Making contributions
Want to contribute extra? Super! Adding more now can make a surprisingly big difference in the years ahead. It all adds up.
There are different options for contributing extra to your super. Which one you choose will depend on your income and situation. You might even find that you’re better off with a combination of contributions over time, and you can change how you contribute as your situation changes.
Remember, there are contribution caps and tax implications if you exceed the limits.
Salary sacrifice
You can ask your employer to pay some of your salary, before tax is taken out, straight into your super. This before-tax contribution is separate from your employer’s normal contribution (that’s the ‘compulsory super’, that employers must pay). Salary sacrifice is your own extra contribution, your employer's SG contribution is just paying out of your pre-tax salary.
Why choose salary sacrifice?
Firstly, once you’ve set this up, you don’t need to think about it again – it will happen automatically each time you’re paid your salary.
Salary sacrifice could also reduce your income for tax purposes, meaning you’ll pay less tax. That’s because the money your employer takes out of your salary and puts into your super is usually taxed at a maximum rate of 15%. Compare that to the marginal tax rate, which can be anything up to 47% (including the Medicare levy), depending on how much you earn.
Is it for you?
The salary sacrifice option will work for you if your income is high enough that you’re paying more than 15% tax on your overall income, and you won’t miss the money out of your pay. If you’re a low-income earner, you might find that after-tax contributions are the better option.
Most employers do offer salary sacrifice, but not all. So do check with your employer to see whether it’s available to you. You may also consider getting tax advice. You can't make salary sacrifice contributions once you reach age 75.
Get started with Salary sacrifice
All you need to do is fill out a payroll deduction form, print it out and give it to your payroll person or HR department. They’ll make the arrangements for you. Fill in your details using our online form or download the form and fill it out by hand.
After-tax contributions
After-tax contributions are also sometimes called non-concessional contributions or personal contributions. You can pay an amount into your super from your after-tax income or savings. You can do this at any time as a regular transfer or a one-off payment from your bank account. A form must be lodged with the fund to claim a tax deduction.
Why choose after-tax contributions?
Adding to your super fund when you have some extra cash on hand means when you reach retirement, you could have more savings to retire with. Even small amounts added now can make a big difference to your super in the future, because of investment earnings on your super over that period (note that investment earnings can sometimes be negative in the short term).
And, because you’ve already paid tax on your income, after-tax contributions are not usually taxed again when you deposit them into your super account. You might also be able to claim a tax deduction on these contributions, to reduce the amount of income tax you pay in a financial year. Check out the ATO website for eligibility conditions for claiming a tax deduction including age limits.
Is it for you?
Those tax deductions and extra contributions sound great, but please know that if you claim a tax deduction for your personal contributions at tax time, your contributions will change from after-tax to concessional (before-tax) and that means they are subject to contributions tax, usually at a maximum rate of 15%, and will count towards your yearly cap on before-tax contributions. You can't make after-tax contributions once you reach age 75.
Spouse contributions
This is a great way to support your spouse who may be on a low income without much super being saved or may have lost a job or taken a break from work, for example to look after kids. It’s an investment in a loved one’s future and can help ease both your lives in retirement. A spouse is the person you’re legally married to, or in a de facto relationship with (including same sex relationships).
Is it for you?
If you make a contribution to your spouse’s super, you can benefit at tax time. If your partner is under age 75 and is earning less than $40,000 a year, you may be able to claim a tax offset.
Under the ATO’s 2025-26 tax rules, you can claim a tax offset of up to 18% on the first $3,000 you pay into your spouse’s superannuation account as an after-tax contribution. This means you can receive a maximum of $540 as a tax offset per financial year. The amount you’ll receive depends on how much your spouse earned in the financial year. Anything above $3,000 is ineligible for any further tax offset per financial year. Other conditions apply.
Government contributions
In some circumstances, the government can make additional contributions to your super.
You don’t need to apply for these government super contributions. If you’re eligible, and Vision Super has your tax file number (TFN), the ATO will pay it to your account automatically.
You may be eligible for a government co-contribution or low-income super tax offset (LISTO). The low-income super tax offset (LISTO) is an Australian government initiative where they refund up to $500 each year of the tax paid on before-tax (concessional) contributions into low income earners' (under $37,000 income) super accounts, to help boost their retirement savings. For some, $500 might not sound like much, but over time with the magic of compound earnings, a $500 tax offset today could be worth much more by the time you retire. The longer you have between today and retirement, the more your savings will benefit (subject to market activity). To estimate the impact this may have on your retirement savings try the Retirement income calculator. The Government co-contribution is another government initiative that helps eligible people boost their retirement savings. If you are a low or middle-income earner and make personal (after-tax) super contributions to your super fund, the government also makes a contribution (called a co-contribution) up to a maximum amount of $500 per year. Conditions apply.
How it works - Sarah’s story
“I’m 45, and I’m a child care worker earning $42,000 a year. I make a $1,000 after-tax contribution to my account in Vision Super. After I put in my tax return, the ATO make an additional co-contribution of $500 to my account. I didn’t need to do anything except make the contribution and lodge my tax return – simple! The ATO and Vision Super took care of the rest.”
Are you eligible for the co-contribution?
You may be eligible for the government co-contribution payment if you:
have made one or more eligible personal super contributions to your super account during the financial year (personal super contributions you claim a tax deduction for don’t count)
pass the two income tests (income threshold and 10% eligible income tests)
are less than 71 years old at the end of the financial year
do not hold a temporary visa at any time during the financial year (unless you are a New Zealand citizen or it was a prescribed visa)
lodge your tax return for the relevant financial year
have a total superannuation balance less than the general transfer balance cap at the end of 30 June of the previous financial year
have not contributed more than your non-concessional contributions cap.
Downsizer contributions
Downsizing from the family home is a popular way to scale back and access money for many Australians. The Downsizer Contribution scheme is an Australian government initiative that allows you to use proceeds from the sale of your home to boost your super balance and increase your income in retirement.
If you have money left from the sale of your home after you buy a new place, you may be able to contribute up to $300,000 to your super – or $300,000 each for couples ($600,000 in total).
Is it for you?
There are some eligibility criteria you and your partner need to meet, including:
You must be 55 or over when you contribute (if you’re making a couple’s contribution, you must both be 55 or over).
You (or your spouse) must have owned the home for ten years or more.
You can’t have made a downsizer contribution before.
The contribution to your super account(s) must be made within 90 days of receiving the sale proceeds (usually the settlement date).
You should also consider how it might affect your eligibility for the Age Pension, as the extra money will count towards the assets and income test. The downsizer contribution will also count towards the transfer balance cap, which applies when you move your super into the retirement phase.
If you’re not sure about any of this, call our Member Services team on 1300 300 820, and we’ll help you. You can also find more by visiting the ATO’s website.