Super Calculator: Balance and Retirement Income

Project Your Super Balance

A super projection combines an entered statement balance with future contributions and assumed investment returns. Each year’s schedule separates contributions, growth, fees and tax.

The opening example projects $296,000 at age 48 to $1,138,268 at 67, or $712,018 in statement-date purchasing power. It uses $100,000 salary, 12% employer contributions and $2,600 annual salary sacrifice.

The example assumes monthly end-period contributions, a 6% return, 15% contributions and earnings tax, $120 fixed fees and a 0.5% balance fee. Salary and extra contributions grow by 2.5% annually, matching the inflation assumption.

For a settlement scenario, start with each party’s actual post-settlement balance and its statement date. Keep ownership separate when comparing retirement resources. The divorce superannuation calculator models an illustrative transfer before this projection.

For each contribution period, balance becomes opening balance plus net contributions and assumed growth, less earnings tax and fees. Beginning-period contributions earn that period’s return. End-period contributions earn returns from the next period.

For a one-year hand calculation, enter $100,000, a $100,000 salary, 12% employer contributions and $1,000 after-tax extra. Select annual end-period contributions, 5% return, 15% earnings and contributions tax, $100 fixed fees and no percentage fee.

The closing balance is $115,350. Gross contributions are $13,000, contributions tax is $1,800, growth is $5,000 and earnings tax is $750. The $100 fee completes the reconciliation.

Super investment growth is an assumption, not guaranteed bank interest. Reconcile past earnings to the supplied statement. The same entered-balance method supports an SMSF accumulation scenario without selecting investments.

APRA reports a 7.9% five-year annualised return to June 2025. That industry comparison is historical and does not replace your entered future return or establish your fund’s performance.

How Much Super Would You Need

Your target balance depends on spending, other resources, retirement duration and the return assumption. The income panel compares that target with the balances you enter for retirement.

The target solves for enough opening super to fund the net spending shortfall over your horizon. It includes entered fees, inflation and withdrawal-tax components. The drawdown schedule separately applies selected minimum withdrawals.

A target gap can differ from actual exhaustion because minimum withdrawals can exceed spending. The target funds spending only. Any excess minimum payment in the drawdown schedule leaves super.

ASFA’s February 2026 homeowner comparison gives $630,000 for a single person and $730,000 for a couple at 67. The milestones shown assume a $65,000 inflation-linked salary.

The ASFA-style Super Detective comparison is a lifestyle benchmark, separate from your spending target. At age 48, this tool projects forward to published milestones without inventing an ASFA age-48 figure.

There is no universal adequate balance at 45 or 50. The optional ASFA analysis of ATO June 2023 balances shows age-band means and medians for people with positive super balances. A spending target answers a different question about your resources.

An account balance has no single contribution-cap maximum. The fixed 2026–27 general transfer balance cap is $2.1 million, while contribution limits apply separately. Your personal transfer cap can differ.

Calculate Retirement Income and Drawdown

The retirement schedule pays the entered spending shortfall from super after other resources and any Age Pension input. The balance earns the entered return before each period’s fees and withdrawal.

The opening income example starts with $700,000 at 60 and $52,000 household spending, less $10,000 other annual income. With 4% returns, 2.5% inflation and the entered fees, the first net monthly payment is $3,500.

That 30-year scenario needs $1,064,557 initially, including $120 annual fees and a 0.3% balance fee. The entered balance is $364,557 below that target. It assumes a satisfied release condition, taxed-fund payments and full-year minimum withdrawals.

For a separate $700,000 example at 60, select 25 years, $28,000 annual spending, zero return and set fees, inflation and other resources to zero. Turn the pension minimum off and confirm a release condition.

That scenario pays $2,333.33 monthly and exhausts after 25 years. An actual pension’s minimum drawdown can require a higher payment, so that comparison is a spending illustration.

Standard full-year pension minimums are 4% below 65, then 5%, 6%, 7%, 9%, 11% and 14% across the successive statutory age bands. The tool uses the age at each model anniversary and rounds the annual minimum to the nearest $10.

For a pension starting partway through a financial year, actual statutory minimums can require day-based proration. The anniversary model is a full-year scenario. Statutory minimum pension rules explain the financial-year calculation.

Turning 60 alone does not unlock every super interest. Select retirement after preservation age, a qualifying employment cessation after 60 or age 65. Transition-to-retirement and early-release payments use different rules.

The supported tax model covers resident member payments at 60 or older with a tax file number supplied. Tax-free and taxed-fund components are tax free. Untaxed pension components use your entered effective marginal rate less the 10% offset.

Untaxed lump sums use up to 17% including Medicare levy within the remaining untaxed plan cap, and up to 47% above it. Your entered marginal rate limits those rates. This is a modelled tax amount, separate from your final assessment.

Two partners keep separate balances, payment schedules and exhaustion dates. A spending share allocates the household shortfall. Other resources and Age Pension enter the household result once.

The annuity-equivalent payment uses the selected balance, duration, frequency and return with equal end-period payments. It excludes tax and fees. It is a mathematical payment over your chosen survival horizon, separate from a provider quote or guaranteed lifetime annuity.

Add an Age Pension Scenario

The pension panel estimates a present-day component using the 20 September 2026 standard domestic schedule. Confirm age and residence facts before transferring the annual amount into the retirement panel.

