Benefit estimates

The i-Estimator is an online tool in CSC Navigator, that helps you estimate your potential benefits. It allows you to explore different contribution and retirement scenarios, so you can better understand how your choices today may shape your financial outcome in retirement.

The i-Estimator is designed to help you plan ahead with great clarity. Before you begin, it’s helpful to keep a few things in mind:

• The results are estimates only and not guaranteed
• Your estimates are based on the information currently held by CSC and the assumptions you choose.

Your actual benefit may vary depending on a range of factors, including contributions, super salary, investment performance, CPI, and how and when you leave the scheme.

Important information

The information provided is general in nature and does not take into account your personal objectives, financial situation or needs.

It’s important to read the disclaimer and assumptions carefully, as they explain the default assumptions used to estimate your retirement balance and income, and how you can tailor these to better reflect your circumstances. Before making any decisions about your super, you should consider whether the information is appropriate for your circumstances. You may wish to seek advice from a licensed financial planner.

You should also review the relevant Product Disclosure Statement before making any decisions. Read the relevant PDS on our website csc.gov.au

The i-Estimator gives you more flexibility and choice to explore your super at your own pace.

You can run multiple scenarios, adjust your assumptions, and see how different choices—like contributions or retirement timing—may influence your estimated benefit. It’s an easy way to build understanding and plan ahead with confidence.

For most members, the i Estimator is the best place to start if you want to compare options and see how your super could change over time.

If your circumstances are more complex, or you’d like additional support, you can contact CSC.

Most contributing and preserved members can use the i-Estimator to explore their super and plan ahead.

However, there are some situations where the i Estimator isn’t suitable or won’t provide an accurate estimate. This includes members who:

• have had a Family Law super split applied within the current financial year (the i-Estimator will not reflect this change until your next annual statement is issued)
• have had more than one Family Law split applied to their benefit • have a membership as a result of a family law split, known as an associate account
• preserved benefit members who are age 65 or over
• preserved benefit members with only a transferred in amount remaining (as they have already claimed their defined benefit)
• require a manual calculation based on their circumstance

If you’re unsure whether the i Estimator is right for you, or would like additional support, you can contact CSC for guidance.

Yes — the i Estimator will show you when you’re expected to reach your Maximum Benefit Limit (MBL), based on the assumptions used in your estimate.

Once that point is reached, your contribution rate will automatically adjust to 0% in the estimate, reflecting how your benefit is managed beyond the MBL.

Yes — you can still use the i Estimator if you’ve had a Family Law split.

If the split occurred during the current financial year, it won’t yet be reflected in your estimate. Your updated balance will be available once your next annual statement is issued. If you’ve had more than one Family Law split, the i Estimator may not provide an accurate estimate. In this case, you can contact CSC for a more tailored view of your benefits.

You can access the i-Estimator by logging into CSC Navigator.

It’s available whenever it suits you, so you can explore your super and plan ahead in your own time.

Yes — you can run the i Estimator as often as you like.

This gives you the flexibility to explore different scenarios, adjust your assumptions, and compare options so you can better understand how changes today could shape your future benefit.

If you’re currently contributing, you can use the i‑Estimator to explore how different life events may affect your benefits — including retirement, retrenchment, resignation or separation, preservation (in full or part), invalidity, and death. 

If you’ve left eligible service in the APS or opted out of PSS and now have a preserved benefit, you can use the i‑Estimator to estimate your benefits at retirement age, or in the event of invalidity or death. 

The right scenario depends on your personal circumstances and what you want to understand about your future benefits. 

As a contributor, the i‑Estimator can help you see how changes such as your super salary, contribution rate or working hours may influence your benefit over time. Exploring these scenarios now can support better decisions about how you build your super. 

If you have a preserved benefit, your super continues to change over time. Your funded component moves with investment returns, which may go up or down. Your employer-financed component is adjusted in line with the Consumer Price Index (CPI). 

Even without ongoing contributions (member or employer), the i‑Estimator can help you understand what your future benefit may look like. This can help give you greater confidence as you plan and consider your retirement goals more broadly. 

How multiple accounts work for PSS

If you’ve worked for more than one eligible employer, you may have more than one PSS membership, particularly where your service hasn’t been continuous.

In most cases, your memberships aren’t treated as separate benefits. Unless you’ve chosen otherwise, they will typically be combined when your benefit is calculated.

