Claim Your Super (DASP) After Leaving Australia

DASP: what is the Departing Australia Superannuation Payment?

While working in Australia, workers — including non-citizens on a temporary visa — accumulate retirement savings (superannuation, or “super”) from their employer. Employers are required to pay at least 11.5% (for the 2024–25 financial year) of an employee’s salary into a super fund.

When leaving Australia, temporary visa holders can claim back the full amount of super they have accumulated through the DASP (Departing Australia Superannuation Payment) scheme.

DASP applies to:

Temporary visa holders (not Australian citizens, not permanent residents, not New Zealand permanent residents)
People who have left Australia
People whose visa has expired or been cancelled after they left Australia

Working Holiday visa holders (subclass 417 or 462) are also eligible for DASP.

Eligibility for a DASP claim

To be eligible to lodge a DASP claim, you need to meet all of the following conditions:

1. You have left Australia: You must have actually left Australian territory. DASP cannot be claimed while you are still in Australia (except in special cases).

2. Your visa has expired or been cancelled: Your last visa (including a bridging visa, if you held one) must have expired or been cancelled after you left Australia. You cannot claim DASP while you still hold a valid temporary visa (even while overseas).

3. You are not an Australian citizen or permanent resident: This includes New Zealand permanent residents.

4. You have accumulated super: You need to have at least some super held with a fund in Australia.

The 65% withholding tax — a figure that surprises many

This is something many people do not know before they come to work in Australia: the DASP withholding tax is 65% on the super contributions component (employer contributions and salary sacrifice).

Specifically:

Taxed component: 65% withholding tax
Tax-free component: 0% tax

This means that if you accumulate 20,000 AUD of super, you would receive only around 7,000 AUD after tax. This 65% rate is much higher than ordinary income tax and is applied specifically to DASP.

Before 2017, the DASP rate was lower. The Australian Government increased the DASP rate to 65% to curb misuse of the Working Holiday visa scheme.

For Working Holiday visa holders, the rate is even higher: 65% on all amounts (compared with 38% previously).

The best time to lodge a DASP claim

The ideal time to lodge a DASP claim is:

Soon after your visa expires and you have left Australia: There is no reason to wait, since the money in the super fund does not earn better returns over time, and the DASP tax does not change.

Before the ATO automatically transfers the money to Unclaimed Money: If you do not claim DASP for a long time, the ATO may transfer your money to an “unclaimed money” account — the money can still be recovered, but the process is more complex.

Note: If you plan to return to Australia on a permanent residence visa in the future, consider this carefully. Once you have withdrawn DASP, you lose that entire super balance (apart from what remains after the 65% tax). If you later become a permanent resident, you would have to start accumulating super again from scratch.

The online DASP application process

The ATO (Australian Taxation Office) administers the DASP scheme and provides an online portal to lodge a claim:

Step 1 — Gather the information you need:

Your Australian Tax File Number (TFN), if you have one
The name and address of your super fund
Your super fund account number (member number)
Passport details
Visa details (visa type, expiry date)
An overseas bank account to receive the payment

Step 2 — Access the ATO DASP portal: Go to ato.gov.au and look for “Departing Australia superannuation payment”. You can lodge online for most super funds.

Step 3 — Verify your identity: The ATO needs to verify that you are a person who has left Australia and whose visa has expired. The system will automatically check with DHA.

Step 4 — Lodge and wait for processing: Processing usually takes 15–28 business days. The money is paid directly into the bank account you provide, after tax has been withheld.

Finding “lost” super

Many people do not realise they have super from several different sources. To find all of your super:

ATO online tools: Use the ATO’s online tools to find all super accounts in your name
myGov account: If you have a myGov account, you can see all super accounts linked to your TFN
Contact former employers directly: Ask them which fund they paid your super into and what the account number was

Do not leave super behind — even after the 65% tax you receive only a portion, but it is your money and you are entitled to it.