Early access to superannuation

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Eligible individuals will be able to apply online to access up to $10,000 of their superannuation before 1 July 2020. They will also be able to access up to a further $10,000 from 1 July 2020 until 24 September 2020.

Eligibility

To apply for early release you must satisfy any one or more of the following requirements:

you're unemployed
you're eligible to receive a JobSeeker Payment, Youth Allowance for job seekers, Parenting Payment (which includes the single and partnered payments), Special Benefit or Farm Household Allowance
on or after 1 January 2020
- you were made redundant
- your working hours were reduced by 20 per cent or more
- if you're a sole trader, your business was suspended or there was a reduction in your turnover of 20% or more

People accessing their superannuation will not need to pay tax on amounts released and the money they withdraw will not affect Centrelink or Veterans’ Affairs payments.

Timing

You will be able to apply for early release of your superannuation from 20 April 2020.

How to apply

Applications for early release of superannuation will be accepted through myGov from 20 April, 2020.

You can register your interest now by logging in to your myGov account and following the Intention to access coronavirus support instructions. If you don’t already have a myGov account, you can set one up by selecting 'create an account'.

Australian Taxation Office (ATO) will notify you by email or SMS when applications open.

Find out more about applying for early access to your super.

Australian Taxation Office

Examples of the early access to superannuation

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Example if you're a sole trader- Rachel the sole trader

Rachel is a sole trader with a catering business. At the end of July 2020, Rachel seeks to apply for an early release from her superannuation for the 2020-21 financial year.

Due to the economic effects of the coronavirus, Rachel’s turnover for July is $5,000 compared to $10,000 on average per month for the second half of 2019. Rachel therefore determines that her turnover has reduced by more than 20 per cent compared to her average turnover over the last six months of 2019.

Rachel self-certifies that she is eligible for early release and applies to have $10,000 released from her superannuation.

Example if you're an employee - Ed the bartender

Ed works in a popular bar in Melbourne. As a result of the Coronavirus, Ed has had his work hours reduced from 40 hours on average in the second half of 2019 to 20 hours per week on average in May 2020. As a result, Ed determines that his hours over the last month have reduced by more than 20 per cent compared to the average of his hours over the last six months of 2019.

Ed decides to apply for the early release of $8,000 of his superannuation in May 2020 to help pay his rent and other living expenses. Ed self-certifies that he is eligible for early release on myGov. He could have applied for up to $10,000, but chose not to. Ed cannot seek any further early release of superannuation in 2019-20 on the grounds that he has been affected by the adverse economic effects of the Coronavirus.

However, Ed finds after 1 July 2020 that his hours continue to be reduced by more than 20 per cent compared to the average of his hours in the last six months of 2019. Ed decides to make a second application and self-certifies through myGov that he is eligible for early release. He is able to apply again for a release of up to $10,000 of his superannuation. Ed submits a second application for the full amount of $10,000 this time.

For each application, the ATO approves Ed’s early release and notifies both him and his superannuation fund. Ed has received a total of $18,000 of his superannuation in two separate payments. He will not be taxed on this amount and is free to spend this money on anything he chooses, or save it for future expenses. He is also free to recontribute any unused amounts to his superannuation in the future (within his contribution caps).

Early access to superannuation

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