It’s 2025. Do you know where your super is?

​According to the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) there is currently $17.8 billion of lost super sitting unclaimed across Australia. 

If you’ve ever changed employers, your contact details such as your address, or had a name change, you may have lost super that’s been unable to reach you. 

How can super be ‘lost’? 
‘Lost’ super can be a bit of a misleading term. The ATO knows where the money is, they just don’t know who it belongs to or where it should go. The ATO refers to these ‘lost’ sums of money as ATO-held super. 

Since 2021 almost $6.4 billion of ATO-held super has been reunited with its owners, but there is still an alarmingly large amount that has yet to find its home.  

What causes super to be placed with the ATO? 
There are many reasons why your super may have been sent to the ATO, including: 

Employee super guarantee payments 

• If your current or past employer has not paid you the correct amount of contributions, they have to pay the difference to the ATO. This will then sit with them if the ATO cannot find an account to pay it into.  

Unclaimed super received from super funds 

• If the member is aged 65 years or over, hasn’t contributed for the past 2 years, and who the fund has been unable to contact for 5 years; 
• If a member is deceased, and the fund has been unable to pay their benefit to the rightful owner; 
• If the member is party to a divorce and whose ex-spouse is entitled to the super benefit, and the fund is unable to contact the ex-spouse; 
• Lost members whose account balance is less than $6,000; 
• Lost members whose accounts have been inactive for 12 months; and the fund doesn't have the information needed to pay them. 

How can I find out if I have lost super? 
The easiest way to find out if you have lost super is to log in to your myGov and access ATO online services. Under the Super heading, you can select: 

• Fund details to check for lost super – if you want to keep your super with the same fund, contact them directly to update your details. 
• Manage and then Transfer super to transfer this lost super to an eligible super account – or ask your fund to complete the transfer for you. 
• Manage and then Transfer super to transfer ATO held super to an eligible super account. 
• Manage and then Withdraw ATO-held super to have your super paid directly to you if the amount is less than $200 or you are over 65. 

If you have used the above tool and found that you have lost super, feel free to reach out to us for an appointment where we can discuss where best to transfer your lost super.  

Why is it important to locate lost super? 
Retirement may seem a far-off goal for some, but every penny counts when it comes to superannuation. Locating even a few hundred dollars of unclaimed super can lead to larger gains in the future, and therefore a more secure retirement.  

But even if you’ve already retired you may have unclaimed super. Over $471 million of ATO-held super is for members aged 65 and older. That could make a large difference in your retirement plans.  

I’ve found missing super! What should I do with it now? 
Our financial advisers are well versed in ensuring that your super works as hard as you do. If you’re interested in getting an opinion on how your super is serving you, we can help!