Protecting your super

The Government's Protecting Your Super reforms effective 1 July 2019 aim to ensure that the low balance and inactive super accounts are not inappropriately eroded by fees and insurance premiums.

Under this legislation, super funds are required to:

‘Turn off’ insurance when an account has been inactive for more than 16 months.

Protect super accounts with a balance below $6,000 by capping fees.

Transfer inactive low balance accounts to the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) so member accounts can be consolidated.

Your insurance may be turned off

From 1 July 2019 your insurance cover with Rest may be turned off if your account has been inactive for more than 16 months.

What does ‘inactive’ mean?

we haven’t received any money to add to your account (such as a rollover or contribution) to your account within the last 16 months, and

you haven’t let us know that you’d like to continue to have insurance cover.

We’ll contact you when your account has been inactive for 9, 12 and 15 months, so you have an opportunity to choose to keep your insurance cover if you’d like to.

If you have insurance with Rest, you can choose to keep it any time in MemberAccess.

Just go to the ‘personal details’ tab in MemberAccess.

Click edit in ‘Communications preferences’ and...

Click on the ‘Yes, I want to keep my insurance’ button.

It’s easy to make a contribution to your Rest account.
Check out the different ways you can grow your super for a better future.

MAKE A CONTRIBUTION

Benefits of insurance through your super

Insurance is for when things don’t go the plan. Like getting sick, getting injured, or even death. It can help you and your loved ones pay the bills and keep things going if something happens to you.

Learn more about your insurance with Rest here.

Reinstating your cover

If your insurance cover is cancelled under the Protecting your Super rules, we’ll contact you to let you know. If you want to reinstate your cover, you’ll need to let us know within 60 days of the date your insurance is cancelled. You’ll find the cancellation date, and the date you need to respond by, on the letter or email we send to you.

To reinstate your cover you can:

send us an email within 60 days of cancellation. Click here to use our email template or email us at contact@rest.com.au. Your email should have ‘Reinstate my insurance’ in the subject line. Make sure that your email includes your member number, full name and date of birth. In your email, please state that you wish to keep your insurance cover with Rest
complete the Reinstate my insurance form available here, and return it to us within 60 days of cancellation
make a personal contribution, or have your employer make a contribution to your account within 28 days of cancellation. To find out ways to contribute, visit rest.com.au/grow

If your insurance is reinstated, your account must have enough funds to pay the premium owed for the period your insurance was cancelled.

Your account may be transferred to the ATO

Your account will stay at Rest (and will not be transferred to the ATO) if you:

have over $6,000 in your account;

made a contribution into your account or a rollover from another fund within the last 16 months;

have insurance cover or have made a change to your insurance cover in the last 16 months;

made changes to your investment options in the last 16 months; or

made or amended a binding death benefit nomination in the last 16 months.

If your Rest account balance is transferred, the ATO will try to consolidate it into an active super account you might hold. An eligible active super account is one where you've made a recent contribution, and has a balance of $6,000 after the transfer of any ATO-held super.

If you have an account with another super fund, you can transfer any ATO-held super to your other fund. You can do this through your myGov account, or by contacting your other super fund.

If you don’t want your account to be transferred to the ATO, you’ll be able to let them know. Just complete this form and return it to us.

If you do have other super accounts, it's easy to combine your super in 3 steps

Before combining your super, check how it might affect your insurance in your other funds and if they have any other fees. If you have any questions we recommend you have a chat with a financial adviser.

COMBINE NOW

Capping of fees for low balance accounts

To help protect low balance accounts, from 1 July 2019 there is a cap on the amount of administration fees, investment fees and certain costs that can be charged to members with an account balance below $6,000. This cap is equal to 3% per annum of the member's account balance.

Also from 1 July 2019, there are no exit fees payable if you leave the fund, regardless of your account balance.

Questions and Answers

Why did I receive a letter advising that my insurance would be/has been cancelled?

Under the new Protecting your Super legislation, we’re required to turn off your insurance if your account has been inactive for more than 16 months. Inactive means we haven’t received any money to add to your account (such as a rollover or contribution) within the last 16 months, and you haven’t let us know that you’d like to continue your insurance cover.

What do I need to do to keep my insurance with Rest, if I receive a letter stating that my insurance would be cancelled?

To keep your insurance with Rest, you can do any of the following actions by the specified date in your letter:

make a contribution to your account – any contribution amount, no matter how small, will keep your account active. Visit rest.com.au/grow to find out more about the different types of contribution you can make.
login to MemberAccess at rest.com.au and update your insurance preference in the Personal details tab.
complete the 'Keep my insurance cover’ form enclosed in your letter and return it to us.

My insurance has been cancelled, how do I reinstate it?

To reinstate your cover, you can:

send us an email to contact@rest.com.au within 60 days of cancellation. Your email should have ‘Reinstate my insurance’ in the subject line. Make sure that your email includes your member number, full name and date of birth. In your email, please state that you wish to keep your insurance cover with Rest.
complete the Reinstate my insurance form available on our website, and return it to us within 60 days of cancellation.
make a personal contribution, or have your employer make a contribution to your account within 28 days of cancellation. To find out ways to contribute, visit rest.com.au/grow

How do I know if I’ve got the right level of cover?

To check the level of insurance you have, you can:

We recommend you seek independent financial advice before making your insurance decisions. For members, our online insurance needs analysis can also help - it takes around 10 minutes to complete. Visit rest.com.au/advice to get started.

When do I need to respond by?

Check the specific date provided in your letter to know by what date you need to let us know what you’d like to do with your insurance.

What happens if I don’t do anything?

If you don’t let us know before the date your cover is due to be cancelled, your insurance cover will be cancelled. We'll contact you to let you know if this happens. You will then be able to choose to reinstate your cover if you wish within 60 days of cancellation.

If you decide you'd like insurance cover after it has been cancelled for 60 days, you'll need to reapply and you may need to provide health evidence.

I didn't even know I had insurance as part of my super.

Rest offers automatic default insurance for most its members as part of legislative requirements. We believe it’s important to be prepared for the unexpected.

Generally speaking, insurance cover is designed to provide members and their family with the financial means to maintain their lifestyle in the event of the member’s unexpected death, permanent or temporary disablement. Having the right levels of cover is important, and for this reason, we recommend members review their insurances regularly to ensure that it provides the cover they need based on their current personal circumstances.

While insurance cover may not relieve members, or their dependants of the emotional burden associated with a member’s unexpected death or permanent or temporary disablement, it can help to relieve the financial burden normally associated with such events.

Automatic insurance as part of your super provides affordable cover if you’re working part time or casually. This insurance may not be available or cost more if it isn’t part of your super.

To find out what types of insurance you have and how much you're covered for, login to MemberAccess and click the 'Insurance' tab.

I’m not sure if I need to keep my insurance cover?

Need some more information?

To learn more about Protecting your Super, visit MoneySmart

To learn more about the super industry's Protecting your Super awareness campaign, visit timetocheck.com.au

Discover how Rest Advice can help.