Crediting rate policy

Crediting rates allow you to track the performance of your super investments every day.

How returns are credited to your account

Crediting rates can be positive or negative depending on investment performance. A negative crediting rate can result in a reduction in your account balance. The following crediting rates are published on the website every day:

1. Daily rate

The daily rate is the investment return that will be allocated to a member’s account for that day. Rates are published as soon as they are available. Published rates may be up to two business days old.

2. Monthly rate

The monthly rate is the investment return for the month, calculated from the daily rates on a compounding basis. This calculation is (1 + day 1) x (1 + day 2) x … (1 + day n) – 1 where "day n" is the daily percentage divided by 100 for the nth day of the month.

3. Financial year-to-date rate

Financial year-to-date rates are calculated from 1 July each year through to the most recently available daily rates. This rate is calculated by compounding the daily rates up to the latest available rates. The financial year to date rates will change every day depending on market fluctuations.

When are crediting rates published

Daily rates and financial year-to-date rates are published each Melbourne business day for each investment option (excluding ASX 200 Shares option).

The timing for reporting on investment performance is:

• Portfolios are valued each business day for each investment option.
• Completed trades and prices for securities held in global markets (eg. Europe and the USA) are received the next business morning.
• Portfolios are valued and checked for accuracy. 
• The custodian (JP Morgan) then calculates the crediting rates effective the day before.
• AustralianSuper receives the rates from JP Morgan that afternoon. Further checks and balances are performed.
• The rates are then distributed by the next business morning.
• Daily rates for Saturday, Sunday and National public holidays are set at zero.

Half-yearly, annual and since inception rates are generally available as follows:

AustralianSuper's reserving policy

A reserve is the part of the Fund's assets that is not allocated to members' accounts when interest is credited. AustralianSuper maintains reserves which maybe funded partly by retaining a small part of investment earnings that would otherwise be allocated to members’ accounts via crediting rates.

AustralianSuper's franking credits policy

For PreMixed and DIY Mixed options which include Australian shares, the daily crediting rate takes into account franking credits on dividend payments. In Australia, companies that pay dividends from after-tax profits can pass on a credit for that tax to the investors receiving the dividend. We set a rate each 12 months to account for any franking credits. This rate is based on the experience in the prior period and is reviewed on a quarterly basis to ensure it is still appropriate based on market conditions.