Superannuation Retirement Calculator

How Superannuation Works in Australia

Rules and figures last checked October 2026.

Superannuation (super) is money set aside during your working life to support you in retirement. Most employees get super paid by their employer into a fund, and the fund invests it for you. You generally cannot take the money out until you reach your preservation age and meet a condition of release, such as retiring.

Three things drive how big your balance gets: how much goes in (your employer's contributions plus anything extra you add), how long it grows, and what the investments earn after fees and tax. The calculator above lets you change each one and see the effect.

How Much Super Does My Employer Pay?

Employers must pay the Superannuation Guarantee (SG), which is 12% of your ordinary time earnings for 2026-27. It is paid on top of your salary, not taken out of it. On a $90,000 salary, that is $10,800 a year.

• Employer super stops once your earnings reach the maximum contribution base, which is $270,830 for 2026-27.
• From 1 July 2026, employers are expected to pay super at the same time as wages under Payday Super. Check the ATO website for the current timing rules.
• Contributions made by or for you before tax (including employer super) are generally taxed at 15% when they go into the fund. The calculator takes that 15% out.

How This Super Calculator Works

The calculator projects your balance month by month from today until your retirement age. It uses these steps:

• Earnings and fees: each month your balance grows at your chosen return, and the fund charges its fees as a percentage of your balance.
• Tax on earnings: earnings after fees are taxed at up to 15% while you are saving (you can lower this in the advanced settings).
• Contributions: your employer's super and any before-tax amounts have 15% tax removed, and after-tax contributions go in untaxed. Contributions rise each year in line with your salary growth.
• Today's dollars: the balance is also shown after adjusting for inflation, so you can see what it is worth in the money you use now.
• Retirement income: the calculator spreads your balance (in today's dollars) evenly until the age you choose, and also checks how long your yearly spending would last.

Worked Example: A 35-Year-Old on $90,000

These are the calculator's starting settings: age 35, retiring at 67, $50,000 in super, a $90,000 salary rising 3% a year, 12% employer super, a 7% return before fees, fees of 0.80% and 15% tax on earnings, with inflation at 2.5%.

The headline number looks big because it is in future dollars. In today's dollars it is about $598,000, which is a more useful figure to compare with what you spend now. Spread evenly to age 90, that balance could support roughly $34,000 a year in today's dollars from super alone, before any Age Pension.

How Much Super Do You Need to Retire?

There is no single right number. A common benchmark is the ASFA Retirement Standard, which estimates the yearly spending for a modest or comfortable retirement. These are the June quarter 2026 figures for homeowners aged 65 to 84:

ASFA also estimates the super balance needed at age 67 to support a comfortable lifestyle as a homeowner: about $630,000 for a single person and $730,000 for a couple. Those lump sums assume you also receive a part Age Pension, so they are lower than the amount you would need to fund the whole budget from super alone.

ASFA updates its figures every quarter, so check the ASFA Retirement Standard for the latest numbers. In the calculator, the buttons under "Yearly spending in retirement" fill in these budgets for you.

Ways to Grow Your Super

Using the same 35-year-old example, here is what three changes could be worth by age 67. You can try your own numbers by changing the boxes in the calculator above:

The extra $5,000 in this example rises each year with salary growth. Starting early is what makes the difference, because every dollar added in your thirties has decades to compound. These are projections, not promises, and they depend on the return you assume.

How Super Fees Add Up

Fees are charged on your whole balance every year, so a small difference compounds. Using the same example with only the fee changed:

Going from 0.50% to 1.00% in fees costs about $115,651 over 32 years in this example. Your fund's product disclosure statement lists its fees and costs, and it is worth comparing them, along with long-term performance, when you choose or review a fund.

Super Contribution Caps for 2026-27

There are limits on how much you can add to super each year with tax advantages:

If your total super balance was under $500,000 on the previous 30 June, you may be able to carry forward unused concessional cap from the past five years. Going over a cap can mean extra tax. Check the ATO website before you contribute, especially if you are near the cap.

When Can You Access Your Super?

For most people the preservation age is 60. You can generally access your super once you reach it and retire, or from age 65 even if you keep working. Super withdrawals after age 60 from a taxed fund are generally tax-free, and earnings on money in the retirement (pension) phase are generally not taxed, up to a limit called the transfer balance cap ($2.1 million from 1 July 2026).

The Age Pension is a separate government payment, available from age 67 and subject to income and assets tests. Many retirees receive a part Age Pension on top of their super. This calculator does not include it. Services Australia has its own estimators if you want to check what you might receive.

What This Calculator Does Not Include

• The Age Pension, or any other government payment.
• Your partner's super, or splitting contributions between you.
• Insurance premiums that your fund may deduct.
• Division 293 (extra tax on before-tax contributions for higher incomes) and extra tax on very large balances.
• Salary changes beyond a steady yearly growth rate, career breaks, bonuses or one-off lump sums.
• Changes in law. Caps, tax rates and age limits can change, so check the ATO.

It also assumes a steady return every year. Real markets rise and fall, so your actual balance will not follow a smooth line.

Frequently Asked Questions

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