A Retirement bonus is provided to eligible members who started an eligible income stream (retirement pension) in the Fund during a period when the bonus is available. The Retirement bonus percentage is set at 0.5%.
The information below explains when you may be eligible for the Retirement bonus and how it works, with effect from 5 March 2026. You can contact us for further information including information about the terms and conditions applicable before 5 March 2026.
Note, the Trustee may vary eligibility criteria and other terms and conditions from time to time, including the calculation methodology.
A Retirement Bonus is a credit you may receive towards the establishment of an eligible pension account.
Vision Super sets money aside to pay for future capital gains tax when the underlying investment assets of an accumulation account (including some accumulation balances in our defined products) or transition to retirement account (taxed super savings) are sold. However, when you move your taxed super savings in the Fund from your accumulation account/Vision Non-commutable account based pension to a Vision Super retirement pension, a portion of the investment assets supporting your balance are treated as being tax-free. The Retirement bonus relates to future tax savings the Fund will receive in relation to the taxation of the Fund’s investment returns (including capital gains) because you have moved from the accumulation/transition phase of your superannuation membership (where investment earnings are subject to tax) to the retirement phase of your superannuation membership (where investment returns are not usually subject to tax).
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The Retirement bonus is not available when establishing a transition to retirement pension in the Fund (for example. a Vision Non-commutable account based pension). However, when your Vision Non-commutable account based pension becomes a retirement income stream, you may receive a credit at that time subject to eligibility criteria being met and other terms and conditions. |
The Retirement bonus is available to you if :
You have been a member of the Fund for at least 12 continuous months (with an accumulation account balance and/or transition to retirement balance that is able to be converted into a retirement pension, during that time),
You have established an account-based retirement pension in the Fund for the first time
The above eligibility criteria needs to be met along with other terms and conditions described below before a Retirement bonus is payable.
If payable, the Retirement bonus is credited to your account balance in your existing account before the retirement pension is commenced.
The applicable terms and conditions, including the calculation methodology are outlined below.
A member who meets the eligibility criteria above on the date their <accumulation or transition to retirement balance><taxed super savings> are transferred to a retirement pension (transfer date) will receive a Retirement bonus payment if they meet all of the following conditions:
The member’s accumulation account/transition to retirement balance has been invested in any investment option (other than Cash, Diversified bonds, Property or Infrastructure) for at least 12 months up to the transfer date. If a member’s accumulation account/Vision Super transition to retirement pension is partially invested in Cash, Diversified bonds, Property or Infrastructure (regardless of the period of investment), or invested in any other investment option for a period less than 12 months, this will affect the calculation of the amount of any bonus (see below)
The member has not previously received the Retirement bonus from Vision Super, and
The Trustee has decided to pay the Retirement bonus because of the Fund’s tax position (amongst other things) - see below.
The following Vision Super members or beneficiaries are not eligible for the Retirement bonus:
Members who do not satisfy the eligibility criteria
Members who have previously held a retirement pension (including a Three buckets pension) with Vision Super. (You may still qualify if you have previously held a transition to retirement pension)
Reversionary beneficiary account holders (ie. where an eligible retirement pension continues to be paid to a beneficiary(ies) of the pensioner on the pensioner’s death), and
Members or beneficiaries who meet the eligibility criteria at the transfer date (ie. the date of transfer from their accumulation account to pension account) during a period where the Fund is NOT providing the Retirement bonus.
The Retirement bonus is calculated at the transfer date and is generally the lesser of the following:
The amount transferred to start your retirement pension (the transfer amount) x Retirement bonus percentage
Your account balance 12 months prior to commencing your retirement pension x Retirement bonus percentage, or
Your average balance over the 12 months prior to commencing your retirement pension x Retirement bonus percentage.
Retirement bonus percentage is the rate declared by Vision Super for the calculation of the retirement bonus from time to time and is currently set at 0.5%. The rate is determined (usually) annually. A 0% rate may apply due to the Fund’s tax position or in other circumstances that the Trustee considers necessary or appropriate.
The Transfer amount is the amount of your accumulation or transition to retirement balance invested in eligible investment options that is used to purchase the retirement pension. For full account transfers to the eligible retirement pension, this is the account balance in eligible investments options at transfer date (after all relevant fees, costs and other charges). For partial account transfers, this is the requested amount from the eligible investment options which are redeemed as part of the account transfer.
Account balance 12 months prior to commencing your retirement pension is your account balance in the eligible investment options at 12 months prior to the transfer date.
Average balance over 12 months prior to commencing your retirement pension is the daily balance in eligible options proportioned over 365 days or 366 days for leap years leading up to the transfer date.
If you would like an estimate of the Retirement bonus that may be payable to you, prior to commencing a retirement pension, contact us.
The amount of your Retirement bonus (or your transfer amount, if you are making a partial withdrawal from your accumulation or transition to retirement account to start your retirement pension) may be reduced if it would cause the total used to purchase your retirement pension to be greater than the ‘transfer balance cap’ (refer to the Vision Income Stream PDS for information about the transfer balance cap).The amount of Retirement bonus you receive on the transfer date may also be reduced later if you close your retirement pension account quickly.
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The payment of a Retirement bonus is subject to the Trustee’s discretion having regard to the fund’s tax position (amongst other things) from time to time. The Trustee may vary eligibility criteria and other terms and conditions (including the calculation methodology) from time to time. You can contact us for further information. There is no cap on the amount of Retirement bonus a member can receive. However, the government’s transfer balance cap will limit the amount a member can transfer to Retirement pension (refer to the Vision Income Stream PDS for information about the transfer balance cap). |
If you or a beneficiary who has received a Retirement bonus close an eligible Retirement pension account (other than in the case of death) within 12 months of receiving the Retirement bonus, 50% of the bonus received will be deducted from the Retirement pension account before the pension account is closed. If the pension is closed in the cooling off period, the full retirement bonus will be deducted.
To be able to provide a Retirement bonus to its eligible members, Vision Super must be in a position where the Trustee believes that a saving will arise because the member(s) commenced an eligible retirement pension (particularly from a tax perspective). Generally, this requires the Fund assets to have a deferred tax liability (DTL) on an ongoing basis. The amount of the Fund’s DTL is shown in the Fund’s financial statements each 30 June. Adverse market events (as determined by the Trustee) may reduce the Fund’s DTL or impact the Fund’s overall tax position. This will limit or eliminate the Trustee’s ability to pass on a Retirement bonus to eligible members who purchase an eligible retirement pension. Adverse market events include (but are not limited to) significant market downturns which impact the Fund’s assets and create deferred tax assets (DTAs). The cost of administering the Retirement bonus arrangement will also be taken into consideration when setting the Retirement bonus rate.
No. Contributions tax is not payable on the Retirement bonus.
No. There is a limit of one Retirement bonus per member. The Retirement bonus is automatically paid to your first eligible Retirement income account with Vision Super.
You can call us on 1300 017 589 or by contacting us via email at memberservices@visionsuper.com.au to find out whether you will receive a Retirement bonus if you apply for a retirement pension.