Because PSS is a defined benefit scheme, specific rules are used to ensure your final benefit is worked out correctly.

If your multiple memberships have already been combined, then you can use the i‑Estimator to understand your benefit options.

To learn more, see Multiple PSS memberships.  

If you leave eligible employment and choose not to claim your benefit straight away, you can keep your super in PSS and access it at a later time. 

This is known as preserving your benefit.

Using the i‑Estimator, you can explore what your benefit might look like in the future by selecting a ‘Preserved’ scenario. This allows you to understand your options and help plan ahead with greater confidence, rather than needing to make a decision immediately when you leave. 

Your estimate is based on the scenario you choose and the information available at the time.

If you’re currently contributing, your estimate takes into account factors such as your super salary, length of service, contribution rate and working arrangements. It also reflects the assumptions you enter, giving you flexibility to explore how different choices may affect your benefit over time.

If you have a preserved benefit, your estimate is based on your current balance and the assumptions you apply, helping you understand how your benefit may change in the future.

The i‑Estimator uses a range of assumptions to help you explore how your benefit may change over time. You can adjust many of these to reflect your own circumstances and see how different choices may affect your outcome.

Current annual salary

Your estimate starts with your most recently reported superannuation salary — updated on your birthday. This allows future estimates to reflect your new salary from your next birthday.

This option is not available for preserved members as the defined benefit calculation was applied at the time of preservation.

Annual average salary increase

This reflects how much your salary may grow over time.

The default is 3.5%, but you can adjust this between 0% and 20% to see how different growth rates could affect your benefit.

This option is not available for preserved members as the defined benefit calculation was applied at the time of preservation.

Contribution rate

Your contribution rate affects how your benefit builds over time.

Generally, if you are a contributing member, you are required to pay fortnightly member contributions from your after-tax salary. This allows you to see how different contribution rates may affect your projected PSS benefit. This section will default to 5% but can be adjusted to 0% or any whole percentage point between 2 and 10%. This option is not available for preserved members. 

Annual investment returns

This shows how investment performance may affect your benefit.

The i‑Estimator includes a default rate based on long-term assumptions, but you can adjust this between -20% and 20% to compare different market outcomes.

Consumer Price Index

The i-Estimator applies a default percentage based on the 2020 fund long term cost report. You can adjust this between 0% and 20% to explore how changes in inflation could influence your benefit.

Part-time hours

Changing your working hours can affect your benefit.

If you’re considering part-time work, you can input your hours to see how this may impact your estimated outcome.

If you are a contributing PSS member, your superannuation salary is updated on your birthday each year based on the most recent information provided by your employer. The current annual salary in the i-Estimator is defaulted to your most recent reported salary.

The i‑Estimator uses your latest recorded salary as a starting point. If your salary has changed since your last birthday, you can enter an updated amount to better reflect your current position. This will be applied in your estimate from your next birthday.

Investment return reflects how your super may grow over time through investment earnings.

You can adjust this assumption to explore different outcomes. For example, you may want to compare more conservative and less conservative return assumptions to understand how market performance could influence your benefit.

Please note that investment returns are not guaranteed, and any past performance is not a reliable indicator of future returns

While you are contributing, your defined benefit is not directly affected by investment performance. However, investment returns can affect the tax applied when your benefit is paid.

For more information, see Investment options.

* The i‑Estimator applies a default annual investment return based on long‑term assumptions consistent with CSC’s earning rate policy and the objectives of the default investment option. 

CPI reflects how inflation may affect your benefit over time.

The i‑Estimator uses a default CPI assumption of 2.5% to provide a consistent starting point for your estimate, based on long‑term assumptions used by CSC.

Because inflation can vary, it’s helpful to explore different CPI assumptions in the i‑Estimator. This allows you to see how changes in inflation may influence your projected benefit. You may wish to compare a range of assumptions to understand potential outcomes, knowing that past trends don’t guarantee future results. 

Yes. If you’re considering moving to part-time work, you can include your hours in the i‑Estimator.

This helps you understand how a change in working hours may affect your future benefit.

This field does not affect your benefit calculation.

It is currently being removed from the i‑Estimator. In the meantime, it can be left blank.

Your contribution rate plays an important role in how your benefit builds over time.

It directly affects the rate at which your Accrued Benefit Multiple (ABM) grows, which in turn influences your final benefit. For more information on contribution rates and ABM accrual, see Member and employer contributions.

