A pension from a super fund is a popular way for Australians to manage their retirement savings.
Investing your super in a pension rather than taking it as a lump sum can make your retirement savings go further.
A pension is a special investment structure with tax benefits created by the government to help people manage their super savings in retirement. By investing your super and any other retirement savings in a pension, you can access your money as a regular income in a tax-effective environment.
To help support our members, we have developed a retirement income strategy that outlines our plan to assist members achieve a comfortable retirement by maximising their retirement income, managing risk and offering flexible access to their retirement savings.
For more information on how we support members and their journey to retirement, please read our Retirement Income Strategy (PDF).
You can invest in the same assets, such as cash, shares or property, inside or outside a pension. The difference is that the government provides tax savings on investments inside a pension as an incentive to convert your super into a regular income stream to support you in retirement, rather than take it as a lump sum.
The lower tax rates mean the same investment in a pension will go further than if invested outside a pension.
Tax savings on investments inside a pension | |
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Investment earnings on account-based pensions and death benefit income streams are tax free, while pre-retirement pensions are taxed 15%. | This means you could be better off than:
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Tax free income and withdrawals if you’re over age 60 |
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Unlike super, where you must keep your money invested until you retire, when you invest in a pension you get the tax benefits and you’re free to withdraw at least $2,000 whenever you want, including cashing in your entire pension at any time.
Despite our increased reliance on super to fund our retirement, many Australian retirees continue to supplement their retirement income with at least a part government age pension.
Even if you only qualify for a part pension, this can make a difference to your retirement lifestyle, as you’ll automatically qualify for a pension concession card and associated discounts.
See our Super Savings and Government Age Pension fact sheet for more information about the aged pension.