Claiming your superannuation after leaving Australia sounds like free money, and technically it is. But the Australian Taxation Office is going to take a massive chunk of it, the process is confusing, and you’ll probably make at least one mistake that delays everything by weeks.
I’m finishing my Master’s at the University of Melbourne, and I’ve helped three friends navigate the process of claiming super back after they left Australia. I’ve also spent way too much time researching this because I’ll need to do it myself eventually. One friend got her money within three weeks. Another waited four months because she applied too early. The third lost about $200 in fees because she used a dodgy claiming service she found on Google.
So here’s everything I know about how to claim your superannuation when you leave Australia, including the mistakes that will cost you time and money.
What Superannuation Actually Is (Quick Refresher)
If you’ve worked in Australia as an international student, your employer has been paying superannuation into a fund on your behalf. It’s basically forced retirement savings. By law, they contribute 11.5% of your wages on top of your actual pay (this percentage changes occasionally, so check the current rate when you’re actually claiming).
You can’t access this money while you’re in Australia on a student visa. It just sits there in your super fund, accumulating slowly. Some funds invest it and you earn a bit of interest. Some funds charge you monthly fees that eat into the balance. Most international students have no idea which fund they’re even with because their employer chose it for them.
I’ve written a detailed explanation of what superannuation is and why international students should care if you want the full picture. But for this article, all you need to know is that this money exists, it’s yours, and you can claim it back after you permanently leave Australia.
The official term for this is DASP, which stands for Departing Australia Superannuation Payment. Nobody uses the full term. Everyone just calls it “claiming your super back” or “getting your super.” The ATO’s website calls it DASP, so that’s what you’ll see when you’re actually applying.
Who Can Actually Claim Their Super Back
Not everyone qualifies for claiming superannuation immediately after leaving. There are specific rules, and the ATO is strict about them.
You’re eligible if:
- You entered Australia on a temporary visa (student, working holiday, skilled temporary work)
- You’ve left Australia and your visa has expired or been cancelled
- You’re not an Australian or New Zealand citizen
- You’re not a permanent resident
The visa expiry bit catches people out. You can’t claim your super while your visa is still valid, even if you’ve physically left Australia. Your visa needs to be completely finished. I had a friend who applied two days before her visa officially expired. The application got rejected, and she had to wait another month before reapplying because the ATO’s system flagged her as ineligible.
If you’re on a Temporary Graduate visa (485), you can’t claim until that visa expires too. Some students finish their degree, work for a year on their 485, then leave Australia. They need to wait until the 485 expires before applying for DASP, even if they’ve been back in their home country for months.
One important thing: you need to have earned money and had super contributions made on your behalf. If you never worked in Australia, you won’t have any super to claim. Obvious, but worth stating because I’ve seen confused questions about this on student forums.
How Much You’ll Actually Get (The Tax Shock)
Here’s the part nobody tells you properly until it’s too late. The ATO taxes your superannuation at a flat rate of 65% for DASP claims. Yes, sixty-five percent. You get to keep 35% of your super balance.
When my friend claimed her $3,200 in super, she received $1,120. The rest went to the ATO as tax. She was furious because she’d been mentally spending the full $3,200 for weeks. Nobody had warned her about the tax rate. She learned an expensive lesson about reading the fine print.
The 65% tax rate includes a 38% contributions tax and 27% working holiday maker tax (even though most students weren’t on working holiday visas, the tax still applies). The ATO doesn’t care that this feels unfair. The system is designed to discourage temporary residents from accessing super early.
Work out your actual payout before getting excited. Log into your super fund account and check your balance. Multiply it by 0.35. That’s roughly what you’ll receive. If you have $2,000 in super, expect about $700 in your bank account. If you have $5,000, expect about $1,750.
Some super funds also charge an exit fee for closing your account. Mine doesn’t, but I’ve seen exit fees ranging from $50 to $150 depending on the fund. Check with your fund directly because this will reduce your final payout even further.
The math is depressing, but at least it’s something. And honestly, if you don’t claim it, the money just sits there forever with your super fund charging fees until eventually there’s nothing left. Better to get 35% than 0%.
The Actual Claiming Process (Step-by-Step)
Claiming your super involves dealing with the ATO’s online system, which is functional but not exactly user-friendly. Here’s what you actually need to do.
Step 1: Find out which super fund holds your money.
If you only had one job in Australia, this is easy. Check your old payslips. They’ll show which fund your employer paid into. Common ones for international students include Australian Super, Hostplus, REST Super, and various industry-specific funds.
