To open a superannuation account in Australia, you either nominate a fund by handing your employer a completed Superannuation Standard Choice Form, or you apply directly through a fund’s website using your Tax File Number and 100 points of identification. If you’re starting your first job and do nothing, your employer will check with the ATO for a “stapled” fund that follows you from previous jobs, and if none exists, contributions go into the employer’s default MySuper product.1Australian Taxation Office. Stapled Super Funds for Employers Actively choosing a fund is almost always the better move.
Who Can Open a Super Account
Nearly all employees aged 18 and over qualify for employer super contributions under the Superannuation Guarantee (Administration) Act 1992, regardless of how much they earn or how many hours they work. The old $450-per-month minimum earnings threshold was abolished in 2022. Workers under 18 must clock more than 30 hours in a week before they become eligible for employer contributions.2business.gov.au. Superannuation
Australian citizens, permanent residents, and most temporary visa holders can all open super accounts. If you’re on a temporary visa and eventually leave Australia, you may be able to claim your balance (less tax) as a Departing Australia Superannuation Payment after your visa expires or is cancelled.3Australian Taxation Office. Departing Australia Superannuation Payment (DASP) Different visa subclasses carry their own rules about how funds are managed and withdrawn, so check the ATO’s guidance for your specific visa type first.
Choose a Fund Before You Apply
You have the right to choose which fund receives your employer contributions. Fees and investment returns compound over decades, so a small difference in annual charges can eat tens of thousands of dollars from your final balance. Australian super funds fall into a few broad types:
- Industry funds run on a profit-for-members basis, with returns going back to members rather than shareholders. They tend to charge fixed-dollar administration fees.
- Retail funds are operated by banks or financial institutions on a for-profit basis, often with asset-based fees that scale with your balance and wider investment menus.
- Public sector funds serve government employees, with eligibility tied to your employer.
- Self-managed super funds put you in the role of trustee with full control over investments, but you must register the fund with the ATO, prepare a trust deed, develop an investment strategy, and lodge annual returns. SMSFs are typically only practical for people with larger balances.4Australian Taxation Office. Setting Up an SMSF
MySuper and the YourSuper Tool
Any fund used as an employer’s default must be registered with APRA and offer a MySuper product.5Australian Taxation Office. Select Your Default Super Fund MySuper products are simple, low-cost options with a single diversified investment strategy, and their activity fees are limited to cost recovery. They’re reasonable defaults, but not necessarily the best fit for you.
The ATO’s free YourSuper comparison tool ranks MySuper products by net returns after fees. You can compare up to four products side by side across 3-year, 5-year, and 10-year net returns, total annual fees, and whether APRA has assessed the product as performing or underperforming.6Australian Taxation Office. YourSuper Comparison Tool Products that fail APRA’s annual performance test are flagged. That’s the fastest way to narrow down a shortlist before you apply.
What You Need Before You Apply
Your Tax File Number
Your TFN is the single most important piece of information to give a super fund. Funds use it as the primary identifier to link contributions to your account.7Australian Taxation Office. Providing and Using TFNs in the Super System If you don’t provide it, the fund must withhold an additional 32% tax on your concessional contributions on top of the standard 15% fund tax, taking the total to 47%.8Australian Taxation Office. No TFN Supplied – Additional Income Tax Give it to the fund at the point of application, or straight after if you missed the initial form.
100 Points of Identification
Super funds verify your identity using Australia’s 100-point ID system. A current Australian passport is worth 70 points on its own as a primary document. A driver’s licence carries 40 points, and other government-issued identification cards also carry 40 points each. A passport plus a driver’s licence clears the threshold comfortably. Without a passport, you’ll need to combine multiple secondary and tertiary documents to reach 100.
You’ll also need your full legal name, current residential address, date of birth, and an active email address for digital communications.
The Standard Choice Form
To direct your employer’s contributions to a specific fund, you complete the Superannuation Standard Choice Form (NAT 13080). You can fill it out through ATO online services via myGov (where existing fund details are pre-filled) or download the PDF. The form asks for your employer’s ABN, the fund’s Unique Superannuation Identifier, and the fund’s own ABN and full name, so collect these from payroll and the fund’s website before you start. Print the completed summary and return it to your employer. Do not send it to the ATO.9Australian Taxation Office. Superannuation Standard Choice Form
How to Submit Your Application
There are two paths, depending on whether you’re joining a fund through your employer or directly.
