How does your super stack up?
Knowing how much the average super balance is for people similar to you can help you plan for retirement. Find the average super balance for your age group below:
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How much super do I have?
Want to see how much super you have? You can check your balance on Member Online at any time. Register or log in to check now.
What you can do about your super
Consolidate your super
Having more than one account may mean you’re paying multiple fees and insurance premiums. With one account, you could save money in fees and grow your super faster. Before you consolidate, there are some important factors to take into account. You may wish to speak with a qualified financial planner before making this important financial decision.[C1]
Find lost super
You may have super accounts you’ve forgotten about or don’t know about. This could happen if you changed jobs, changed your name, or moved overseas. It takes less than 10 minutes to find your lost super using our online tool.
Add extra money to your super through before or after-tax contributions
- How before-tax contributions work
- How after-tax contributions work
Also known as concessional contributions[S1], these can include:
Employer contributions - also known as the Super Guarantee (SG). This is the money your employer has to pay into your nominated super fund. It’s 12% of your salary.
Salary sacrifice - you can ask your employer to set this up for you, using our handy employer form. Your employer re-directs some of your take home pay into your super account. In this way you can grow your super savings and at the same time, reduce your taxable income.[S2]
Benefits
Pay less tax (the 15% contributions tax in super might be lower than your marginal tax rate).[S2]
Your extra contribution is deducted from your pay through your employer.
Reduce your taxable income.
More super means more compounding interest (investment returns earned on your investment).
Also known as personal or non-concessional contributions[S1], these can include:
Government co-contribution - if you earn less than $62,488 in the 2025-26 financial year you could be eligible for a government co-contribution of up to $500 when you make a personal after-tax contribution.[S3]
Spouse contribution - make contributions on behalf of your spouse and you may receive a tax offset.2
Personal contributions - add to your super from your take-home pay to grow your balance. You may even be able to claim your contributions as a tax deduction.
Benefits
You may be eligible for a $500 super co-contribution from the government (depending on your total income)
You can set up a one-off or recurring contribution at any time
Claim a tax deduction for eligible personal deductible contributions
More super means more compounding interest (investment returns earned on your investment).
How much super you should have at retirement
Retirement looks different for everyone, so there’s no exact number to tell you how much is ‘enough’.
Depending on your goals and the lifestyle you want, approximately 70% of your current take-home pay should see you maintain your current lifestyle in retirement.1
How is your lifestyle affordable on less income?1
No income tax
No super contributions
Lower likelihood of debt (mortgage paid etc.)
Access to Age Pension, and other benefits and concessions.
FAQs on growing your super
You can grow your super by:
Making voluntary contributions[S1]
Setting up salary sacrifice[S2]
Consolidating multiple accounts[C1]
Choosing the right investment options
Checking for lost super via our Member Online portal
Ensuring your employer pays the correct amount
Voluntary contributions are after-tax payments you can make to your super balance to boost your savings. You may even be able to claim your contributions as a tax deduction.[S1] Learn more about voluntary contributions.
Salary sacrifice is an arrangement you enter into with your employer that lets you contribute directly from your pre-tax income to your super, potentially lowering your taxable income.[S2]
Learn more about salary sacrificing and download the employer form to get started.
Government co-contributions can help middle and lower income earners have more money when they retire. If you earn less than $62,488 in 2025-2026 and contribute between $20-$1,000 to your super from your take-home pay, the government could match your contribution, up to $500. [S3]
Check your eligibility for a government co-contribution.
Contributing to your partner’s super can help grow their savings. Spouse contributions can be a great way to help them make-up for lost earnings if your partner has taken time out of the workforce, or if they're on middle, low, or no income, or if they need to work part time or fewer hours. You may receive a tax offset of up to $540 for contributing to their super, depending on their total income and how much you contribute.
Learn more about spouse or de facto contributions.
FAQs on superannuation rules
There are limits on how much you can pay into your super fund each financial year without having to pay extra tax. These limits are called 'contribution caps'. If you go over these caps, you may need to pay extra tax. The two types of contributions and their caps for 2025-2026 are:
Concessional (pre-tax): $30,000
Non-concessional (after-tax): $120,000
Exceeding these may result in extra tax. Learn more about how much you can contribute.
As of 1 July 2025, the mandatory Superannuation Guarantee rate is 12%. That means that your employer must pay the amount of 12% of your ordinary time earnings into your super fund.
FAQs on planning with your super
Retirement looks different for everyone, so there’s no exact number to tell you how much is ‘enough’. Depending on your goals and the lifestyle you want, approximately 70% of your current take-home pay should see you maintain your current lifestyle in retirement.1 Your future lifestyle is typically more affordable on less income due to:
No income tax or super contributions
Lower likelihood of debt (mortgage paid etc.)
Access to Age Pension, and other benefits and concessions
How much you need for retirement really depends on your lifestyle goals for future you. You can estimate how much you’re on track to retire with, and your target savings goal, using our My Retirement Planner™ calculator.
Aiming for a comfortable retirement, by the time you’re 30 you should have around $66,500 in your super.
Source: ASFA Super Calculator, August 2025 Super Detective - ASFA
Aiming for a comfortable retirement, by the time you’re 40 you should have around $168,000 in super.
Source: ASFA Super Calculator, August 2025 Super Detective - ASFA
1Superguide, January 2025
2Eligibility criteria applies.
[AD1] Advice provided by Aware Financial Services Australia Limited (ABN 86 003 742 756, AFSL 238430), wholly owned by Aware Super.
[C1] Before consolidating, consider if this is right for you, including the loss of any insurance cover from your other funds, the impact on your investments, and potential tax implications and read the PDS and TMD at aware.com.au/pds. You may wish to speak with a qualified financial planner before making this decision.
[S1] Before contributing, consider the current annual contribution limits. Exceeding these limits may reduce any tax benefits you could receive. Visit aware.com.au/grow.
[S2] Salary sacrifice will save tax in many but not all circumstances and will cause a reduction in your take home pay.
[S3] Check your eligibility for the government's super co-contribution before acting on this information.