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Spouse super

Give your spouse the advantages of UniSuper membership. You could save on tax and increase your joint retirement savings.

Spouse Account

There are plenty of reasons to open a UniSuper Spouse Account. Spouse members have access to many of the benefits of UniSuper membership – they could even be eligible for a UniSuper pension when they retire. Plus there may be tax savings that could boost your joint retirement savings.

Find out about:

The advantages of a Spouse Account

If you open a UniSuper Spouse Account, you and your spouse can both benefit in many ways:

  • If your spouse earns a low income, you may be entitled to a tax offset if you make contributions to their account.
  • Your spouse can choose how their super is invested.
  • Your spouse has the option of purchasing Death cover through UniSuper.
  • Your spouse has access to UniSuper pensions.

Who can make spouse contributions

You can open a Spouse Account provided:
  • you and your spouse are both Australian residents for taxation purposes
  • you and your spouse have not permanently separated, and
  • your spouse is under age 65 (whether you are working or not), or
  • your spouse is aged 65 or over but less than 70 and has worked at least 40 hours in 30 consecutive days in the financial year.
A spouse in relation to a UniSuper member means:
  • a person to whom you are legally married
  • a person, whether of the same sex or a different sex, with whom you are in a relationship that is registered under an Australian State or Territory law, and
  • a person, whether of the same sex or a different sex, with whom you are not legally married but who lives with you on a genuine domestic basis as a couple.

Making contributions to the Spouse Account

You and your spouse may both make after-tax lump sum contributions into the Spouse Account as often as you wish. Your spouse may also consolidate any super they have with other funds into UniSuper.

Plus you can share your superannuation contributions with your spouse. See the fact sheet, Super contribution splitting with your spouse for more details.

You and your spouse can make contributions:

  • by completing a Lump sum contribution form and returning it to UniSuper together with your cheque (payable to UniSuper Limited), OR
  • by phone or BPAY.

If your spouse's employer offers choice of fund, their UniSuper Spouse Account can also receive their regular employer contributions. Just make sure your spouse has nominated UniSuper to receive their employer's contributions on a Standard Choice Form.

Taking a pension under transition to retirement provisions

Spouse members may use all or part of their benefit to purchase a pension under transition to retirement provisions. While they are receiving a pension their Spouse Account will remain active and you, your spouse and/or their employer can continue to make regular or lump sum contributions into the account.

Investing the Spouse Account

Your spouse can choose how their account is invested from our wide range of investment options.

Your spouse can switch their investment options on a weekly basis to ensure that their account is invested in line with their retirement savings goals.

The first switch per account in each financial year is free of charge once. All subsequent switches in the same financial year will be charged an investment switching fee of $26.

There’s a great deal of flexibility with UniSuper’s investment options.  Your spouse can invest their entire account in one of the Pre-Mixed investment option or create their own blend of assets by  investing in the Self-select menu.

Please note: a Self-select investment fee of $30 applies if your spouse chooses to invest their account in more than one investment option and/or one of the Single-Asset Class investment options.  This fee is deducted from their account at the end of each six-monthly statement period.

For more information on investing Spouse Accounts, see the Product Disclosure Statement, Super for your spouse, and the booklet, Investing for the future.

How do I open a Spouse Account?

To open a Spouse Account, you and your spouse must:

  • Read the product disclosure statement, Super for your spouse. This explains some important choices your spouse will have to make about their super.
  • Complete a Spouse Account application form. If your spouse wants to rollover from other funds, they should also complete a Rollover form. See Get your super together.
  • Send the completed form(s) to UniSuper, along with a cheque made payable to UniSuper Limited as your initial lump sum contribution.

Fees and charges

We keep our fees as low as possible for the benefit of all members, including Spouse Account members.

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