The i‑Estimator shows detailed results based on the benefit option you select. 

All available options are listed under ‘Benefit option’ within your estimate. You’ll need to select each benefit option individually to view the full result, including tax. 

To explore other options, simply select ‘Back’ and choose a different benefit option. 

Over time, inflation can affect what your money is able to buy. 

The ‘CPI reduced benefit’ view helps you understand what your estimated benefit might be worth in today’s terms. It adjusts your future benefit using your chosen Consumer Price Index (CPI) assumption, giving you a clearer sense of its purchasing power. 

You’ll see: 

• your estimated future value 
• and an adjusted value that reflects the impact of inflation

This can help you better understand how your benefit may translate into real-world spending in the future. 

Your pension is made up of different components (tax‑free, taxable‑taxed, and taxable‑untaxed), and the tax applied depends on your age when you claim your benefit.

If you claim a pension before reaching preservation age, both the taxable‑taxed and taxable‑untaxed components are subject to tax. However, once you reach preservation age, only the taxable‑untaxed component is taxed.

The i‑Estimator shows two tax calculations:

• one based on claiming your benefit before preservation age.
• one based on claiming your benefit after preservation age.

This allows you to compare outcomes and understand how timing may affect your after-tax benefit.

We will automatically adjust your tax withheld when you turn 60, even if you’ve claimed a pension before this age. 

The tax applied to your benefit depends on your age and where the contributions in your super account came from before it was converted to a benefit. 

For more details, see Tax and your super.

If you choose a part pension/part lump sum option, you can adjust how your benefit is split between a pension and a lump sum.  

Select ‘Change benefit split’ and use the slider to set your preferred percentage. Then select ‘Recalculate my benefit’ to update your estimate.

This lets you explore different options and understand how they may affect your estimated benefit. 

Please note, if you are estimating a part pension part lump sum, the pension must be 50% or higher. 

Before age 60, you can only take up to your SIS upper limit as a cash lump sum. This limit is the difference between your maximum lump sum and the preserved amount shown in your estimate. 

While you can generally access a PSS pension from age 55, taking a cash lump sum depends on reaching your preservation age and meeting a condition of release. 

At age 60, if you’re retired, you’ve met a condition of release and are no longer restricted by the SIS upper limit. This means the minimum amount that must remain preserved reduces, and you can take more of your benefit as a lump sum. 

Your total benefit hasn’t reduced — only the minimum preserved portion changes. Your maximum pension value remains the same. 

For more information, see Options for claiming your PSS benefit. 

The i‑Estimator doesn’t include Post‑1995 transfer amounts in its calculations. 

The post 1995 transfer amount is not included in your defined benefit formula.

To view your current Post‑1995 transfer amount, go to CSC Navigator > Accounts > My account. 

Pre‑1996 transfer amounts are not included in the i-Estimator calculation, because the final benefit depends on several factors, including your membership status, when you claim, and whether you have linked or separate accounts. A pre-1996 Transfer Amount can be taken as a lump sum or pension. 

If you have a pre-1996 amount and want to understand how this impacts your benefit, please contact us to discuss and request an estimate.

You can still use the i‑Estimator if you have a surcharge debt, but it isn’t included in your estimated benefit.  

Your surcharge debt is shown on your Annual Member Statement each year. 

Contact CSC if you’d like to discuss options to pay your surcharge debt. 

You can still use the i‑Estimator if you have a Division 293 debt with the ATO. However, it isn’t included in your estimate. 

This is because the ATO is responsible for administering the debt and CSC doesn’t receive the final amount until you claim your benefit. 

Yes — on the results page, select ‘Download PDF’ to save a copy to your device. 

If you’re saving multiple estimates, use clear file names so you can easily identify them later. 

Examples file names: 

• Age retirement estimate – [insert claim date used] - – [insert contribution rate used] – [insert salary used] 
• Preserved age retirement estimate – [insert claim date used] – [insert CPI rate used] – [insert interest rate used]. 

Yes — we’d love to hear your feedback. You can provide feedback using the feedback tab on the right-hand side of the i‑Estimator screen.

More information about PSS benefit options can be found here.

If you’re ready and eligible to claim your benefit, you can complete the PSS Age Retirement digital form via the CSC Navigator. 

The form is designed to make claiming your retirement benefits simple and lets you track your application’s progress. 

All other benefit applications can be downloaded at forms and publications.