Preserving your super
Restrictions are placed on when super savings can be accessed. Depending on your employment status, you may be eligible to preserve your super benefit to be accessed later.
Fund rules differ
Select your fund to view the details
- CSS
- DFRDB
- MilitarySuper
- PSS
Most MilitarySuper members leave the ADF before retirement, often to join the civilian workforce. In this case, some or all of their superannuation benefit is preserved until they retire from work altogether.
Preservation in relation to your MilitarySuper benefit means holding your super in the scheme until such time as it can be paid.
This means that:
- you receive full credit for MilitarySuper benefits accrued while in the Australian Defence Force (ADF)
- the value of your MilitarySuper benefits is maintained until retirement in accordance with changes in the Consumer Price Index and scheme investment performance
- you can again accrue MilitarySuper benefits as a contributing member if you rejoin the ADF after a period elsewhere.
You can be paid the employer component of your MilitarySuper benefit as an indexed pension from age 55 but you cannot receive it as a cash lump sum until retirement (as defined by your preservation age).
You cannot be paid that part of your member benefit that accrued after 30 June 1999 (or any of it if you joined after that date) until you reach age 60 (or your preservation age) and retire permanently from the workforce. You can however have the member & ancillary benefits paid as a rollover to another fund at any time.
Preserved benefits summary
