For most people in Australia, you can start accessing your super from age 60 if you’ve retired or left a job, and from 65 you can access it regardless of whether you’re still working. There are limited circumstances where you may be able to get some of your super earlier on specific “early release” grounds, such as severe financial hardship or certain medical conditions.

Key ages for accessing super

  • Preservation age: For almost everyone now, your preservation age (the age your super must be kept “preserved” until) is effectively 60, after which you can usually access super once you retire.
  • Age 60–64: You can access your super if you retire, or if you leave a job after turning 60, and you may also use a Transition to Retirement (TTR) income stream while still working, subject to limits.
  • Age 65+: You can access all your super whether or not you’ve officially retired, as the “retirement” condition of release is automatically treated as met at 65.

Early access to super

  • Early access is tightly restricted and normally only allowed on specific grounds such as compassionate reasons, severe financial hardship, terminal illness, or permanent incapacity, and you must meet detailed eligibility tests.
  • If you’re over preservation age but not retired, in some cases you may access a limited amount where you’ve been on eligible income support payments for at least 39 weeks after reaching preservation age and are still not retired and looking for work or studying.

Super vs Age Pension age

  • Your super access age is different from the Government Age Pension age, which is currently 67 for new applicants, subject to residency and income/asset tests.
  • This means you might access your super in your early 60s but still have several years before you qualify for the Age Pension, so planning how long your super needs to last is important.

Quick tips before you access super

  • Check your fund’s rules and the Australian government guidance (ATO and Moneysmart) for the latest thresholds, tax treatment, and conditions of release.
  • Consider speaking with a licensed financial adviser or your super fund’s advice service, especially if you’re thinking about early access or drawing down a large lump sum, because decisions now can significantly affect your retirement income later.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.