You can generally claim your super once you reach your preservation age and retire, or once you turn 65 whether you are still working or not. For anyone born after 30 June 1964, preservation age is 60, so for most people reading this the practical answer is: at 60 if you retire, and at 65 with no conditions attached.1Australian Taxation Office. Conditions of Release A limited set of early-access pathways exists outside those age rules, including severe financial hardship, compassionate grounds, terminal illness, permanent incapacity, the First Home Super Saver scheme, and departure from Australia on a temporary visa.
Preservation Age by Birth Year
Preservation age is the earliest point your super becomes accessible, assuming you also meet a “condition of release” such as retirement. It depends on when you were born:1Australian Taxation Office. Conditions of Release
- Born before 1 July 1960: 55
- 1 July 1960 to 30 June 1961: 56
- 1 July 1961 to 30 June 1962: 57
- 1 July 1962 to 30 June 1963: 58
- 1 July 1963 to 30 June 1964: 59
- Born after 30 June 1964: 60
By 2026, the only people still below their preservation age under the older thresholds are those born in the early-to-mid 1960s who haven’t yet turned 60. Everyone born from 1 July 1964 onward has a flat preservation age of 60. Hitting the age by itself does not release your money. You also need to satisfy one of the conditions below.
What Counts as Retirement
The definition of retirement for super purposes changes at 60, and the difference matters.
Between preservation age and 60, you need to leave an employment arrangement and genuinely intend never to work more than 10 hours a week again. You declare that intention to your fund, and the fund releases your preserved benefits. The 10-hour threshold is not averaged across a year. Any single week where you work 10 or more hours means you haven’t met the test.1Australian Taxation Office. Conditions of Release
Once you turn 60, the bar drops. You only need to end a single employment arrangement. There’s no requirement to declare that you intend to stop working permanently, and you can start a new job the following week without affecting access to the benefits already released.1Australian Taxation Office. Conditions of Release A point many people miss: you still have to actually leave a job. Simply reaching 60 while continuing in the same position does not trigger a condition of release until you resign, are made redundant, or otherwise end that arrangement.
Turning 65: Unrestricted Access
At 65, your super becomes fully accessible with no further conditions. You do not need to retire, cut back your hours, or notify anyone of your intentions. Whether you’re working full-time, part-time, or not at all, you can take the whole balance as a lump sum, start a pension, or combine the two.1Australian Taxation Office. Conditions of Release Employer contributions can continue in parallel.
If the retirement definitions feel uncertain and you’d rather not navigate them, 65 is the clean break point. No declarations, no proof of intent, no employment status checks.
Transition to Retirement While Still Working
If you’ve reached preservation age but want to keep working, a transition to retirement income stream (TRIS) lets you draw a regular income from your super without fully retiring. The money has to come out as periodic payments rather than a lump sum, because a TRIS is non-commutable while you remain in the workforce.2Australian Taxation Office. Transition to Retirement
You can draw between 4% (if you’re under 65) and 10% of your account balance each financial year. The minimum rises with age, reaching 5% at 65 and 6% at 75. The 10% ceiling applies while the TRIS stays outside the retirement phase. Investment earnings inside a TRIS are still taxed at up to 15%, unlike a standard retirement-phase pension where earnings are tax-free. The TRIS converts to a full retirement-phase pension only when you meet a condition of release such as turning 65, formally retiring, or satisfying the permanent incapacity or terminal illness tests.2Australian Taxation Office. Transition to Retirement
Early Access on Hardship or Compassionate Grounds
Outside the age-based pathways, federal law allows early release in a small number of tightly controlled situations. The rules are strict because super is meant to fund retirement.
Severe Financial Hardship
If you are under your preservation age plus 39 weeks, you need to have been receiving eligible government income support payments continuously for 26 weeks and be unable to meet reasonable and immediate living expenses for your family. Withdrawals under this pathway are limited to a single payment of between $1,000 and $10,000 within any 12-month period.3Australian Taxation Office. When You Can Access Your Super Early
Once you have reached preservation age plus 39 weeks, the test changes. You need a cumulative (not necessarily continuous) 39 weeks of government income support received after reaching preservation age, and you must not be gainfully employed when you apply. There is no cap on the amount under this second pathway.3Australian Taxation Office. When You Can Access Your Super Early
Compassionate Grounds
The ATO administers compassionate release, which covers a defined list of expenses:4Australian Taxation Office. Access on Compassionate Grounds – What You Need to Know
- Medical treatment or transport for you or a dependant, where the treatment isn’t available through the public system
- Modifications to your home or vehicle to accommodate a severe disability
- Palliative care for a terminal illness affecting you or a dependant
- Funeral or burial expenses for a dependant who has died
- Payments to stop the forced sale of your home
You have to show you cannot pay these costs without a super release, and the ATO wants detailed supporting documentation before approving any amount. Family or domestic violence is not currently a standalone ground for early access, though victims may qualify under the hardship or compassionate pathways if they meet those criteria.
