Introduction
If you've ever changed your name, address or job, it’s possible that you may have lost track of some of your super.
Your superannuation fund will consider you a ‘lost member’ and hold your money until they find you. If they cannot find you, some types of lost super will be transferred to the Australian Taxation Office (ATO).
In certain circumstances, funds are required by law to transfer money to the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) as ‘unclaimed super’.
If the ATO is holding super for you, you’ll be able to transfer the money to an active super account or, if you meet the criteria, withdraw the balance.
What you need
A myGov account linked to the ATO.
How to check
- Select the 'Check online' button.
- Log in or create a myGov account.
- Link it to the ATO.
- Follow the prompts to check if the ATO is holding any super for you.
If you're unable to check online for lost super, you can:
- phone the ATO’s automated super search line on 13 28 65, or
- complete the PDF form Searching for lost and unclaimed super and post it to:
Australian Taxation Office
PO Box 3578
Albury NSW 2640
More information
- Your super fund will report you as a lost member, but hold on to your money, if:
- they haven’t been able to contact you
- they haven't received any contributions or rollover amounts for you in the past 5 years
- your account was transferred from another fund as a lost member account and no new address has been found.
- Unclaimed super money, held by the ATO, can be:
- for a member 65 years old or older
- for a non-member spouse
- for a deceased member
- money of former temporary residents
- certain accounts belonging to lost members, such as:
- small lost member accounts (balances less than $6,000)
- insoluble lost member accounts (inactive for 5 years and insufficient records to identify the owner of the account)
- inactive low-balance accounts.
- If you think you’ve lost super and cannot see it online, the ATO may be holding it as ‘unmatched super’ because they do not have enough information about you. Visit the ATO for details about how to claim this money.