Look for a combination of low annual fees, high long-term returns (10 year performance) and an investment strategy you understand and agree with. If you'd like a bit of help choosing, take a look at our best super fund picks.
Step 2: Join the new super fund
Download the new membership form from the fund's website, which will ask you for the following details:
Your personal details including your full name, residential address, contact information and Tax File Number.
Your employer's information including the business name, address and ABN.
The insurance cover you'd like to include. Most funds will include automatic default death and TPD cover, but you can choose to add income protection cover, or you can opt out of all cover if you don't think you'll need it.
The details of your nominated beneficiaries (this is who your super will go to in the event of your death).
Finder survey: Which super fund are Australians with?
Response
AustralianSuper
23.92%
Other
23.82%
Australian Retirement Trust
8.17%
Retail Employees Superannuation Trust
7.48%
HESTA
6.89%
HOSTPLUS Superannuation Fund
5.81%
AMP Super Fund
5.22%
Aware Super
5.22%
Unisuper
3.74%
Colonial First State FirstChoice Superannuation Trust
2.85%
MLC Super Fund
2.17%
Mercer Super Trust
1.48%
Spirit Super
1.38%
Care Super
0.98%
Construction and Building Unions Superannuation Fund (CBUS)
0.69%
Retirement Wrap
0.1%
Wealth Personal Superannuation and Pension Fund
0.1%
Source: Finder survey by Pure Profile of 1016 Australians, December 2023
Step 3: Transfer your existing super
Once you've completed the new membership form, there will be another form asking if you have any super you want to transfer over. You'll be asked to provide the following details:
Your existing fund's name and contact number
The fund's ABN and USI numbers (you'll find these on your fund's website or on your last account statement)
Your membership number and/or account number
The new membership form will have the details of where to send the completed form. Once you've submitted this, your new super fund will take care of the rest for you. If you've got more than 1 fund you'll need to submit separate forms for each.
Step 4: Tell your employer
You'll find another form on your new fund's website called "Employee super choice form" or "Pay my super into XYZ Fund". It'll be pre-filled with the details that your employer needs. Add your name and membership number, and give this form to your employer so they can start paying your super into your new fund.
Unless indicated otherwise, the information in the table is based on data provided by SuperRatings Pty Limited ABN 95 100 192 283, Australian Financial Services Licence 311880.
*Past performance data and fee data is for the period ending Jan 2024
🔥 Quick tip when rolling over your super
"Before you switch funds, check if you've got any additional super funds open in your name that you might have forgotten about. Just log into your myGov account online and click on the "Super" tab to see a list of funds in your name. You may choose to keep one of these funds instead of opening a new one."
Frequently asked questions
Some funds do charge an exit fee when you leave the fund and close your account (although this is getting less common). This will be listed in their PDS on their website. If there is an exit fee, it's usually around $40 to $60. There are no joining fees for opening an account with a new super fund.
No, not initially. When you roll over your super into another fund, the money stays within the super system (rather than being 'sold'). So any tax elements that apply will simply be rolled over to the new fund, and will apply when you eventually withdraw the money.
No. When you start your new job, simply give your new employer your super fund details and they'll pay your super into your existing fund. Your super is yours, and will always be in your name, regardless of where you're working.
The small bit of effort required to change funds is extremely minor when compared to the cost of sticking with a high-fee, poor performing fund. The difference in fees might not seem like much over one year, but when compounded over 20, 30 or even 40 years, the difference really adds up. By switching to a fund that charges 1% lower fees than your current fund, you could potentially retire with thousands (or even hundreds of thousands) more in your super.
The main things to compare when choosing a new super fund are the fees and performance returns. With the fees, the lower the better, and with the performance returns the higher the better. For more help, you can read our detailed guide on how to compare super funds.
The 4 steps to consolidating your super funds are: locate your funds, choose your primary account, transfer your balance/s into the new account and update your employer.
There are a lot of superannuation funds in Australia and it's easy to have multiple funds. You can have more than 1 super fund, but it's not a good idea to do so. Having multiple funds means incurring multiple sets of fees, which is unnecessary and will eat into your retirement balance.
Why you can trust Finder's super fund experts
We're free
Our comparison tables are completely free to use. We link you directly to the super fund's secure application page. Plus, you can access all of our research in our media room.
We're experts
We've researched and rated hundreds of super funds as part of our Finder Awards. We've published 50+ guides and our in-house experts regularly appear on Sunrise, 7News and SBS News.
We're independent
Unlike other comparison sites, we're not owned by a super fund company. That means our opinions are our own and you can compare nearly every super fund in Australia on Finder.
We're here to help
Since 2017, we've helped over 200,000 people find a super fund by comprehensively comparing funds. We'll never ask for your personal information. We're here to help you make a decision.
Alison Banney is the money editorial manager at Finder. She covers all areas of personal finance, and her areas of expertise are superannuation, banking and saving. She has written about finance for 10 years, having previously worked at Westpac and written for several other major banks and super funds.
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