Your super doesn’t automatically form part of your estate, so it’s important to nominate a beneficiary to receive your super and insurance benefit in the event of your death.
Nominating a beneficiary will give you peace of mind and save your loved ones time and stress down the line.
How to nominate a beneficiary
There are two types of nominations:
- Binding
- Non-binding
Binding nominations
- You decide who receives your super and any insurance benefits and in what portions (some restrictions apply and your nomination must be valid).
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Can be lapsing, which means you have to update it every three years, or non-lapsing, which means it will stay valid until you change or revoke it, or becomes invalid for another reason.
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Requires two witnesses to sign on the same date.
What you need to do
Complete the Binding death benefit nomination form (PDF, 325KB) (at the back of the fact sheet) and return it to us.
Non-binding nominations
- We'll decide who receives your super and any insurance benefit, taking into consideration your nomination, circumstances (e.g. if you have any dependents) and the relevant laws at the time of your death.
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This nomination won’t expire unless you change or revoke it.
What you need to do
Log in to your account and select ‘Beneficiaries’.
Who you can nominate
Your beneficiaries can be:
- your spouse (including de facto or same-sex)
- children of any age (including adopted and stepchildren)
- someone in an interdependency relationship with you
- other financial dependents
- your legal personal representative (the executor or administrator of your estate).
If you decide to nominate your legal personal representative, then your super forms part of your estate and will be distributed according to your Will.
If you don't nominate anyone or have a non-binding nomination
We'll decide who receives your benefit. This could be one or more of your dependents and/or your legal personal representative, i.e. your estate.
Other things to consider
- You can change your nomination at any time by making a new nomination.
- You need to make sure you keep your nominations up to date if your personal circumstances change.
- The tax implications for any beneficiaries you nominate (which you might need to speak to an adviser about).
- We won’t accept a nomination made under a power of attorney.
We're here to help
If you have any questions about beneficiaries or nominating beneficiaries, call us on 1800 331 685 or email us.
If you need to make sense of the kinds of nominations and what best suits you, our UniSuper Advice team can help you make sure there aren’t any unintended consequences for you or those you leave behind. Call UniSuper Advice on 1800 823 842 or email us.
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