How do I find my lost super?

Super becomes 'lost' in one of two ways, and the ATO defines both. You are uncontactable when your fund can no longer reach you and the account has taken no contribution or rollover for 12 months — usually after a change of name, address or job. The account is inactive when nothing has gone into it for five years. Lost super stays with the fund while it tries to find you; if it cannot, the money is transferred to the ATO as unclaimed super.

Knowing which accounts a fund must hand over tells you whether to chase the fund or the ATO. The ATO lists them: lost members with a balance under A$6,000, lost members inactive for 12 months where the fund cannot pay them, inactive low-balance accounts, members aged 65 or over with no contribution for two years whom the fund has not reached in five, deceased members the fund cannot pay out, former temporary residents six months after leaving Australia, and unclaimed ex-spouse entitlements after a divorce. Anything transferred that way becomes ATO-held super.

The ATO puts every account reported against your TFN on one screen. In ATO online services through myGov, select Super, then Fund details. A lost member account shows the words 'Contact fund' beside the fund name, and anything the ATO is holding shows as ATO-held super. The ATO app does the same thing. If a fund has told you it sent money to the ATO and you cannot see it, that is usually a details mismatch — check your name, date of birth and address with both the ATO and the fund, then phone.

You do not need to be online. The automated super search self-service line is 13 28 65 and works if you have your TFN in front of you; the ATO also asks for previous names and addresses and any fund names or member numbers you remember. Without a TFN, phone the superannuation enquiries line on 13 10 20, or the ATO's Indigenous helpline on 13 10 30. There is a paper form as well — Searching for lost and unclaimed super, NAT 2476 — posted to the ATO at PO Box 3578, Albury NSW 2640.

What happens next depends on who is holding the money. If a fund has it, contact the fund and prove who you are — a driver licence, Medicare card or proof of age card usually does it, and Moneysmart notes that funds can accept other evidence, including letters from government agencies, membership cards, community ID or a statement from a trusted person who knows you, such as a health worker, teacher, Elder or community leader, where your ID does not match. Moneysmart also points people to Services Australia service centres, mobile service centres and agents, which can help you contact the ATO and give you access to a phone, a computer and a printer.

If the ATO is holding it, the route is Super, then Manage, then Transfer super, which nominates the fund to move it to. Withdrawing it to yourself is narrower: the ATO says you can apply through Super, then Manage, then Withdraw ATO-held super if you meet the general conditions of release, and it will pay you directly without being asked if you are 65 or over, or where an unclaimed super amount is under A$200. Keep your bank details current under My profile, then Financial institution details, so a direct payment does not fail.

The ATO also moves some of this money without being asked. Where it holds A$200 or more for someone under 65 who has not made a transfer request, it will send the amount to an eligible active account — one held by a living person, in accumulation phase, that accepts government rollovers, has received a contribution in the current or previous financial year, and will hold A$6,000 or more after the transfer. Where more than one account qualifies, the rules pick the one that most recently received an ATO rollover, then the one that most recently received a contribution, then the largest balance at the end of the last financial year.

Before you combine anything, check what you would be giving up. Moneysmart lists the checks: whether changing funds affects how much your employer contributes, and what insurance you hold through the current fund — life, total and permanent disability, and income protection. You may not get the same cover in the new fund, and Moneysmart says to take extra care if you have a medical condition or are 60 or over. Defined benefit accounts should not be rolled out without professional advice, because some carry valuable benefits and you cannot rejoin once you leave. Moneysmart is also explicit that you should not default to the account with the highest balance.