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Changing work patterns and your super

Adjust your work pattern to suit your lifestyle and ease into retirement on your terms. This is general information and does not account for your personal circumstances.

Whether you’re thinking creatively about working longer or dipping in and out of the workforce, phasing your retirement gives you flexibility.

Fund rules differ

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Benefits of CSCri

  • Receive some of your super as income while still working, and have contributions made into your account.
  • Get tax-free income payments from age 60 (with concessional treatment before age 60), provided you supply us with your tax file number.

For more information read Join CSCri.

Before making a decision, read the CSCri Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) and Target Market Determination (TMD).

How to access CSCri

  1. If you wish to make salary sacrifice and/or other eligible contributions into a PSSap Ancillary account, read the PSSap Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) and the Financial Services Guide. Then complete the Apply to join PSSap as an Ancillary Member form.
  2. Instruct your employer to deduct your nominated amount from your regular pay (and stay within your annual contribution limits).
  3. To roll over other super to your PSSap Ancillary account, complete the PSSap Transfers form.
  4. When all your funds are consolidated into PSSap or we receive your single source starting amount, and your application has been accepted, we will set up your CSCri account.
  5. You will receive a welcome email or letter with your CSCri account details.

Benefits of PSSap

  • Make non-APS superannuation guarantee contributions
  • Make salary sacrifice contributions
  • Rollover (transfer) super from other funds (including Post 95 transfer amounts from PSS) [link]
  • Make personal and other eligible contributions
  • Invest in one (or more) of four investment options
  • Access lifePLUS cover

How to access PSSap

If you’ve considered your options or obtained financial advice and decided that a PSSap account is appropriate for you, you can apply online to open a personal accumulation account.

CSS benefit options

The 54/11 option (deferred benefit)

If you choose to resign at least two calendar days before your 55th birthday, and apply for your CSS retirement benefit, your benefit will be calculated differently than if you wait until after you turn 55 to retire. This is commonly known as the 54/11 option.

For more information read Access my super: The 54/11 option.

If you have not reached your minimum retiring age (generally age 55)

When you cease your CSS contributory membership* without ceasing your employment, (and you have not reached preservation age) you can preserve (leave) your benefit in CSS.

When you reach your preservation age, you can claim your Deferred Benefit and start receiving your CSS deferred age retirement pension—even if you are employed by the same employer.

Any lump sum component of your benefit must be rolled over until your employment ceases. It is a condition of release that you take your benefit as a pension if you are still employed by the employer that contributed to the fund.

As a CSS member you can make basic contributions equal to 5% of your salary.

If you have reached your minimum retiring age (generally age 55)

When you cease your CSS contributory membership without ceasing employment (provided you have also reached your preservation age*), you can immediately claim and start receiving your CSS age retirement pension.

Any lump sum benefit must be rolled over because cashing restrictions only allow you to take your benefit as a pension if you are still employed by the employer that contributed to the fund.

*Different arrangements may apply for members who have a minimum retirement age that is less than age 55. For more information call us on 1300 000 277.

Preservation age

Your date of birth Your preservation age
Before 1 July 1960 55 years
1 July 1960 to 30 June 1961 56 years
1 July 1961 to 30 June 1962 57 years
1 July 1962 to 30 June 1963 58 years
1 July 1963 to 30 June 1964 59 years
After 30 June 1964 60 years

If you cease contributory membership after age 55 but before age 65 (Postponed Benefit)

You can postpone all or part of your benefit if you are made redundant or retire on or after reaching your minimum retiring age, but before reaching age 65. However, you can only do this if you cease CSS contributory membership and have not retired from the workforce.

To postpone your benefits, you must provide a statement that you will not be retiring from the workforce.

For more information read Age retirement and Redundancy.

To claim your Postponed Benefit when you have retired from the workforce, contact us to obtain a Benefit Estimate and complete our Postponed Benefit form.

Postponed Benefit options

  1. Postpone your standard CPI indexed pension and productivity component and take your member component up to your cashing restrictions limit as a lump sum with the balance (if any) rolled over to an eligible rollover fund.
  2. Postpone your standard CPI indexed pension and the productivity component and take your member component immediately as additional non-indexed pension.
  3. Postpone all your benefits.

Payment of a Postponed Benefit

A Postponed Benefit is not payable until the earlier of:

  • the date you turn age 65 (regardless of your working status);
  • the day on which you provide us with a statement that you have retired from the workforce (you must have also met your preservation age);
  • the day we approve your retirement on the grounds of Total and Permanent Incapacity (TPI); or
  • if you die before retiring from the workforce (and payment is made to an eligible spouse and/or children)

We calculate your Postponed standard pension according to:

  • your age (in completed years) at the date your benefit is payable;
  • the length of your contributory membership at the time you ceased to be a CSS contributor; and
  • the super salary at the time you ceased to be a CSS contributor (updated by the Average Weekly Ordinary Time Earnings ) index.

Your postponed member and productivity components will continue to grow in line with the earning rate of the fund (according to any investment choice you make) until the date your Postponed Benefit is paid.

If you are a former Provident Account member and postpone your total benefit and claim this after age 60, you can convert your benefit to a lump sum of three times the postponed value of your basic contributions and fund earnings. You will also receive a lump sum of the productivity component and any supplementary contributions and fund earnings.

The amount of additional pension you can take will be restricted to a percentage of your updated salary. Any excess amount will be refunded to you as a lump sum.

How to claim

If you’re ceasing your CSS membership without ceasing your employment, complete our Cessation of scheme membership form.

If you’re claiming your Deferred Benefit and you haven’t ceased employment with the employer that contributed to the fund, complete our Deferred Benefit—continuing with same employer form.

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