It's your money and for most people, super is one of the central pieces in preparing for their retirement. Getting to grips with it early will give you greater control and the confidence to make the best financial choices for you.
Benefits Now is an exclusive program for BT super members. The program offers members a variety of deals and discounts on everyday things from health, fitness, travel, entertainment and banking products.
If you've changed jobs, done casual or part-time work, moved house or changed your name, then you could be one of the many Australians who have lost track of some super. And now with SuperCheck you can track down any lost super in seconds.
Contributing more money to your superannuation fund now could make a difference to your balance when you retire.
Explore small changes that can make a difference in retirement.
Information current as at 15/08/2016.
This information has been prepared without taking account of your objectives, financial situation or needs. Because of this you should, before acting on this information, consider its appropriateness, having regard to your objectives, financial situation and needs.
Superannuation is a long-term investment. Generally, contributions to a superannuation fund are preserved. The government has placed restrictions on when you can access your preserved benefits. In general, benefits will not be able to be paid until a member is age 65, or has permanently retired and is above his/ her preservation age (i.e. 55 years up to 60 years depending on when the member was born).
The Government has set caps on the amount of money you can add to superannuation each year on a concessionally taxed basis. Currently the cap is $30,000 per person pa for the 2016/17 financial year. If you are aged 49 or over on 30 June 2016, the annual cap is $35,000.
In addition, the government has set a non-concessional contributions cap. The cap is $180,000 per person pa. Those under age 65 can ‘bring forward’ two years’ worth of personal contributions, allowing them to contribute up to $540,000 per person over a three year period. However, in the Federal Budget announced on 3 May 2016, the government proposed to introduce a lifetime cap of $500,000 on non-concessional contributions, which would include non-concessional made since 1 July 2007. For more detail, speak with a financial adviser or visit the ATO website.
Before requesting a rollover, you should consider where your future employer contributions will be paid (if your employer contributions are currently being paid to another fund) and check with your other fund(s) to determine whether there are any exit or withdrawal fees for moving your benefit, or other loss of benefits (e.g. insurance cover), noting that you may not receive the same type or level of benefits after the rollover. You may not be covered for injuries or illnesses that have arisen since you took out previous insurance, and you may lose loyalty benefits.