Early release of super - Financial Hardship & Compassionate Grounds

Am I eligible to access my super early due to severe financial hardship?

To apply for early release of super due to severe financial hardship you must meet the following criteria:

you’ve been receiving Commonwealth income support payments for 26 continuous weeks and
you’re unable to meet reasonable and immediate family and living expenses

Or

you’ve reached preservation age (refer to preservation age table below) plus 39 weeks and
you’ve been receiving Commonwealth income support payments for a cumulative period of 39 weeks since reaching preservation age and
you’re not gainfully employed when you apply (that is, you’re unemployed or employed less than 10 hours a week)

If you’re unsure how long you’ve been receiving Commonwealth income support payments, you can view your payment summary on the myGov portal.

Preservation age

Preservation age is the age you’d usually be able to access your super.

Date of birth	Preservation age
Before 1 July 1960	55
1 July 1960 to 30 June 1961	56
1 July 1961 to 30 June 1962	57
1 July 1962 to 30 June 1963	58
1 July 1963 to 30 June 1964	59
1 July 1964 or after	60

25%

50%

75%

100%

Your preservation age means how old you have to be to start using your super. Until then, your super's preserved. The Australian Government sets these age limits.

Date of Birth	Preservation age
Before 1 July 1960	55
1 July 1960 to 30 June 1961	56
1 July 1961 to 30 June 1962	57
1 July 1962 to 30 June 1963	58
1 July 1963 to 30 June 1964	59
1 July 1964 or after	60

What is compassionate grounds?

You may be able to withdraw some of your super early on compassionate grounds if you need to pay for:

medical costs – for treatment or travel to treatment for you, your partner, child or other dependant
mortgage – to stop the bank from selling your home
disability – to modify your home or car to accommodate the special needs of you or your dependant which arise from a severe disability
palliative care – for you or a dependant
funeral – to pay for expenses for a dependant.

How do I apply to access my super on compassionate grounds?

You’ll need to apply for access to your super on compassionate grounds directly with the ATO.

Apply online via the ATO page in myGov - go to ‘compassionate release’ in the super tab. Your application can take up to 14 days – Rest can’t provide a progress update while the ATO is assessing your claim.

Once your claim has been assessed you’ll receive a message in your myGov inbox with the outcome.

If your claim is approved you’ll receive an approval letter from the ATO. You can then complete a withdrawal form here – make sure your approval letter from the ATO is attached as we need this to process your claim.