The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) regulates ordinary superannuation accounts. Self-managed superannuation funds (SMSFs) are regulated by the Australian Taxation Office.

First home buyers are the only people who can use their superannuation to buy a property. The federal government has created the First Home Super Saver Scheme to help first home buyers save for a deposit. First home buyers can make voluntary contributions of up to $15,000 per year, and $30,000 in total, to their superannuation account. These contributions are taxed at 15 per cent, along with deemed earnings. Withdrawals are taxed at marginal tax rates minus a tax offset of 30 percentage points.

Voluntary contributions to the First Home Super Saver Scheme are not exempt from the $25,000 annual limit on concessional contributions. So if you pay $15,000 per year into the First Home Super Saver Scheme, you have to make sure that you don’t receive more than $10,000 in superannuation payments from your employer and any salary sacrificing.

On the day you claim the age pension, you must be in Australia and you must have been an Australian resident for at least 10 years (with no break in your stay for at least five of those years). The following exceptions apply:

• You’re exempt from the 10-year rule if you’re a refugee or former refugee
• You’re exempt from the 10-year rule if you’re getting Partner Allowance, Widow Allowance or Widow B pension
• You can claim the age pension with only two years of residency if you’re a woman whose partner died while you were both Australian residents
• You might be able to claim the age pension if you’ve lived or worked in a country that has a social security agreement with Australia

As a contractor, you’re entitled to superannuation if:

• The contract is mainly for your labour
• You’re over 18 and earn more than $450 before tax in a calendar month
• You’re under 18, you work more than 30 hours per week and you earn more than $450 before tax in a calendar month

Please note that you’re entitled to superannuation even if you have an Australian business number (ABN).

For employees, there are two types of reportable superannuation contributions:

• Reportable employer super contributions your employer makes for you
• Personal deductible contributions you make for yourself

The value of your assets affects whether you can qualify for the age pension – and, if so, how much.

The following assets are exempt from the assets test:

• your principal home and up to two hectares of used land on the same title
• all Australian superannuation investments from which a pension is not being paid – this exemption is valid until you reach age pension age
• any property or money left to you in an estate, which you can’t get for up to 12 months
• a cemetery plot and a prepaid funeral, or up to two funeral bonds, that cost no more than the allowable limit
• aids for people with disability
• money from the National Disability Insurance Scheme for people with disability
• principal home sale proceeds you’ll use to buy another home within 12 months
• accommodation bonds paid on entry to residential aged care
• any interest not created by you or your partner
• a Special Disability Trust if it meets certain requirements
• your principal home, if you vacate it for up to 12 months
• granny flat rights where you pay more than the extra allowable amount

For full pensions, reductions apply when your assessable assets exceed these thresholds:

For part pensions, reductions apply when your assessable assets exceed these thresholds:

For transitional rate pensions, reductions apply when your assessable assets exceed these thresholds:

When you start a job, your employer will give you what’s called a ‘superannuation standard choice form’. Here’s what you need to complete the form:

• The name of your preferred superannuation fund
• The fund’s address
• The fund’s Australian business number (ABN)
• The fund’s superannuation product identification number (SPIN)
• The fund’s phone number
• A letter from the fund trustee confirming that the fund is a complying fund; or written evidence from the fund stating it will accept contributions from your new employer; or details about how your employer can make contributions to the fund

You should also provide your tax file number – while it’s not a legal obligation, it will ensure your contributions will be taxed at the (lower) superannuation rate.

Concessional contributions are pre-tax payments into your superannuation account. The payments made by your employer are concessional payments. You can also make concessional contributions with a salary sacrifice.

Your money will be invested in an investment option of your choosing.

Lost superannuation refers to savings in an account that you’ve forgotten about. This can happen if you’ve opened several different accounts over the years while moving from job to job.

You can use your MyGov account to see details of all your superannuation accounts, including any you might have forgotten. Alternatively, you can fill in a ‘Searching for lost super’ form and send it to the Australian Taxation Office, which will then search on your behalf.