If you worked multiple jobs, you might have super in multiple funds. I worked at three different places during my degree, and each one set up a new super account for me instead of using my existing one. This meant I had three separate super accounts with three different funds. You’ll need to claim from each one separately, or consolidate them first (more on that later).
Lost track of your super? The ATO has a tool called “Searching for lost super” on their website. You’ll need your Tax File Number to search. This will show you all super accounts linked to your TFN. Most people find accounts they forgot existed.
Step 2: Apply through the ATO website.
Go to ato.gov.au and search for “DASP application.” You’ll need:
- Your Tax File Number (you should have this from when you applied for your TFN)
- Your passport details
- Your super fund details (name, account number, and ABN)
- Your bank account details for the payout
The application form asks for your Australian bank account, but you can also provide an overseas account. If you’re using an overseas account, you’ll need the bank’s SWIFT code and your IBAN or account number in the international format. I recommend keeping your Australian bank account open until you receive the payment, then closing it after. It’s simpler and avoids currency conversion issues.
You can apply online through myGov, or you can download a paper form and mail it. Online is faster. Paper applications take weeks longer to process. Don’t mail paper forms unless you have no other option.
Step 3: Wait for the ATO to contact your super fund.
Once you submit your application, the ATO sends a request to your super fund. The fund then transfers your super balance (minus their fees) to the ATO. This takes anywhere from two weeks to two months depending on how efficient your fund is.
You won’t get updates during this time. The ATO’s tracking system is basic. You’ll just see “application submitted” for weeks, then suddenly it changes to “payment processed.” The lack of communication is frustrating, but it’s normal.
Step 4: Receive your payment.
The ATO takes their 65% tax, then deposits the remaining 35% into your nominated bank account. International transfers can take 3-10 business days depending on your bank. Australian bank transfers are usually same-day or next-day.
You’ll receive a DASP payment summary showing the breakdown: total super amount, tax withheld, and final payment. Keep this document for your records. You might need it for tax purposes in your home country.
The entire process from application to receiving money typically takes 4-12 weeks. My friend who got hers in three weeks had everything perfectly organised, applied immediately after her visa expired, and her super fund was Australian Super (which processes these quickly). My other friend who waited four months had applied too early (before her visa expired), got rejected, reapplied, and her fund (a small industry fund) was slow to respond to the ATO’s requests.
When to Actually Apply
Timing matters more than you’d think. Apply too early, get rejected. Apply too late, you waste time being back home without that money.
The earliest you can apply: The day after your visa expires. Not the day of. The day after. The ATO’s system checks visa status in real-time. If your visa shows as active, even by a few hours, your application gets automatically rejected.
I watched a friend apply at 11pm on the day her visa expired (it expired at midnight). She got rejected. The system didn’t register the expiry until the next day. She had to wait 30 days before reapplying because the ATO has a cooling-off period after rejected applications.
Check your visa expiry date carefully. Log into your ImmiAccount and confirm the exact date. Don’t guess. Don’t go by what you remember. Check the official record. Visas sometimes get extended without you realising, especially if you applied for a new visa before the old one expired. You might be on a bridging visa without knowing it.
Should you wait longer than necessary? No. Apply as soon as you’re eligible. The longer you wait, the more fees your super fund charges. Most funds charge monthly administration fees ranging from $5-$15 per month. If you wait a year to claim, that’s potentially $60-$180 in unnecessary fees eating into your balance.
Some people worry that applying immediately looks suspicious or eager. The ATO doesn’t care. They process thousands of DASP claims every week. Apply when you’re eligible.
If you’re planning to return to Australia someday, even years later, you might want to leave your super in Australia instead of claiming it. But realistically, most international students don’t return. And if you do return, you’ll build new super with future jobs. Don’t let hypothetical future plans stop you from accessing money you’re entitled to now.
Dealing With Multiple Super Accounts
If you have super scattered across multiple funds, you have two options: claim from each fund separately, or consolidate them first then claim.
Claiming separately means filling out a separate DASP application for each fund. This is annoying but straightforward. You’ll receive multiple payments, each taxed at 65%. The total payout is the same whether you claim separately or together, but the paperwork is more tedious.
Consolidating first means transferring all your super into one fund, then claiming from that single fund. This simplifies the claiming process to one application. The downside is consolidation takes time, usually 2-4 weeks, which delays when you can actually apply for DASP.
I had three super accounts and chose to consolidate first. It took three weeks for the transfers to complete, then I applied for DASP. Looking back, I should have just applied separately because the consolidation didn’t save me any meaningful time or money. The process would have been roughly the same length either way.
