Ready to retire?

Your super is there to help support your life after work. You can start accessing your super if:

• you are 65 years of age (regardless of whether you are still working) or
• you are 60 years of age and have left your job

There are also some cases where you can access you super before you turn 60. If you’ve reached your ‘preservation age’, and made the decision to permanently retire, you will be able to access your super. You’ll need to make a declaration to the fund that you don’t have any plans to work (for an income) again. 

From age 60, you can leave your job (but not officially retire), and you don’t have to make a declaration about your future employment plans. You can access your super and, if you wish to at some point, return to work. However, any earnings or contributions accrued after you leave your job can’t be accessed until a fresh condition of release is met.

Preservation age

Your super is a ‘preserved benefit’ which means you generally can’t access it until you reach a certain age. Your ‘preservation age’ is the earliest age you can access your super and is based on your date of birth.

If you were born on or before 30 June 1964, you have already reached your preservation age. If you were born on or after 1 July 1964, your preservation age is 60.