The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) is urging the community to check for any super they may have lost track of, with new data showing over $21 billion is waiting to be claimed.
ATO Deputy Commissioner Ben Kelly said checking for lost super could be the most rewarding five-minutes of your life.
'You always want to know where your wallet is. Lost super is much the same. It's your hard-earned money, and a quick search can reconnect you with that money to make sure you are maximising your retirement savings.’
Super can become lost for a variety of reasons, mostly when an account is inactive from no contributions, and your contact details are not up to date. When a super fund is unable to contact an individual to reunite them with their super, it may be transferred to the ATO to hold and attempt to reunite.
'We know life gets busy. If you change jobs, move house or switch phone numbers, this can leave super sitting in old or inactive accounts, or result in your super being transferred to the ATO,’ Mr Kelly said.
‘By updating your contact details with your super fund and the ATO, or letting us know your nominated super account, you may be reunited with money you had long forgotten about.’
‘Many individuals did not realise their super was lost. For all individuals, but especially at or approaching retirement age, every dollar counts. We are focused on reuniting people with what’s rightfully theirs to help bolster their nest egg and make the most out of retirement.’
Last year, the ATO returned more than $1.1 billion in unclaimed super through consolidations to super accounts and direct payments to eligible individuals.
This included the ATO visiting remote communities, where we contacted a number of individuals aged 56 years and over with significant amounts of lost super, as part of a targeted campaign.
These visits helped people reclaim life-changing amounts:
- In one case, the ATO reconnected a married couple approaching retirement with their super accounts valued at over $1 million – this significantly changed their retirement planning.
‘The average amount in lost super is around $41,000. Depending on your age, this could grow to hundreds of thousands of dollars if you put it to work for your retirement where you want it.’
‘Think of lost super as lost opportunities – finding it now could help maximise your savings in retirement.’
As at 30 June 2026, around 4 million people held 2 or more super accounts.
‘Holding multiple accounts might not sound like a problem, but it could mean you’re paying multiple sets of fees and insurance premiums, which can draw down your retirement savings over time,’ Mr Kelly said.
‘If you’re logging on to ATO Online via myGov to lodge your tax return, it is the perfect time for a quick super health check to help you find lost super, identify whether you have multiple accounts and decide whether consolidating your accounts is right for you.’
Visit the ATO website for information on how to find lost and unclaimed super.
Notes to journalists
- Deputy Commissioner Ben Kelly is available for interviews on request.
- A headshot of ATO Deputy Commissioner Ben Kelly is available for download from our media centre.
- Pre-recorded audio grabs of Deputy Commissioner Ben Kelly are available for download from our media centre.
- Lost and unclaimed super data
- Searching for lost super
- The super health check is available in multiple languages (Arabic, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese) to support CALD communities.
Contact details:
[email protected] | 02 6216 1901