If you want to consolidate, log into myGov, go to the ATO section, and use the “Consolidate super” tool. It shows all your super accounts and lets you transfer balances to your chosen fund. Choose the fund with the lowest fees and best performance (usually one of the major industry funds like Australian Super or Hostplus).
Don’t use those phone services or websites that offer to “find your lost super” for a fee. They’re often scams or charge ridiculous commissions. The ATO’s tool is free and does the same thing.
Common Mistakes That Delay Everything
Claiming your superannuation isn’t complicated, but people still mess it up. Here are the mistakes I’ve seen that cost time or money.
Applying while your visa is still active. This is the number one mistake. Your application gets rejected automatically, and you lose a month waiting to reapply. Double-check your visa status before submitting anything.
Providing incorrect bank details. If you mistype your account number or forget a digit in your BSB, the payment fails and you need to resubmit your bank details to the ATO. This adds weeks to the process. Copy and paste your bank details from your banking app. Don’t type them manually.
Using a super claiming service. There are companies that offer to claim your super for you in exchange for a fee, usually 10-20% of your super balance. These are mostly scams or unnecessary middlemen. The process is simple enough to do yourself. Don’t give away hundreds of dollars for a service that takes 20 minutes of form-filling.
Forgetting your TFN. You need your Tax File Number to apply. If you’ve lost it and can’t find it on old tax returns or payslips, you’ll need to contact the ATO to retrieve it. This takes time. Find your TFN before you leave Australia. Write it down somewhere safe. You’ll need it for lodging your final tax return too.
Closing your super fund account before applying. Don’t contact your super fund and tell them you’re leaving. Don’t close your account with them. Just apply for DASP through the ATO. The ATO handles everything. If you close your super account directly with the fund, it complicates the DASP process and you might need to reopen it.
Not keeping documentation. Save every email, every confirmation number, every payment summary. If something goes wrong, you’ll need these documents to prove your claim. I save everything in a dedicated folder on my Google Drive, backed up in multiple places.
One friend made the mistake of assuming her super would automatically be paid out when she left. She closed her Australian bank account, flew home, and forgot about it. Six months later, she remembered and had to go through the whole process with an overseas bank account. The currency conversion fees cost her an extra $100. Keep your Australian bank account open until you receive the money.
What About Tax Returns?
You need to lodge a tax return for any income you earned in Australia, even if you’re leaving permanently. This is separate from claiming your super. Lodge your tax return first, wait for any refund you’re owed, then apply for DASP.
Your super contributions should already have had tax deducted by your employer before they went into your super fund. When you claim DASP, the ATO takes their additional 65% tax. You don’t get a refund on this. The DASP tax is final.
However, if you’re owed a tax refund from your regular employment income (which is common for students who worked part-time), that refund comes through the normal tax return process. Make sure you lodge your tax return and receive any refund before leaving Australia or closing your bank account.
The tax return and DASP claim are two separate processes. Don’t confuse them. One is about income tax on wages. The other is about accessing your superannuation. Both involve the ATO, but they’re handled differently.
If you earned very little during your time in Australia, you might be owed a significant tax refund. Combined with your super claim, this could be a decent chunk of money. Don’t leave it sitting with the ATO because you can’t be bothered with paperwork.
If You’re Still in Australia Planning to Leave
If you’re reading this while still in Australia, here’s what to prepare now.
Find your TFN and save it somewhere safe. You’ll need it for DASP and tax returns. Take a photo of your TFN letter or any document showing your TFN. Email it to yourself. Save it in cloud storage. You do not want to be trying to retrieve this from overseas.
Know which super fund you’re with. Log into your super account. Download your latest statement. Save your member number and the fund’s ABN. If you have multiple super accounts, consider consolidating them now while you’re still in Australia. It’s easier to sort this out before you leave.
Keep your Australian bank account active until you receive your DASP payment. Don’t close it the day you fly out. Keep enough money in it to avoid monthly fees (usually a minimum balance of $2,000-3,000, or regular deposits). You can close it after the super money arrives.
Lodge your final tax return. You can lodge your tax return from overseas, but it’s easier to sort it before you leave. If you leave Australia mid-financial year, you can lodge a tax return early for the partial year. Don’t wait until June 30 if you’re leaving in March. Lodge it when you leave.
My friend who had the smoothest DASP experience spent one afternoon before she left getting everything organised. She consolidated her super, took screenshots of all her account details, saved her TFN and passport copies, and lodged her tax return early. When her visa expired two months later, she applied for DASP the next day and had her money within three weeks. Preparation matters.
My Honest Take on Whether It’s Worth It
Getting your super back after leaving Australia is absolutely worth it, even with the brutal 65% tax. It’s money you earned. It’s sitting there doing nothing. Claim it.
