6 ways to grow your super balance

6 ways to grow your superannuation

Here are six strategies for growing your super balance.

1. Choose a low-fee, high-performing fund

Superannuation fees eat into your returns, so the more you pay in fees, the less you'll have left when you retire. Each super fund charges different annual admin fees, investment fees and indirect fees. This can make it a difficult and confusing process when you're trying to compare funds. As a general rule, if you're paying over 1.5-2% of your super balance in fees each year, this is considered to be on the expensive side.

While past performance isn't an indicator of future performance, it's wise to look for a super fund with a long history of strong returns. To do this, take a look at the returns over 5 and 10-year periods, instead of just looking at the past 1 year's performance. The better your fund performs, the higher your super balance will be.

Compare superannuation funds

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Name	Last 1 year performance (p.a.)	Last 3 year performance (p.a.)	Last 5 year performance (p.a.)	Last 10 year performance (p.a.)	Fees on $50k balance (p.a.)
Australian Ethical Super Growth Green CompanyEthicalHigher risk	Last 1 year performance (p.a.) +8.89%	Last 3 year performance (p.a.) +6.09%	Last 5 year performance (p.a.) +7.88%	Last 10 year performance (p.a.) +7.64%	Fees on $50k balance (p.a.) $733	Go to siteMore Info Compare
CareSuper Growth Industry fundHigher risk	Last 1 year performance (p.a.) +8.9%	Last 3 year performance (p.a.) +7.71%	Last 5 year performance (p.a.) +8.29%	Last 10 year performance (p.a.) +8.39%	Fees on $50k balance (p.a.) $553	Go to siteMore Info Compare
Aware Super High Growth Industry fundHigher risk	Last 1 year performance (p.a.) +10.17%	Last 3 year performance (p.a.) +7.44%	Last 5 year performance (p.a.) +8.85%	Last 10 year performance (p.a.) +8.69%	Fees on $50k balance (p.a.) $497	Go to siteMore Info Compare
Australian Retirement Trust - Growth Industry fundHigher risk	Last 1 year performance (p.a.) +9.88%	Last 3 year performance (p.a.) +10.01%	Last 5 year performance (p.a.) +9.66%	Last 10 year performance (p.a.) +9.21%	Fees on $50k balance (p.a.) $542	Go to siteMore Info Compare
HESTA Balanced Growth Industry fund	Last 1 year performance (p.a.) +8.15%	Last 3 year performance (p.a.) +6.99%	Last 5 year performance (p.a.) +7.39%	Last 10 year performance (p.a.) +7.61%	Fees on $50k balance (p.a.) $477	Go to siteMore Info Compare
Spirit Super - Balanced (MySuper) Industry fund	Last 1 year performance (p.a.) +7.68%	Last 3 year performance (p.a.) +6.2%	Last 5 year performance (p.a.) +6.65%	Last 10 year performance (p.a.) +7.54%	Fees on $50k balance (p.a.) $452	Go to siteMore Info Compare
Australian Retirement Trust - International Shares Index (unhedged) Finder AwardIndustry fundIndexed investmentHigher risk	Last 1 year performance (p.a.) +20.99%	Last 3 year performance (p.a.) +11.75%	Last 5 year performance (p.a.) +12.02%	Last 10 year performance (p.a.) +11.42%	Fees on $50k balance (p.a.) $187	Go to siteMore Info Compare
Australian Ethical Super Balanced Green CompanyEthical	Last 1 year performance (p.a.) +7.74%	Last 3 year performance (p.a.) +4.5%	Last 5 year performance (p.a.) +7.03%	Last 10 year performance (p.a.) +6.89%	Fees on $50k balance (p.a.) $603	Go to siteMore Info Compare
CareSuper Balanced Industry fund	Last 1 year performance (p.a.) +7.29%	Last 3 year performance (p.a.) +6.55%	Last 5 year performance (p.a.) +7.15%	Last 10 year performance (p.a.) +7.61%	Fees on $50k balance (p.a.) $553	Go to siteMore Info Compare
Spaceship - GrowthX Higher risk	Last 1 year performance (p.a.) +22.23%	Last 3 year performance (p.a.) +5.25%	Last 5 year performance (p.a.) +10.87%	Last 10 year performance (p.a.) N/A	Fees on $50k balance (p.a.) $503	Go to siteMore Info Compare
AustralianSuper - Balanced Industry fund	Last 1 year performance (p.a.) +7.58%	Last 3 year performance (p.a.) +6.44%	Last 5 year performance (p.a.) +7.76%	Last 10 year performance (p.a.) +8.18%	Fees on $50k balance (p.a.) $382	Go to siteMore Info Compare
HESTA High Growth Industry fundHigher risk	Last 1 year performance (p.a.) +10.55%	Last 3 year performance (p.a.) +9.09%	Last 5 year performance (p.a.) +9.56%	Last 10 year performance (p.a.) +9.01%	Fees on $50k balance (p.a.) $557	Go to siteMore Info Compare
AustralianSuper Conservative Balanced Finder AwardIndustry fund	Last 1 year performance (p.a.) +5.79%	Last 3 year performance (p.a.) +4.27%	Last 5 year performance (p.a.) +5.69%	Last 10 year performance (p.a.) +6.4%	Fees on $50k balance (p.a.) $367	Go to siteMore Info Compare
Australian Retirement Trust - Australian Shares Industry fundHigher risk	Last 1 year performance (p.a.) +7.42%	Last 3 year performance (p.a.) +9.72%	Last 5 year performance (p.a.) +9.6%	Last 10 year performance (p.a.) +8.51%	Fees on $50k balance (p.a.) $347	Go to siteMore Info Compare
Spaceship Global Index Indexed investmentHigher risk	Last 1 year performance (p.a.) +18.66%	Last 3 year performance (p.a.) +10.37%	Last 5 year performance (p.a.) +10.41%	Last 10 year performance (p.a.) N/A		Go to siteMore Info Compare
Australian Ethical Super International Shares Green CompanyEthicalHigher risk	Last 1 year performance (p.a.) +22.64%	Last 3 year performance (p.a.) +11.17%	Last 5 year performance (p.a.) +11.19%	Last 10 year performance (p.a.) +9.13%	Fees on $50k balance (p.a.) $643	Go to siteMore Info Compare

