How often should I check my super?

9 April 2025

You may not be looking to access your super now, but it’s worth checking to ensure everything’s in good order.

Whether retirement is a long way down the track or just around the corner, it’s worth checking your super periodically. However, it’s also important to remember that there can be short-term ups and downs with your super balance due to current economic conditions. Super is a long-term investment, so keeping a focus on long-term performance can allay any short-term fluctuations your super may experience.

Why check your super

For starters, you want to ensure your super is being paid into your account and that you’re receiving the correct amount. So, it’s worth checking your super for that reason alone. Checking your super is even easier with the AustralianSuper app.

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Rising super guarantee

From 1 July 2024, the super guarantee increased to 11.5%. The super guarantee will rise by a further 0.5% on 1 July 2025. Be sure to check your super to make sure you’re receiving these increases.

Looking at long-term performance

While it’s good to engage and check on your super periodically, there are a few things to keep in mind regarding your balance.

The returns of an investment strategy can vary depending on economic and market conditions. Our investment team actively invests in strategies that include long-term assets like listed shares, private equity, unlisted property and unlisted infrastructure. While these investments can experience periods of lower returns, the portfolio is invested with the aim to enhance performance for members over the long term.

When you’re checking your super balance, it’s important to remember to focus on long-term performance and avoid making decisions based on short-term market movements. Over the long term, AustralianSuper’s Balanced investment option has delivered strong returns¹.

Hit your retirement goals

Another reason to check your super is to determine how your retirement savings goals are tracking. For instance, if you want to pay for things like holidays, entertainment or a new car once you’ve stopped working, it's important to know how much money you have. To reach your goals, you may want to consider boosting your super with steps like salary sacrificing² or other voluntary super contributions³.

Managing market volatility

Markets have had downturns in the past, such as during the Global Financial Crisis or COVID-19 downturn. However, historically investment returns have recovered leading to increasing super balances over the long term.

AustralianSuper’s focus remains on positioning our investment portfolios to help deliver the best outcomes for members over the long term. Our long-term investment strategy is designed to be resilient in the face of volatile markets. The Balanced option is constructed to help cushion the impact of downturns, whilst ensuring members benefit from growth as markets recover.

It’s also worth noting that members who are in or close to retirement are likely to still be invested for some time, depending on their individual goals and circumstances. Staying focused on the long term provides a more realistic perspective of superannuation investment returns.

By staying invested in a diversified portfolio, your super may have more opportunity to grow over time. If a member had invested in AustralianSuper’s Balanced option 20 years ago without making any additional contributions since, they would have more than quadrupled their retirement savings:

Balanced option - Super

Growth of $100,000 invested for 20 years to 31 March 2025