Terminal Illness
A terminal medical condition unlocks your entire super balance if two registered medical practitioners certify, jointly or separately, that an illness or injury is likely to result in your death within 24 months of the certification date. At least one must be a specialist in the relevant area. You can access your benefits at any point before the 24-month certification period expires, and benefits paid under this condition are tax-free.5Australian Taxation Office. Access Due to a Terminal Medical Condition
Permanent Incapacity
p>Permanent incapacity is a separate condition. Your fund’s trustee must be satisfied that your ill health makes it unlikely you will ever work again in a role you’re reasonably qualified for by education, training, or experience.1Australian Taxation Office. Conditions of Release This usually requires detailed medical reports from treating specialists. Unlike terminal illness, the assessment is about your capacity to work rather than life expectancy. The trustee makes the final call, and different funds may interpret the evidence differently, so the quality of your medical documentation matters.
First Home Super Saver Scheme
The FHSS scheme lets you withdraw voluntary contributions you’ve made to super to put toward your first home. Only voluntary contributions qualify. The compulsory super guarantee amounts your employer pays do not count. You can contribute up to $15,000 in any single financial year and $50,000 in total across all years under the scheme.6Australian Taxation Office. First Home Super Saver Scheme
To be eligible, you must be 18 or older, have never owned property in Australia (including investment property or vacant land), and request an FHSS determination from the ATO before the property title transfers to your name. After purchase, you must intend to live in the home as soon as practicable and actually occupy it for at least six of the first 12 months.
The tax treatment is the main draw. Salary-sacrifice contributions go into super at 15% tax instead of your marginal rate, and when you withdraw them under the FHSS, assessable amounts receive a 30% tax offset. The ATO releases 100% of your eligible non-concessional (after-tax) contributions and 85% of your eligible concessional (pre-tax) contributions, plus deemed earnings on those amounts.6Australian Taxation Office. First Home Super Saver Scheme Couples buying together can each access their own FHSS amounts toward the same property.
Departing Australia on a Temporary Visa
If you worked in Australia on a temporary visa, you can claim your accumulated super as a Departing Australia Superannuation Payment (DASP) after you leave. To be eligible, you must have already left the country and your visa must have expired or been cancelled.7Australian Taxation Office. Departing Australia Superannuation Payment (DASP)
The tax rates are higher than for standard retirement withdrawals. For most temporary residents, the taxed element is taxed at 35%. If you were on a working holiday maker visa (subclass 417 or 462), the rate is 65% on both taxed and untaxed elements.7Australian Taxation Office. Departing Australia Superannuation Payment (DASP)
If you don’t apply within six months of leaving Australia and your visa ceasing, your fund will transfer the money to the ATO as unclaimed super. You can still claim it later through the ATO, but the process takes longer and you’ll need your tax file number and proof of identity. Applying promptly through the government’s online DASP system avoids that extra step.
A Note on Tax
Claiming your super and keeping the full amount are two different questions. If you’re 60 or older, lump sum withdrawals from the taxed element of your super are completely tax-free, which is the position most people with standard employer-funded super will be in.8Australian Taxation Office. Payments From Super Withdrawing between preservation age and 60 costs more, with the taxable component attracting tax above a low rate cap, so there’s often a reason to wait until 60 if you can. The DASP and early-access rates above are the main exceptions.
If You Die Before Claiming
Super doesn’t automatically go to your next of kin. A binding death benefit nomination compels your fund to pay your super to the people you’ve named, in the proportions you’ve chosen. To be valid, you typically need to complete a paper form, sign it in front of two witnesses who are not named in the nomination, and return it to the fund. Most binding nominations lapse after three years and need renewal. You can only nominate dependants or your legal personal representative (the executor of your will).9Australian Taxation Office. Superannuation Death Benefits
A non-binding nomination tells the fund your preference, but the trustee retains discretion. With no nomination at all, the trustee decides which dependants to pay, or passes the money to your estate. For super purposes, a dependant includes your spouse or de facto partner, your children of any age, and anyone in an interdependency relationship with you. A death benefit paid to a non-dependant can only be received as a lump sum and faces tax of up to 30% plus the Medicare levy on the untaxed element.10Australian Taxation Office. Tax on Super Benefits