Protecting your super

In February 2019 the Federal Government passed legislation to support the Protecting your Super reforms introduced in the 2018-19 Budget. These reforms aim to ensure that low balance and inactive super accounts are not inappropriately eroded by fees and insurance premiums.

Under this new legislation, super funds are required to:

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

Protect super accounts with 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 default 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.

You can choose to keep your insurance cover with Rest at 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.

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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.

Your insurance cover continues until it is turned off

You’re covered for insurance with Rest until the end of the period for which premiums could be deducted from your account, or the expiry date of the term of your insurance contract.

If you don't take any action and your insurance lapses, it may be able to be reinstated if you tell us within 60 days of it lapsing. If your cover is reinstated, premiums will recommence from the date your insurance lapsed. To reinstate your cover, your account must have enough funds to pay the premium owed for the period your insurance was turned off.

Your account may be transferred to the ATO

We’ll be required to transfer inactive low balance accounts to the ATO. The ATO will then try to reunite your account with an active super account you hold.

Your account will be transferred to the ATO if:

your account is less than $6,000;

we haven’t received any amounts of money, like a rollover from another fund or a contribution, into your account within the last 16 months;

you have no insurance cover;

you haven’t changed your investment options or insurance cover in the last 16 months;

you haven’t made or amended a binding death benefit nomination in the last 16 months.

If you don’t want your account to be transferred to the ATO, you’ll be able to let them know.

If you do have other super accounts, it’s easy to combine all your super into your Rest account.

COMBINE NOW

Capping of fees for low balance accounts

To help protect low balance accounts, from 1 July 2019 there will be 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% of the member's account balance.

Also from 1 July 2019, there will no longer be any 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 cancelled soon?

The new Protecting Your Super legislation means that if you haven’t contributed to your superannuation for 16 months or more, and you haven’t elected to keep it, your insurance will be switched off on 1 July 2019 or the date that you reach 16 months without a contribution.

We contacted you to check what you’d like to do with your insurance – whether to keep or cancel it.

What does that mean for me? What do I need to do to keep my insurance with Rest?

You need to let us know if you’d like to keep your insurance cover.

If we’ve sent you an email or an SMS: You can click on the link we sent you to let us know what you’d like to do with your insurance (whether to keep or cancel it).
If you’ve received a letter in the mail:
- You can make your selection online by visiting the website provided in the letter, and using the PIN provided in your letter.
- Or you can fill out the form included with your letter and return it to us in the reply-paid envelope provided.
If you choose to keep your insurance, you’ll stay covered for insurance as set out in the table contained in the email/letter we sent you. The insurance premium will be deducted from your Rest account each month.
If you choose to cancel your insurance, you’ll immediately lose your insurance cover as set out in the table contained in your email/letter we sent you. If you’d like to reapply for insurance down the track, you may need to provide medical evidence and go through an underwriting as part of the insurance application process.
If you want to keep your insurance, but don’t think the level of cover is right for you, you can reduce or increase your insurance cover to a level that suits you.

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

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

To check if this level of insurance is right for you, check out our insurance needs calculator at rest.com.au/calculators.

You might also like to have a chat with a financial adviser to see what’s right for you.

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 your insurance expires on 1 July 2019, and if we have your email address and mobile number, we’ll send you reminders before 1 July 2019.

If you don’t let us know before the date your cover is due to be cancelled, your insurance cover will be cancelled.

If you decide to reinstate your insurance down the track once it’s cancelled, you may need to provide additional medical evidence or go through underwriting to get your insurance reinstated after it’s been switched off

I didn’t know I even 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.

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.