Yes, the tax rate is offensive. Yes, the process feels bureaucratic. Yes, you’ll probably get frustrated at some point. But I’ve never met anyone who claimed their super and regretted it. The only regrets I’ve heard are from people who couldn’t be bothered with the paperwork and left thousands of dollars with super funds.
My friend who received $1,120 after tax from her $3,200 super balance used it to pay off part of her student loan back home. Another friend used his payout to cover a professional certification course. Neither of them would have had that money if they hadn’t claimed it.
The alternative is leaving it in Australia, where it slowly gets eaten by admin fees until there’s nothing left. Super funds don’t actively try to return unclaimed super to international students. It just sits there, accumulating fees, sometimes for decades. Eventually, the government might try to track you down, but don’t count on it.
Some people argue that 35% isn’t worth the effort. I disagree. It’s an hour of paperwork for hundreds or thousands of dollars. Even at minimum wage rates, that’s a good return on your time.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to claim your super after leaving Australia?
From submitting your DASP application to receiving money, expect 4-12 weeks on average. The fastest I’ve seen was three weeks for someone who applied immediately after their visa expired, had one super account with a major fund, and provided perfect documentation. The longest was four months for someone whose application got initially rejected and whose super fund was slow to process the ATO’s request. Most people fall somewhere in between. Budget for 6-8 weeks as a realistic timeframe.
Can I claim my super before my visa expires?
No. Your visa must be expired or cancelled before you’re eligible to apply for DASP. Applying even one day early will result in automatic rejection, and you’ll need to wait 30 days before reapplying. The ATO’s system checks your visa status in real-time. Check your ImmiAccount for your exact visa expiry date and apply the day after it expires, not before.
What happens if I don’t claim my superannuation when I leave?
It stays in your super fund account indefinitely, slowly losing value as the fund charges monthly administration fees. Eventually, after several years of inactivity, it might be transferred to the ATO as “unclaimed super,” but this process is slow and uncertain. Super funds aren’t obligated to actively track down former international students. Basically, if you don’t claim it, you lose it over time. There’s no benefit to leaving it unclaimed.
Do I need to pay tax on my super claim in my home country?
Maybe. This depends entirely on your home country’s tax laws. In most cases, the DASP payment might be considered foreign income and could be taxable. However, the tax treaty between Australia and your country might prevent double taxation. Check with a tax professional in your home country. Keep your DASP payment summary as proof that tax was already withheld in Australia. This documentation might reduce your tax obligation at home.
Can I claim super if I’m planning to return to Australia someday?
Technically yes, but consider your long-term plans carefully. If you claim your super through DASP, you’re declaring that you’ve permanently left Australia. If you return on another temporary visa years later, you’ll start building super again from zero. However, most international students don’t end up returning, and leaving your super unclaimed means losing it to fees. If there’s any genuine uncertainty about returning, you could wait a year or two before claiming. But realistically, claim it. You can always build new super if you return.
Can I claim super from someone else on my behalf if I can’t do it myself?
Not easily. The DASP application requires your personal details, TFN, and bank information. You can’t legally have someone else claim it for you unless you give them all your sensitive information, which is risky. If you’re unable to manage the application yourself for some reason, you could technically give someone power of attorney, but this is complicated and expensive. The better option is to do it yourself or wait until you’re able to handle it. Don’t trust “claiming services” that offer to do it for a fee. Many are scams.
Final Thoughts on Claiming Your Super
Claiming your superannuation after leaving Australia isn’t the most exciting financial task you’ll ever do, but it’s one of the most worthwhile. That money represents months or years of working casual shifts, dealing with difficult managers, and balancing work with study. Don’t leave it sitting in a super fund account because the paperwork feels tedious.
The 65% tax stings. I’m not going to pretend otherwise. But 35% of something is infinitely better than 100% of nothing, which is what you’ll end up with if you don’t claim.
Set aside an afternoon, gather your documents, and submit the application. Then wait patiently while the ATO does its thing. A few weeks later, you’ll have some extra money in your account. Use it for something useful. Pay off debt. Invest it. Save it. Whatever you do, it’ll be better than letting it disappear into super fund admin fees.
If you’re still working through your finances as an international student in Australia, check out my guides on understanding your payslip and managing your budget. And if you haven’t lodged your tax return yet, my guide on lodging your first tax return in Australia walks through the process step-by-step.
Claiming super when you leave Australia is one of the final admin tasks before you fully close the chapter on your Australian student life. Do it properly, get your money, and move on with your life. You earned it. Go get it.