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How to consolidate super

Consolidate your super into one super fund to avoid paying multiple sets of fees.

Alison Banney
Alison Banney

Updated

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If you've had several different jobs, it's possible you have more than one super account open in your name. This means you're paying multiple sets of fees that will be eating into your super returns. The solution is to consolidate your super, which is quick and easy to do. In this guide, we'll take you through the steps involved in consolidating your super.

AustralianSuper - Pre-mixed, Balanced Super Fund

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AustralianSuper - Pre-mixed, Balanced Super Fund

Choose from an extensive range of investment options and enjoy discounted rates on select banking products when you join AustralianSuper.

  • 2019 Finder Awards Winner: Best Super Fund - Balanced
  • Join and consolidate your super with the easy-to-use mobile app
  • Australia's largest industry super fund
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What does it mean to "consolidate" my super?

Consolidating your super means you are combining various super accounts into one account. This process involves finding your various super accounts (if you have any), selecting which account you'd like to keep as your primary super fund and then transferring the super balances from the other accounts over into your primary account. Don't worry, this process is a lot easier than it sounds and your super fund will do most of the work for you.

How to consolidate your super

Follow these three steps to consolidate your super.

Step 1: Find your multiple super accounts (if you have any)

The first step is to figure out if you even have multiple super funds to consolidate. You can do this by logging into the myGov portal online, which is linked to the ATO. If you don't have a myGov account, you'll need to create one by going to the myGov website and clicking "create account". When you've successfully logged in, click on the "Super" tab to see the details of any super accounts you have in your name, plus find any lost super you might have.

Step 2: Choose your primary super fund

Now that you can see your multiple super funds, you need to pick one to be your primary fund. If you're not happy with any of the funds you already have, you can compare other super funds and open a brand new fund to be your main super fund.

Look for one with low fees, strong investment performance and an investment strategy that suits you (for example if you're young, you might want a high-risk investment strategy, whereas if you're closer to retirement, you might be looking for a low-risk option instead). Compare super funds using the table below or read our guide on choosing a super fund for more tips on how to compare your options.

Name Product Past Performance - 1 Year Past Performance - 3 Years Performance - 5 Years Calculated fees p.a. on $50,000 balance
AustralianSuper - Pre-mixed, Balanced option
Finder Award
AustralianSuper - Pre-mixed, Balanced option
0.56%
6.67%
7.37%
$411.18
AustralianSuper is an award-winning industry super fund and the largest super fund in Australia. The Balanced fund invests in a mix of different assets like shares, property and cash.
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More Info
Virgin Money Super - Lifestage Tracker
Virgin Money Super - Lifestage Tracker
-0.86%
6.46%
$358
Virgin Money Super's Lifestage Tracker invests in a range of different assets in line with your age, reducing your risk as you get older, and has some of the lowest fees in the market.
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More Info
Sunsuper Lifecycle Balanced
Finder Award
Sunsuper Lifecycle Balanced
-1.69%
5.7%
6.45%
$453
Sunsuper is an award-winning super fund with more than 1.4 million members. Its Lifecycle Balanced option invests your super in a mix of growth assets, and reduces your risk when you're near retirement.
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More Info
QSuper Lifetime - Aspire 1
QSuper Lifetime - Aspire 1
-0.35%
5.97%
6.91%
$315
QSuper is one of the largest member-owned funds in Australia. The QSuper Lifetime fund adjusts your investments each 7-10 years as you get older, so you're not taking on too much risk.
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More Info
HESTA Balanced Growth
HESTA Balanced Growth
N/A
5.84%
6.27%
$538.53
HESTA is an industry super fund for the health and community services sector and open to all Australians. The Balanced Growth fund invests in a mix of asset classes without taking on too much, or too little, risk.
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Spaceship GrowthX
Spaceship GrowthX
11.93%
14.45%
$573
This is a high-risk investment option that aims to deliver high returns over the long term.
Spaceship's Growth X fund invests heavily in Australian and international shares, with a focus on technology stocks. Performance figures and fees supplied by Spaceship, not Chant West.
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More Info
Australian Catholic Super Lifetime - Grow
Australian Catholic Super Lifetime - Grow
-0.39%
N/A
$588
A Catholic super fund open to all Australians and designed for people working in Catholic education, healthcare or aged care.The Lifetime One fund option changes your investment mix as you get older.
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Australian Ethical Super Balanced
Green Company
Australian Ethical Super Balanced
2.77%
6.88%
6.88%
$622
Certified by the Responsible Investment Association Australasia.
Australian Ethical seeks to invest in companies that have a positive impact on the planet, people and animals, such as renewable energy and healthcare while avoiding investments in coal, oil, tobacco and gambling.
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More Info
Aware MySuper Life Cycle Growth
Aware MySuper Life Cycle Growth
1.33%
6.34%
6.56%
$549.42
Aware Super is a not-for-profit fund with more than 750,000 members. The MySuper product invests your super in a pre-mixed Growth fund until you’re 60, then it’ll switch to Balanced.
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More Info
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Compare up to 4 providers

The information in the table is based on data provided by Chant West Pty Ltd (AFSL 255320) which is itself supplied by third parties. While such information is believed to be accurate, Chant West does not accept responsibility for any inaccuracy in such information. Chant West’s Financial Services Guide is available at https://www.chantwest.com.au/financial-services-guide . Finder offers no guarantees or warranties about the data and we recommend that users make their own enquiries before relying on this information. Performance, fees and insurance data is based on each fund's default MySuper product. Where the performance, fees and insurance data for the MySuper fund vary according to the member's age, results for individuals between 40-49 years of age have been shown. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance.

*Past performance data is for the period ending June 2020.

Step 3: Roll over your super balances into your new super fund

If you've chosen a new super fund, you'll need to join the fund before you can consolidate your super into it. Once your account is open, you can ask your fund to roll over any other super accounts you have into your new fund. You can do this by visiting your new super fund's website or logging into your super account online and looking for a "consolidate your super" button. You'll need to supply the details of the other funds you want to consolidate, and then your super fund will take care of the rest for you.

If you aren't opening a new super fund and want to stick with one of the funds you've already got, you can consolidate your super online while you're in the myGov portal. Identify the fund you want to keep as your "receiving" fund and the others as your "transferring" funds. When you're sure you've labelled them correctly (the receiving fund is the one you want to keep), click "confirm" and the chosen super fund will arrange for your super to be consolidated on your behalf.

Why should I consolidate my super?

There are a bunch of reasons why you should consolidate your superannuation, but here are the top three.

  • You'll save on fees. All super funds charge an annual admin fee as well as investment fees and additional indirect fees (this is the indirect cost ratio) for the ongoing management of the fund. Depending on the size of your super balance and the type of fund you're with, you could be paying a few hundred dollars a year in fees or more. Research has suggested young Australians could end up paying more than $300,000 in super fees by the time they retire. If you've got two super funds, go ahead and double that figure!
  • You'll won't be paying for the same insurance twice. It's likely that you're also paying for various types of insurance, such as death and income protection insurance, through your super. If you have more than one super fund, you could be paying for the same insurance more than once.
  • It'll be easier to keep track of your super. Outside of the financial savings, having one super fund as opposed to several will also save you time and stress. Having one super fund is much easier to keep track of than two or three, as there's less admin and paperwork to worry about. Plus, it's nice to know your retirement savings are all in the one place rather than scattered across multiple funds.

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