Unclaimed money, temporary residents’ benefits and lost accounts
Your superannuation may be treated as unclaimed money if you:
- have reached age 65 and we have not received an amount on your behalf for at least two years and five years have passed since we last had contact with you
- were a temporary resident who has permanently departed Australia and you did not claim your benefits within 6 months of your departure (except if you are an Australian or New Zealand citizen). We will make all reasonable efforts to contact you in such circumstances, however, it is important that you notify us of any changes to your details.
Where your benefits become unclaimed money, we are required to pay them to the ATO within certain time frames. Any amount transferred to the ATO will not earn interest. After payment to the ATO, we are discharged from any further liability for payment of the benefit and you may claim your benefit by contacting the ATO. In some circumstances, tax may be payable.
We are required to transfer certain lost super account balances to the ATO. Lost accounts affected are those that have:
- balances less than $200, or
- been inactive for a period of 5 years and have insufficient records to identify the owner of the account.
Former account holders may be able to reclaim their money from the ATO at any time.
Part A of the Avenue Retirement Service PDS