You don’t have to add extra money to super, but it could be a good idea as your retirement savings may need to last you 20 years or longer. Even small regular amounts can grow to have a big impact on your retirement over a long investment period.
Adding to super is easy, but it’s important to understand all of your options.
After tax contributions
Money you add from your take-home pay or after-tax salary.
Learn more about After tax contributionsBefore-tax contributions
Salary sacrifice payments are taxed at 15% on entry to your account.
Learn more about Before-tax contributionsSpouse contributions
Additional payments your spouse can make into your account.
Learn more about Spouse contributionsAfter-tax contributions
After-tax contributions, also known as ‘non-concessional contributions’, is money added from your take-home pay or after-tax salary.
Things you should know
- Contribution caps: There’s a cap on how much you can add to your super. This is set by the Australian Tax Office (ATO) and changes periodically. You can find more information about contribution caps at Tax and Your Super.
Timing of contributions
We recommend that you BPAY or electronically transfer your money before 21 June to allow time for bank transfers and processing into your account prior to 30 June. This seeks to ensure your contributions are reported to the ATO and allocated to your account in the same tax year (i.e. prior to 1 July).
If you’re a contributing customer of ADF Super or PSSap, there are four ways you can make after-tax payments:
-
BPAY
BPAY is good for one-off payments, also known as lump sums, or adding some money every now and then.
To make a BPAY payment, log into CSC Navigator, click on ‘My account’ and then select ‘Contributions’. Your BPAY biller code and Customer Reference Number (CRN) will be listed on screen. Once you’ve obtained your CRN, make a BPAY payment by logging into your personal online banking account.
Note: BPAY can't be used for Downsizer contributions
-
Arrangement with your employer
You can set up regular automatic contributions from your after-tax salary to your super through your employer’s payroll department.
-
Boost your super
Earn free contributions to your super when you shop online.
Click through to 730+ partner retailers & shop on their website as normal. CSC customers receive a 50% boost* on top of the percentage displayed on the shop store.
For further information, visit BYS for PSSap, BYS for ADF Super or BYS for other CSC funds.
*The boost amount will vary depending on the percentage displayed on the shop store and the amount you spend.
-
Cheque or money order
Send your payment to your super fund using our address details on the Contact us page.
Please remember to also provide your full name and membership number.
Claiming a tax deduction
If you’ve made an after-tax contribution to your accumulation account, you may be able to claim a tax deduction on your next income tax return.
Eligible deductions
You can claim a tax deduction for after-tax contributions made into your PSSap or ADF Super account. These contributions must still be in your account, meaning you haven’t rolled them out or used them to open a retirement income account.
Where you have chosen to rollover or withdraw a part of your super account, special rules apply and a valid notice of intent cannot be given for the entire contribution.
Non-eligible deductions
You can’t claim a tax deduction for:
- super you transfer from one fund to another (including an overseas retirement fund), or
- super contributions you transfer to start a retirement income account.
How to apply for a tax deduction
Once you make an after-tax contribution, you need to send us a Notice of Intent (NOI) form to let us know that you will claim a tax deduction. You have until the date you submit your tax return to send in your NOI, or 12 months from the end of the financial year that the contributions were received, whichever comes first.
Please complete the Notice of Intent (NOI) form to let us know that you will claim a tax deduction.
Download the Notice of Intent form
Once we’ve received your NOI, we’ll process the request and deduct 15% contributions tax on the amount listed in your NOI. This will be listed as ‘Income Tax Expense’ on your annual statement. The contribution tax is deducted on the effective date when your NOI request is processed.
Once you hear back from us that your NOI was received and processed, we’ll provide you with an ‘Acknowledgement of Notice of Intent to claim a tax deduction’ You can then claim a tax deduction on your income tax return.
Please email your completed form to:
- ADF Super: formsandapplications@adfsuper.gov.au
- PSSap: formsandapplications@pssap.com.au
Examples of how it works
Meet Hannah
Hannah is 34 and her current salary is $78,000 per annum. She has a PSS account and joined PSSap Ancillary so that she could salary sacrifice into her super to maximise her retirement savings (this isn’t allowed in PSS).
In December 2021, she stopped her salary sacrifice arrangement because she wanted extra money for a volunteer project overseas. She had sacrificed $4,000 from July to December.
In May 2022, she realised she had $3,000 more in savings than she needed and that she could contribute to PSSap Ancillary before the end of the 2021/22 financial year.
Hannah uses the Concessional Contribution estimator in her online account and finds out that her estimated PSS Defined Benefit Contribution was $6,700.
Because Hannah salary sacrificed into super for six months, after the end of the 2021/22 financial year, she has $16,800 wriggle room in her concessional cap of $27,500—i.e. $27,500 - $6,700 - $4,000).
In July 2022, Hannah sends a Notice of Intent to let CSC know that she intends to claim a deduction on the $3,000 she contributed in to her PSSap Ancillary account in May 2022.