The pension example assumes one eligible homeowner at 67, with $500,000 financial assets and $20,000 other assets. It estimates $676.70 fortnightly, with the assets test limiting the result.

The estimate uses the smaller payment under the assets and income tests. Deeming supplies income from financial assets. Couple assets and income are combined. The result shows the household amount for two eligible recipients.

Include assessable super in financial assets once. Exclude the principal home from other assessable assets. Enter non-deemed income separately, and apply work bonuses only to eligible earnings.

Services Australia’s payment guide supplies this dated schedule. Future eligibility, overseas rates, transitional rates and special assessments need their own scenario.

A transferred pension input stays fixed in today’s dollars and rises with the retirement panel’s inflation assumption. It is not recalculated as balances fall. Standalone benefit questions belong in the government-payment calculator.

Read and Export the Assumptions

Nominal balances show the future dollar amount. Real balances divide that amount by accumulated inflation. The graph uses the annual schedule’s balances, net contributed capital and net growth.

Projection exports include the statement date, fund label, rates, contribution timing, fees, tax assumptions and yearly schedule. Retirement exports retain every payment for each partner, including amounts after exhaustion.

The displayed table shows the first 120 payments. The CSV retains the complete schedule, ISO dates and plain numbers. The tool does not retrieve or check a live super account.

The accumulation schedule fixes the 2026–27 contribution rules across the selected horizon. This exposes the model’s assumptions without predicting future legislation. Change the retirement date, contributions or return to test a different scenario.

Compare Extra Contributions and Fees

The comparison holds contribution timing, return and retirement age constant. It shows no extra contribution, salary sacrifice, after-tax extra and the entered comparison fee.

Salary sacrifice is included with employer contributions for the concessional cap. After-tax extra uses the non-concessional cap. Contributions tax and earnings tax appear separately in the schedule.

The fixed 2026–27 general caps are $32,500 concessional and $130,000 non-concessional. Enter unused eligible carry-forward capacity for the first projection year only. Carry-forward eligibility requires a previous total balance below $500,000.

A three-year bring-forward maximum is $390,000 below a $1.84 million previous total balance. The available maximum reduces to two years below $1.97 million and one below $2.1 million. Existing bring-forward periods need their actual remaining capacity.

The lump-sum option supports eligible after-tax contributions from age 60 to 74. Confirm fund acceptance, your remaining cap and total balance. A personal deduction at 67 to 74 has separate work-test requirements.

For government co-contributions, confirm all eligibility tests before selecting Yes. You must lodge a tax return, meet residence requirements and receive at least 10% eligible employment or business income. Enter your age at 30 June of the first contribution year separately from your current age.

The contribution must be personal and after tax, without a deduction. Your previous total balance must remain below the applicable threshold and contributions must stay within your non-concessional cap.

The 2026–27 co-contribution reaches $500 at income up to $49,293 and falls to zero at $64,293. The model pays it at year end and keeps those thresholds fixed. Co-contributions require age under 71 at each financial-year end. The tool increases your explicitly entered year-end age by one for each later year. Other eligibility confirmations apply to every modelled contribution year.

The personal marginal-rate input estimates salary-sacrifice take-home cost only. It does not calculate your income-tax assessment, offsets, Medicare adjustments or Division 293 liability. Enter the relevant contribution-tax rate and use the super guarantee charge calculator for employer payment compliance.

Compare Public and Fund Calculators

ASIC Moneysmart’s super calculator and ATO contribution calculators answer different parts of a scenario. Match opening balances, timing, tax, fees and inflation before comparing results.

For AustralianSuper, Aware Super and Hostplus, copy the chosen calculator’s fee, insurance and contribution assumptions into a separately labelled scenario. An AustralianSuper fee comparison uses entered costs, not a live provider quote.

For AMP and QSuper, hold retirement age, wage growth and contribution timing constant. Compare Industry Super and Cbus income models using the same horizon and separately identified pension amount.

ART means Australian Retirement Trust. When comparing a legacy Sunsuper result, retain the original fund, scheme and rule date. These independent projections have no affiliation with the named providers or access to member accounts.

Super SA and GESB defined-benefit schemes need their own rules. The optional scheme panel supports contributing Commonwealth PSS members only. It does not apply the PSS formula to Super SA or GESB.

The PSS calculation starts with the statement’s benefit multiple and adds service at the selected contribution rate and full-time share. The first ten years use the restricted employer accrual. Later service uses the published standard accrual.

CSC’s PSS contribution rules explain the accrual table. The standard pension divides the converted benefit by the whole-year factor, from 12 at 55 to 9 at 70.

For $100,000 final average salary, an existing multiple of 4 and ten additional full-time years at 5%, the multiple becomes 6.1. At 60, converting the full $610,000 benefit gives $55,455 annual gross pension using factor 11.

The panel uses the PSS trust-deed rules effective 13 March 2024 and fixed 2026–27 maximum benefit limits. Surcharge debts, transfer amounts, prior maximum-benefit membership and reduced survivor pensions require separate adjustments.

The PSS figure is a gross scheme pension projection, separate from the accumulation income panel and any statutory family-law valuation. Operative dates and family-law valuation factors can differ. The grey divorce guide explains the broader treatment of retirement resources.

Choose a calculator by the scenario it supports and the assumptions it exposes. A Super Guru age comparison, a peer balance average and your own spending target answer different questions about retirement.