read more
Superannuation
A deep dive into Australia’s superannuation system
Australia has a robust retirement savings system known as superannuation designed to provide financial security to Australians in their post-work years. Read more
Superannuation
50,000 super fund members impacted by data breach
Around 50,000 member records were impacted by the breach that took place earlier this month. Read more
Superannuation
Two super funds tipped to reach $1tn by 2040
KPMG has released the findings from a new review. Read more
Superannuation
Super returns fall into the red for FY22
Unless a recovery takes place in the coming weeks, super funds will experience their fifth negative financial year since the introduction of compulsory super. Read more
Superannuation
Could the Super Home Buyer Scheme ‘torpedo’ Aussie super savings?
Industry Super Australia has argued that the scheme would force funds to hold more cash. Read more