Your super when you move overseas

If you’re an Australian citizen or permanent resident, your super is subject to the same rules no matter where you are in the world. So, you usually won’t be able to take your super with you when you move overseas.

Keep growing your super while you’re away

The first step is to keep your details up to date so that we can stay in touch.

If your balance is under $6,000 and you won’t be contributing for 16 months or more, you’ll need to keep your account active to maintain your insurance prevent your super from being transferred to the ATO.  See how to keep your account active.

Contributing to your super while working overseas

You can make voluntary contributions to your UniSuper account while you’re overseas. The same contributions taxes and limits apply.

Insurance and inbuilt benefits

Your insurance and inbuilt benefits will generally cover you while you’re away. If you make an income protection insurance claim while overseas, our insurer will pay your benefit for a maximum of 6 months regardless of your benefit period. Your payments may resume for the remainder of your benefit period if you return to Australia.

To maintain your insurance, you’ll need to make sure you have enough money in your account to pay premiums.

Remember, to keep your insurance, you’ll need to either:

• make a contribution or transfer super from another fund at least once every 16 months
• complete the keep your insurance cover form (PDF, 516KB) and return it to us.

Your inbuilt benefits won’t cover you if you’re no longer contributing to the Defined Benefit Division.

See Insurance in your super (PDF 1.1MB) for more about your insurance.

Moving to New Zealand

If you’re moving to New Zealand, you can transfer your retirement savings to a complying KiwiSaver scheme under Trans-Tasman retirement savings portability rules. 

Once you transfer your super to a KiwiSaver scheme, it will be considered as an Australian-sourced component and subject to New Zealand's retirement savings and transfer rules:

• you can’t use it to buy your first home
• you can’t move it to a third country
• you can access it when you turn 60 and have retired according to the Australian definition of retirement.

If you think you might return to Australia in the future, you should consider if transferring to a KiwiSaver is right for you. A financial adviser can help you work out what’s best for you.

Download the KiwiSaver fact sheet (PDF, 196KB) for more information.