Through your employer. Complete the Standard Choice Form and hand it to your payroll or HR team. Your employer then has 28 days from your start date to begin directing contributions to your chosen fund.10Australian Retirement Trust. Choice of Fund This overrides the stapling process entirely.
Directly with the fund. Apply through the fund’s website. Online portals walk you through personal details, TFN, and identity verification. Before submitting, you’ll be asked to confirm you’ve read the Product Disclosure Statement, which sets out fees, investment options, and insurance arrangements. Digital applications usually generate an immediate confirmation email. If you’re posting a paper form instead, send it to the fund’s processing address and keep a copy.
What Happens After You Apply
New members typically receive a welcome pack within five to ten business days, including a unique member number you’ll use for all future account interactions. Once the account is active, watch for the first employer contribution.
Employers must pay super contributions quarterly, with each payment due by the 28th day of the month after the quarter ends: 28 October, 28 January, 28 April, and 28 July.11Australian Taxation Office. Super Payment Due Dates The mandatory rate is 12% of your ordinary time earnings for both the 2025–26 and 2026–27 financial years.12Australian Taxation Office. Super Guarantee If a contribution doesn’t show up after the due date, follow up with your employer first, and contact the ATO if it isn’t resolved.
If You Didn’t Nominate a Fund
Since November 2021, employers must check with the ATO for a stapled super fund before opening a new default account when you start a job. A stapled fund is an existing super account that follows you from job to job. If the ATO reports no stapled fund (common for first-time workers), contributions go into the employer’s default MySuper product.1Australian Taxation Office. Stapled Super Funds for Employers The system was introduced to stop the accumulation of a fresh account every time someone changed jobs. You can still take control at any time by submitting a Standard Choice Form.
Two Setup Decisions Not to Skip
Nominate Your Beneficiaries
When you open the account, the fund will ask who should receive your balance if you die. Super is not automatically part of your estate, so it may not be distributed according to your will unless you’ve made a valid nomination.13Australian Taxation Office. Superannuation Death Benefits
A binding nomination legally requires the fund to pay your balance to the people you’ve named, in the proportions you specify, but you can only name a dependant or your personal legal representative. Most binding nominations lapse after three years and need to be renewed, though some funds offer non-lapsing versions. A non-binding nomination tells the fund your wishes but leaves the trustee with discretion over who actually receives the money. Set a calendar reminder for the renewal date if you make a binding nomination.
Check the Default Insurance
Most super funds automatically include life insurance and total and permanent disability cover for eligible members, with premiums deducted from your balance. For small balances, these premiums can eat into your savings quickly.
Under the Putting Members’ Interests First rules, funds cannot provide automatic insurance on an opt-out basis to members who are under 25 or who have a balance below $6,000.14Australian Prudential Regulation Authority. Putting Members’ Interests First – Frequently Asked Questions Once you turn 25 and reach $6,000, eligible automatic cover starts. You can opt in earlier if you want coverage, or opt out if you already have insurance elsewhere. Read the insurance section of the PDS so you know what you’re paying for.
If You Already Have Super Accounts
If you’ve had several jobs before, there’s a good chance you have super scattered across multiple funds, each charging its own admin fees and insurance premiums. Consolidating stops you from paying multiple sets of charges for no reason.
Sign in to myGov, go to ATO online services, then Super, Manage, and Transfer super. The option only appears if the ATO can see more than one super account linked to your TFN. Transferring through the ATO portal moves the entire balance and closes the old account; if you only want to move part of a balance, contact the fund directly. Transfers requested through ATO online services generally take about three business days.15Australian Taxation Office. Transferring or Consolidating Your Super
Before you consolidate, check whether any existing account has insurance cover you’d lose by closing it, particularly if your health has changed since the policy started. Compare fees and performance too, and keep the best fund rather than defaulting to the newest one. You can also search for lost or unclaimed super through the same ATO portal.16Australian Taxation Office. Searching for Lost Super