When you turn 65 or reach preservation age.
You can get your super when you turn 65, or when you reach a certain age (called your preservation age) and have stopped working, or work less than 10 hours a week.
Your preservation age depends on when you were born. You can ask the Australian Tax Office (ATO) by calling 13 10 20.
Sometimes you can get your super early for financial hardship, disability, or sickness. You can talk to a financial counsellor by calling 1800 007 007, or online here.
You might also need to talk to a doctor to get medical papers.
If you apply to get your super early it can take a long time (maybe a year), and you will not get the money straight away. You will need to fill in forms and get ID and other papers.
You can talk to a lawyer for help.
You can make a complaint about your super company if you disagree with their decision. Call the Superannuation Complaints Tribunal (SCT) on 1300 884 114.
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Who Can Help? (Service Providers)
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| Early access to your super
This web page talks about your options for getting your super early. |
| Superannuation scams
Scammers say that they can help you get your super early, but they are trying to take your money. This web page explains what to look out for so you can avoid super scams. |
| Access superannuation
This web page talks about accessing your super early because of severe financial hardship or medical, disability, or funeral expenses. |
| Online complaint – Superannuation Complaints Tribunal
You can use this form to make a complaint about your superannuation company. |
| Super and pension age calculator
This calculator helps you work out when you will be old enough to get your super. |
| Retiring: Accessing your super
This web page talks about accessing your super when you retire. |
| Accessing your super
This web page explains when you can get your super. |
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Dealing with family pressure about money
Uncle Charlie is about to receive a big payment. See how he deals with pressure from his family and friends to give them money.
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This diagram shows you the process of making a complaint to the Superannuation Complaints Tribunal.
Click here to view Lifecycle of a complaintGlossary: What these words mean
| Superannuation Complaints Tribunal (SCT) | The SCT helps with complaints about super. |
| preservation age | The age when you can access your super. This age is 55-60 years old, but depends when you were born. |
| Australian Taxation Office (ATO) | The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) collects tax for the government. They also look after the tax and superannuation systems. |
| super company | A company that manages super accounts for lots of people. |
| superannuation | Superannuation (super) is money your employer has to pay to a special account, where it is saved for you until you reach a certain age. |
| hardship | Financial hardship is when you want to pay your bills and debts, but you don’t have enough money because of changes to your situation. For example, you might have lost your job, separated from your partner, gotten sick, or had something else happen in your life. |