Once she receives confirmation from CSC, Hannah can include this as a tax deduction as part of her tax return in September 2022. By doing this, she received the same tax outcome as if she had salary sacrificed the $3,000.
Timeline
-
15 May
Hannah contributes $3,000 to her PSSap Ancillary Account
-
20 July
Hannah sends her tax deduction claim form to CSC
-
30 September
Hannah submits her tax return after receiving confirmation of her claim from CSC
Meet Josh
Josh is 25 and is a customer of ADF Super. His salary is $45,000 per annum.
The Australian Defence Force (ADF) contributes 16.4% of his salary to super which equates to $7,380 per annum.
In May, Josh has some extra savings in the bank. Josh’s mum missed out on six years of super contributions when she took time out of the workforce to raise her kids, and she’s always told Josh about how important super is when you get older.
After talking with his mum, Josh decides to make a personal contribution of $3,500 to his ADF Super account to take advantage of compounding interest.
In July, Josh sends a Notice of Intent to let CSC know that he intends to claim a deduction on the $3,500.
Once he receives confirmation from CSC, he submits his tax return in October and includes this as a tax deduction as part of his return.
Timeline
-
May
Josh contributes $3,500 to his ADF Super Account
-
July
Josh sends his tax deduction claim form to CSC
-
October
Josh submits his tax return after receiving confirmation of his claim from CSC
Meet Olivia
Olivia is 43 and is a customer of PSSap. Olivia earns $110,000 per year, and her employer contributes 15.4% of her salary to super, which equates to $16,940 per annum.
In June, Olivia gets an unexpected windfall and decides to make a personal contribution of $12,500 to her super.
As Olivia’s concessional cap is $27,500. She can claim up to $10,560 of her $12,500 personal contribution as a tax deduction.
In August, Olivia lets CSC know that she intends to claim a deduction on the $10,560 by sending a Notice of Intent.
Once she receives confirmation from CSC, she can then include this as a tax deduction as part of her tax return in October.
Of the $12,500 she contributed, $10,560 is treated as a concessional contribution and $1,940 is treated as a non-concessional contribution.
Timeline
-
June
Olivia contributes $12,500 to her PSSap Account
-
August
Olivia sends her tax deduction claim form to CSC
-
October
Olivia submits her tax return after receiving confirmation of her claim from CSC
Things to consider:
If you’re planning to split all or part of your contributions with your spouse, but also want to claim a tax deduction for them, let us know that you intend to claim a deduction before you go ahead with the split.
Before-tax contributions
Money that you add to your super before-tax, also known as salary sacrifice payments or ‘concessional contributions’, are taxed at 15% when they enter your account. This means you could pay less tax on salary sacrifice contributions than you would pay if you took that same amount as ordinary income.
How much you add to your super is up to you, so that you can make sure it’s affordable and within your budget.
Things you should know
- Tax: The higher your income, the more benefit you get. The benefits for those earning less than $37,000 per year are limited. If your personal tax rate is greater than 15%, the money you salary sacrifice may attract less tax than it would in your take-home pay.
- Contribution caps: There’s a cap on how much you can add to your super before tax. This is set by the ATO and changes periodically. You can find out more on the ATO website. Your employer may also have a cap on the amount you are allowed to salary sacrifice.
- Less take-home pay: Before-tax contributions will mean you take home less pay each fortnight. You need to weigh up the costs and benefits of salary sacrificing – taking into account your objectives, financial situation and needs – before making any decisions.
How to salary sacrifice
Confirm with your employer that they allow you to salary sacrifice to super (i.e. add money to your super before tax is applied). This may be handled via your payroll department or a third party arrangement.
If salary sacrificing is an option, you can ask your employer or relevant third party to deduct your salary sacrifice amount from your regular pay. Once it’s set up, your money will automatically be deducted from your salary and deposited into your super account until you ask them to stop.
We’ve created tools in online services to help you estimate how much you can salary sacrifice. To use these tools, log into CSC Navigator.
You can set up regular automatic contributions from your before-tax salary to your super through your employer’s payroll department.
Spouse contributions
Your spouse may be able to add extra money to your super on your behalf. These payments are called ‘eligible spouse contributions’ and are considered ‘non-concessional contributions’.
A spouse is someone who is:
-
legally married to you
-
in a bona fide domestic relationship with you (includes same-sex partners).
Your spouse doesn’t have to be a member of your super fund to add money to your account, but you must be a contributing customer.
Your spouse can add money via BPAY through CSC Navigator or by completing a Voluntary Contributions form.
If your spouse wants to add money via BPAY, you will need to log into CSC Navigator, click on ‘contributions’ and follow the prompts to generate a BPAY and Customer Reference Number (CRN). Once you have a CRN, your spouse can make a BPAY payment through their bank or financial institution.
Tax and your super
How super is taxed, super contributions caps and bring-forward arrangements.
Read more about Tax and your superGovernment contributions
Learn about government contributions for low-to-middle income earners.
Read more about Government contributionsDownsizing done right
How to contribute money from the sale of your family home into your super.
Read more about Downsizing done right