Accessing your super

When can you start enjoying your nest egg?

Under normal circumstances, you can access your super when you reach a certain age - this is usually at or approaching retirement.

Super legislation also allows access in a limited range of other situations outlined below.

• Normal Retirement
• Departed Temporary Residents (DASP)
• Severe Financial Hardship
• Total & Permanent Disablement

Normal retirement

You can access your superannuation upon retirement if you meet one of the following criteria:

 If you have reached your preservation age and are under the age of 60:

• you have ceased employment and intend never to be gainfully employed for 10 hours or more each week.

If you are aged 60 or over:

• you have ceased employment.

Please note that if you meet this condition of release that you will only be able to access the superannuation you have accumulated prior to ceasing employment. If you return to work, any superannuation accrued after your return to work will be preserved until you meet a new condition of release.

Your 'preservation age' depends on when you were born.

At age 65, you are able to withdraw all of your superannuation entitlements, regardless of your employment status.

There is no compulsory exit age for super, which means you can leave any or all of your money in RecruitmentSuper, or convert it into an income stream with SMARTpension. Find out more about your pension options in our Retirement section.

In order for RecruitmentSuper to process your normal retirement claim, you are required to complete a Benefit withdrawal form and return it, along with certified proof of your identity, to:

RecruitmentSuper
Locked Bag 5091
Parramatta, NSW 2124

Please contact the Customer Service Centre on 1300 304 000 between 8.00am and 10.00pm AEST, Monday to Friday, for a copy of the form.

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Other access conditions

Departed Temporary Residents (DASP)

If you were working in Australia as a temporary resident, you can be paid your superannuation once you have left Australia. This is called a Departing Australia Superannuation Payment (DASP).

You apply for a DASP after you leave Australia if:

• you visited on a temporary visa (excluding visa subclasses 405 and 410) and;
• your visa has expired or has been cancelled.

Please note this payment is not available to Australian or New Zealand citizens, or Australian permanent residents.

How to apply for a DASP

Online

The easiest way to claim your super is apply online using the DASP online application here. This is a free service and will automatically confirm your eligibility to apply. Your online application will take approximately 30 minutes to complete.

You still need to provide us with the following:

• A certified copy of your identification
• You Australian bank account details (a cheque will be issued if no bank account details are provided)
• Letter advising us that you have submitted a DASP application via the ATO online portal

Paper

If your benefit is under $5,000 you will need to supply the following to us:

• A Departing Australia Superannuation Payment Application form
• A certified copy of your visa* which has expired or has been cancelled. If it has been cancelled, we will also require confirmation from the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) that it has been cancelled.
• A certified copy of your passport showing your photograph, the identification pages and the page with the departure stamp. If you are also using your passport for identification purposes, it must be a current passport.
• You Australian bank account details (a cheque will be issued if no bank account details are provided).

If your benefit is over $5,000 you will need to supply the following to Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC):

• A Departing Australia Superannuation Payment Application form; and
• A completed Confirmation of Immigration Status form along with the required fee

And to us:

• A certified copy of your identification document
• You Australian bank account details (a cheque will be issued if no bank account details are provided)
• Letter advising us that you have submitted a DASP application with DIAC.

Withholding tax, generally at a rate of 35% will be taken out of your superannuation account before it is paid to you. Visit the Australian Taxation Office website for more information about DASP.

*If your visa has not yet expired, you may contact DIAC to have the visa cancelled so you can apply sooner. Alternatively, if you have an "Electronic Visa" we will also require a confirmation email/letter from DIAC in lieu of your arrival stamp, departure stamp, and copy of the visa in your passport.

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Transfer to another fund

You can transfer your super to another complying super fund, where the same preservation conditions will apply.

To transfer, contact us for a Benefit withdrawal form on 1300 304 000 or use the Government's Request to transfer form available from the Australian Taxation Office website.

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Severe Financial Hardship

A Severe Financial Hardship payment is available to those who are experiencing difficulty in meeting the day-to-day living expenses.