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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

2. Salary sacrifice into your super

You can elect to contribute a portion of your salary or wages into your super via the process of salary sacrifice. With this process, the money you elect to send into your super is directed from your income before you pay tax on it. This means that the money will be taxed at the concessional super rate of 15% instead of your marginal tax rate, which could be up to 45%.

Because you're effectively reducing your take-home pay, you'll also be reducing your taxable income in the process. Adding an extra $10-$20 a week into your super when you're young can help you retire with tens of thousands of dollars more. You can learn more about how this process works in our salary sacrificing guide.

3. Make extra contributions

If you don't want to set up an ongoing salary sacrifice arrangement, you can choose to make random, one-off payments into your fund. Your employer is legally obligated to pay you super as part of the compulsory superannuation guarantee. However, you can also make additional contributions to your super at any point in the year.

There are limits in place around how much you can contribute. Currently (as of 2021), you can contribute up to $27,500 in concessional contributions (these are pre-tax contributions like what your employer pays and money you contribute via salary sacrifice). You can also contribute another $110,000 a year in non-concessional contributions.

4. Accept more risk

Generally, the greater the risk, the greater the potential return. If you're comfortable, consider switching your investments to a higher-risk option. Most Australians are in the default super option, which is generally a Balanced or Growth option. Take a look at the High Growth option and see if you're comfortable switching to this, instead.

One of the best ways to get more from your super involves adopting an age-based investment strategy. This includes working out how much risk you can afford to take based on your years to retirement. Age is crucial because if you have longer to wait until your retirement, you'll have more time to recover from a major setback and can comfortably accept more risk.

5. Start early, make more

Starting to save from an early age can make a huge difference to how much you have when you retire, mainly due to the power of compounding. For example, if someone saved $10,000 a year for 20 years while someone else saved the same amount for 35 years, both earning a return of 6% a year, the 20-year compounding amount would generate $367,856 compared to the 35-year saver which would generate $1,114,348 – more than three times as much.

So, if you're planning to start adding more to your super later on in life, you should consider doing it now instead.

6. Combine your superannuation into one fund

If you have worked several jobs, chances are you have contributed to various funds that you may have lost track of. Take time to contact all your super funds and consolidate your superannuation into one fund. This way, you can stop paying multiple sets of super fees. If you have more than one super fund, read our guide on how to consolidate your super.

Finder survey: What investment risk level are Australians most commonly exposed to?

It’s never too late to grow your super

A little sacrifice that you make today will allow you to live a more comfortable lifestyle when you're no longer working. Even if you're only a few years out from retirement, you'll still benefit from contributing more to your super via salary sacrifice or making extra personal contributions.