Start a new member
Starting a new member is easy. Simply check the scheme your employee is able to join using our eligibility determiner.
Starting a new member is easy. First, you’ll need to determine which scheme your new employee is eligible for.
Scheme eligibility
PSSap, PSS and CSS membership eligibility falls into the following groups:
- compulsory PSS membership
- membership of PSSap and PSS through employer default fund arrangements
- optional PSSap and PSS membership
- compulsory and optional membership for CSS reappointed members.
If your new employee has never previously been a member of CSS, PSS or PSSap, they can nominate a fund of choice. If they don’t nominate a fund by their first pay day, you should put them in your default super fund.
Once you’ve determined which scheme your new employee should be in, just complete the online registration process in the employer portal.
There are some things you need to know before you pay contributions to PSSap for the first time for one of your employees.
PSSap Membership Types
PSSap has two different types of membership—choice and employer-sponsored members—and it’s important to know what category your employee falls into.
If your organisation has never contributed to a CSC scheme on behalf of your employees before, it’s likely that your employees will be PSSap choice members. Choice members refer to people that have elected to continue contributing to PSSap as their superannuation fund after they have ceased working for their eligible employer. Generally, to become a choice member, the person must have been an employer-sponsored member for a continuous period of at least 12 months.
The second category, employer-sponsored members, include people that have elected to join, or defaulted to, PSSap as their superannuation fund through eligible employment. ‘Eligible employment’ commonly refers to Australian Government employment, but can include employment with other employers as well.
If you’re not sure if you’re eligible to make superannuation contributions for your employees as employer-sponsored members of PSSap, you believe that you should be eligible, or you’re just looking for more information on employer-sponsored members, please contact us.
Getting Started
Paying Contributions
Other things to note
The following information is relevant for employees who have multiple employers.
A person can be an employer-sponsored member with multiple eligible employers at the same time. It’s also possible for them to be a choice member with multiple employers at the same time. However, they cannot be both an employer-sponsored and a choice member at the same time.
If your employee is an employer-sponsored member through other employment, they can’t be a choice member through their employment with you. In these circumstances, you will not be able to make superannuation contributions to PSSap on their behalf. Your employee will need to choose another superannuation fund for you to pay their superannuation contributions.
If you are paying contributions for an employee as a choice member and they later become an employer-sponsored member, such as through other employment with the Australian Government, they can no longer be a choice member. They will need to advise you of another superannuation fund for you to pay their superannuation contributions.
If your employee then ceases to be an employer-sponsored member, for example, if they cease employment with the Australian Government, they need to re-register you as their employer before you can recommence contributions to PSSap on their behalf as a choice member.