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AustralianSuper was a big winner in the 2026 Finder Awards.
- Highly Commended, Best Balanced Super Fund: AustralianSuper Indexed Diversified
- Highly Commended, Best Conservative Super Fund: AustralianSuper Conservative Balanced
- Highly Commended, Best High Growth Super Fund: AustralianSuper Australian Shares
- Highly Commended, Best Low Fee Super Fund: AustralianSuper Australian Shares
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Hi,
I am a member of Australian Super. I
am a 37 year old woman and currently working through personal finances carefully for the first time in my life and working on understanding my super better at the moment.
My super is currently in your Australian Super – balanced option. My balance is currently around $50 000.
I wonder if you can help me understand the fees I’m paying. I have downloaded the Australian Super PDS, but I don’t understand all the details in the fees section.
I have read info on finder.com.au, comparing super funds. That website says the Australian Super pre-mixed balanced option fees on $50k balance (p.a.) are
$447.
However, I’ve downloaded my Australian Super statement for the 2021-22 year and I paid total fees of $896 that year. I see I paid admin and insurance fees of $532, and in addition I paid ‘Investment fees’ of $364.
I don’t understand what the different fees I am paying are, and I don’t understand why I paid nearly $900 in fees last financial year, while finder.com.au says my fund option costs $500 annually on a $50 000, like my balance.
Can you please help me understand the fees I’m paying in simple English, and also clarify why finder.com.au says my fees should be $400 less annually than they are? Below, I’ve pasted information from my super 2021-22 statement regarding the investment fees I paying.
Thanks
Star
“Investment fees.
Total fees and costs deducted from your investment: -$364.35
This approximate amount has been deducted from your investment and covers amounts
that have reduced the return on your investment and that are not reflected as transactions
listed on this statement. This includes:
Administration fees deducted from returns: -$18.08
This amount is the component of the administration fee that has been deducted from your
investment returns before returns are added to your account. This fee is applied as a
percentage of the money you have in your super account and is shown here as a dollar value. Tax benefit on administration fees: -$20.65
The tax benefit the Fund claims on its administration fee in the form of a reduced
Administration fee.
Investment fees and costs: -$325.62
The Investment fees and costs represents the cost to us of managing your money and
was deducted from before-tax investment returns before the returns were applied to your
account. These costs include external investment management fees, performance related
fees, and transactional and operational costs. The Investment fees and costs is expressed
as a percentage of the money you have invested in each investment option and is shown
here as an approximate dollar amount to help you understand the effect investment fees”
Hi Star,
You’ve reached Finder. We receive our super fund fee data from a third-party super research firm, which sources the data directly from the funds themselves.
For more help understanding your personal super account fees and details we suggest you contact AustralianSuper directly who can look at your account and give you specific, personal support.
Thanks,
Alison
When you retire does your holiday & long service leave effect your
application for pension at the moment I have 36 weeks.
Hi John, thanks for your inquiry.
According to 4.3.3.30 Employment Income for Pensioners of Age Pension Age pre-20/09/2009
Summary, “If a pensioner receives paid leave, the money received IS assessed as income under the normal income test.” Therefore holidays/ long service leave should not affect your pension.
Thanks.
Jonathan