You must have been receiving Australian Commonwealth Income Support Payments for a minimum of 26 consecutive weeks (a six month period), prior to making your claim. Australian Commonwealth Income Support Payments include:

• an income support supplement, a service or social security pension, or a social security benefit (other than Austudy, or other than youth allowance if you are in full time study).
• a drought relief payment or exceptional circumstances relief payment under the Farm Household Support Act; or
• a payment from the Community Development Employment Projects Scheme.

You can make a Financial Hardship claim only once in any 12 month period and the payment is limited to $10,000.

Reached preservation age?

You can also make a claim for a Severe Financial Hardship payment if you:

• have reached preservation age plus 39 weeks
• have received Australian Commonwealth Income Support Payments for a cumulative period of 39 weeks since reaching preservation age (certified by a Q251 letter from Centrelink)
• work no more than 10 hours per week at the time of your claim.

If this applies to you:

• proof of outstanding debts and bills will not be required
• the $10,000 payment limit does not apply
• more than one claim can be made under these conditions in a 12 month period.

Specified compassionate grounds for release

The Department of Human Services (DHS) has the ability to approve the release of superannuation savings on specific compassionate grounds.

You can apply to DHS to have some or all of your superannuation benefits released to you in order to meet the following expenses:

• medical or dental treatment for yourself or a dependent
• transport to medical or dental treatment
• prevention of your home from being sold by the lender that has the mortgage for it
• modifying your home or vehicle to accommodate the needs of yourself or a dependent, in the case of a severe disability
• caring for a person with a terminal medical condition, for yourself or a dependent
• expenses associated with a dependent’s death.

This is only available to Australian and New Zealand citizens and Australian permanent residents.

You need to apply to DHS and obtain a letter of approval from them before contacting us about withdrawing your super on compassionate grounds.

Contact DHS on 1300 131 060 or visit their website for more information and the application.

Tax will be withheld according to the components of your super account. For those who are below their preservation age, the rate of tax applied to the taxable component is 21.5%. Any amounts paid to you will be net of tax.

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Total and Permanent Disablement

If you need to make a claim due to total and permanent disablement please contact us on 1300 304 000 to discuss your specific circumstances. This way we can ensure any eligible claim is processed swiftly.

Once you make contact, we will help with the requirements and processes for accessing both super and any applicable insurance benefits.

Terminal medical condition

If you suffer from an illness or injury that is likely to result in death within 12 months, you may be eligible to access your super.

To qualify for access under this circumstance, two registered medical practitioners have to certify (jointly or separately) that you suffer from an illness or injury that is likely to result in death within a 12 month period from date of certification. 

At least one of the medical practitioners needs to be a specialist in the area of your illness or injury. Each certificate must cover a period that has not already ended.

This evidence will need to be provided, along with a Benefit withdrawal form. Contact us for a copy of the form on 1300 304 000.

To pay excess contributions tax

If your annual contributions exceed your relevant contributions limit, the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) may order you to pay an amount of excess contributions tax. This amount may be released from RecruitmentSuper upon presentation of a release authority issued by the ATO.

If you think this applies to you, please contact us on 1300 304 000 to discuss your specific circumstances and how to proceed.

Non-preserved benefits

Although super generally cannot be accessed before your preservation age, some contributions received before 1 July 1999 are not restricted by the preservation age as set out above. These are called 'non-preserved benefits'.

Some non-preserved benefits (known as 'restricted non-preserved benefits') cannot be accessed until you satisfy a condition of release, although the precise conditions of access may differ to those required for preserved benefits.

Other non-preserved benefits (known as 'unrestricted non-preserved benefits') can be accessed without fulfilling another condition of release.

Any portion of your super which is considered non-preserved is detailed in your member statement sent to you at the end of each financial year. You can view statements from previous years by logging into Member Online Services.

To claim unrestricted non-preserved benefits, complete a Benefit withdrawal form and return it, along with certified proof of your identity.

Speak to our Customer Service Centre on 1300 304 000 for a copy of the form.

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