You can withdraw your superannuation (or at least some of it) when you reach ‘preservation age’. The preservation age is based on date of birth. Here are the six different categories:

When you reach preservation age, you can withdraw all your superannuation if you’re retired. If you’re still working, you can begin a ‘transition to retirement’, which allows you to withdraw 10 per cent of their superannuation each financial year.

You can also withdraw all your superannuation once you reach 65 years.

Accessing your superannuation is a simple administrative procedure – you just ask your fund to pay it. You can access your superannuation in three different ways:

• Lump sum
• Account-based pension
• Part lump sum and part account-based pension

However, please note that your superannuation fund will only be able to make a payout if you meet the ‘conditions of release’. The conditions of release say you can claim your super when you reach:

• Age 65
• Your ‘preservation age’ and retire
• Your preservation age and begin a ‘transition to retirement’ while still working

The preservation age has six different categories:

There are also seven special circumstances under which you can claim your superannuation:

• Compassionate grounds
• Severe financial hardship
• Temporary incapacity
• Permanent incapacity
• Superannuation inheritance
• Superannuation balance under $200
• Temporary resident departing Australia

Changing superannuation funds is a common and straightforward process. You can do it through your MyGov account or by filling out a rollover form and sending it to your new fund. You’ll also have to provide proof of identity.

Superannuation is currently 9.5 per cent – which means that your employer must pay you superannuation equivalent to 9.5 per cent of your salary.

The ‘superannuation guarantee’, as it is known, has been at 9.5 per cent since the 2014-15 financial year. It is scheduled to rise to 10.0 per cent in 2021-22, 10.5 per cent in 2022-23, 11.0 per cent in 2023-24, 11.5 per cent in 2024-25 and 12.0 per cent in 2025-26.

Most Australians who are of retirement age can qualify for the age pension. However, depending on the size of your assets and post-retirement income, you might be entitled to only a reduced pension. In some instances, you might not be entitled to any pension payments.

Superannuation is calculated at the rate of 9.5 per cent of your gross salary and wages. So if you had a salary of $50,000, your superannuation would be 9.5 per cent of that, or $4,750. This would be paid on top of your salary.

The ‘superannuation guarantee’, as it is known, has been at 9.5 per cent since the 2014-15 financial year. It is scheduled to rise to 10.0 per cent in 2021-22, 10.5 per cent in 2022-23, 11.0 per cent in 2023-24, 11.5 per cent in 2024-25 and 12.0 per cent in 2025-26.

There is an annual limit of $25,000 for concessional contributions – that is, money paid by your employer and extra money you pay into your account through salary sacrificing. There is also a limit on non-concessional contributions. Australians aged between 65 and 74 have a limit of $100,000 per year. Australians aged under 65 have a limit of $300,000 every three years.

Superannuation is calculated at the rate of 9.5 per cent of your ‘ordinary-time earnings’. (For most people, ordinary-time earnings are their gross annual salary or wages.) So if you had a salary of $50,000, your superannuation would be 9.5 per cent of that, or $4,750. This would be paid on top of your salary.

As the Australian Taxation Office explains, some items are excluded from ordinary-time earnings. They include:

• Overtime work paid at overtime rates
• Expense allowances that are fully expended
• Expenses that are reimbursed
• Unfair dismissal payments
• Workers’ compensation payments
• Parental leave
• Jury duty
• Defence reserve service
• Unused annual leave when employment is terminated
• Unused long service leave when employment is terminated
• Unused sick leave when employment is terminated

Although the superannuation guarantee is currently at 9.5 per cent, it is scheduled to rise to 10.0 per cent in 2021-22, 10.5 per cent in 2022-23, 11.0 per cent in 2023-24, 11.5 per cent in 2024-25 and 12.0 per cent in 2025-26.

• SMSFs have high set-up and running costs
• They come with complicated compliance obligations
• It takes a lot of time to research investment options
• It can be difficult to make such big financial decisions