Once you reach age 60 you can normally access your super tax free.
If you're aged 60 or over and withdraw a lump sum: You don't pay any tax when you withdraw from a taxed super fund. You may pay tax if you withdraw from an untaxed super fund, such as a public sector fund.
Super is a great way to save money for your retirement. It is generally taxed at a lower rate than your regular income. You typically pay 15% tax on your super contributions, and your withdrawals are tax-free if you're 60 or older.
Age 60 or over and ceasing employment
You can access your super if you're aged 60 and over and you stop working, even if you subsequently get another job with another employer. As mentioned earlier, super payments are generally tax free once you turn 60.
You can contribute up to $27,500 each year. These are contributions you have not paid any personal income tax on. They are called 'concessional contributions' because the concessional rate of tax paid on super is 15%.
There are absolutely no restrictions to accessing your Super Benefit when aged between 60 and 64 after you are retired. There are two ways you can access your Super; either as a lump-sum payment or as a pension.
If you want full access to your super balance when you reach 60, you will need to fulfill one more condition; an employment arrangement coming to an end. You can then access the money as an account-based pension income stream, a lump sum withdrawal, or a combination of both.
Yes, provided you have reached the Age Pension age, you may be eligible for the Age Pension even if you have super savings.
Some super funds (known as 'untaxed' funds) don't pay any tax on contributions. To offset this, the government will charge you tax when you withdraw your super balance, even if you are over 60.
Once you reach age 65, you can access your Super Benefit at any time whether you have retired or not. There are absolutely no restrictions to accessing your Super Benefit when over 65. Your Super Benefit can be accessed as either a Pension or Lump Sum withdrawal.
You can withdraw your super: when you turn 65 (even if you haven't retired) when you reach preservation age and retire, or. under the transition to retirement rules, while continuing to work.
If you are over age 65, there is no restriction on how much super you can access, even if you are still working. Reaching age 65 is classified as a full superannuation condition of release, meaning you have full access to your super, which can be withdrawn as a lump sum or income stream.
You may be able to take your superannuation as a lump sum payment when you retire. This is usually tax-free from age 60.
Assume, for example, you will need 65 per cent of your pre-retirement income, so if you earn $50,000 now, you might need $32,500 in retirement.
If you leave your super in accumulation phase, you are not required to make any withdrawals from it, even if you are retired. Your accumulation balance will simply continue to be invested and (ideally) increase in value over time. Keeping your super in accumulation phase does not prevent you from accessing it.
Assets Test
A single homeowner can have up to $656,500 of assessable assets and receive a part pension – for a single non-homeowner the higher threshold is $898,500. For a couple, the higher threshold to $986,500 for a homeowner and $1,228,500 for a non-homeowner.
The good news is that, yes, you will usually be allowed to return to work after retiring and accessing your super benefits. Even if you've taken a lump sum super payout or are receiving ongoing payments from your super fund, you still have the right to rejoin the workforce.
When you retire you could withdraw your super as a cash payment from your super account. You can open an account-based pension and set-up regular income payments. You can also withdraw smaller cash payments from your super account or account-based pension. The choice is yours.
The Bottom Line. For some, a lump-sum pension payment makes sense. For others, having less to upfront capital is better. In either case, pension payments should be used responsibility with the mindset of having these resources support you throughout your retirement.
You can get your super when you retire and reach your 'preservation age' — between 55 and 60, depending on when you were born. There are special circumstances where you can access your super early.
WILL ACCESSING MY SUPER AFFECT MY CENTRELINK PAYMENT? If you withdraw money from your super fund, you must tell Centrelink within 14 days. Money withdrawn from super is not treated as income for a person receiving a social security payment.
If you contribute too much to your super, you may have to pay extra tax. If you exceed the before-tax (concessional) super contributions cap, the excess is included in your income tax return and taxed at your marginal tax rate. You can choose to withdraw some of the excess contributions to pay the additional tax.