Super articles

Guide to claiming your departing Australia superannuation payment (DASP) online - frequently asked questions

AmandaE — Thu, 05 Sep 2019 04:56:56 GMT

How can I claim my DASP?

If you visited Australia on a temporary visa, and you earned superannuation while working here, you may be eligible to claim your super back when you leave the country. The eligibility requirements for claiming a DASP will depend on whether your super is held by a super fund and/or by the ATO.

You’ll need to make sure your visa has ceased (for example, your visa is cancelled or has otherwise expired). You’ll also need to have left Australia before you can lodge your claim.

You can claim your DASP online if you have departed Australia using the online application whcih is free of charge.

You can also make a claim by sending your super fund a paper form. You’ll need to pay a fee to the Department of Home Affairs to obtain an Immigration certificate if you send a paper application where your super balance is $5000 or more.

When will I receive my DASP?

Your DASP should generally be paid within 28 days of sending us your application, as long as your super fund has all the required information. If you are claiming back more than $5000, your fund will ask for more information, so it’s a good idea to check with them before you leave Australia to prepare the documents they require.

If we’re looking after your super in a special holding account, we’ll send your payment to an Australian bank account. If you don't have an Australian bank account, we’ll send you a cheque. We can’t send your DASP to an overseas bank account by EFT. Contact us if you haven’t received your ATO-held super within 28 days of lodging your application (please allow more time if your payment is being made by cheque, as it may take longer for mail to be received overseas).

If your super is being held by your fund, you’ll need to contact them directly to follow up on the progress of your application.

How will my DASP be taxed?

The DASP tax rate will be determined by each super fund individually, as each super fund is making a separate payment.

Each super fund will assess your application and determine the tax rate to apply based on the information it holds in relation to your contributions. If you have held a WHM visa, your super fund will check whether the DASP includes amounts attributable to super contributions made while you held a WHM visa. If it does, the super fund will apply the DASP WHM tax rate. If it doesn’t, the super fund will apply the DASP ordinary tax rates.

Your DASP will be taxed as per the table below from 1 July 2017:

Payment component	DASP ordinary tax rate (for non-WHM)	DASP WHM tax rate (for WHM with super contributions made under the WHM visa(s)
Tax-free component	Nil	Nil
Taxable component – taxed element	35%	65%
Taxable component – untaxed element	45%	65%

Because DASP is a ‘final’ tax, you don’t include the payment or the tax withheld on your tax return.

I received an email saying my application has been saved but not sent. Why?

There are two situations where you’ll receive an email about your application “not sent”:

where DIBP’s records indicate you still have an active visa (even if it isn’t a work visa).
Where you’ve selected to ‘save’ your application without sending it to us.

You can ask DIBP to cancel your visa by emailing Super.Hobart@border.gov.au, including:

a statement that you wish to cancel your visa
your full name and date of birth
your passport number when you visited Australia
the subclass of the visa you wish to have cancelled
your current residential address
the date that you departed Australia.

Find out more at http://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/.

Once your visa has been cancelled, or when you are ready to submit your application, you’ll need to return to DASP online to submit your application. Go to the online application system and enter your details with your shared secret question to resume your saved application.

I keep getting an error message saying ‘DIMIA link unavailable’. How can I complete my claim?

This error message generally occurs where we’re experiencing issues with the online application system. Please try again in a day or two.

If this is an ongoing issue, you can choose to complete a paper application.

My former employer didn’t pay all the super I was entitled to. How can I claim this back on my DASP?

If you’re eligible for super guarantee contributions from your employer, your employer must pay 9.5% of your ordinary time earnings to your super fund every quarter (up to a maximum limit). If you believe your employer hasn’t paid the right amount of super to your fund, you should:

Check that you’re entitled to super
Work out how much super you should have been paid
Talk to your employer – ask how much they’ve paid, how often they were making payments and that they have the correct fund details.
Talk to your super fund and ask for your most recent member contribution statement
If all else fails, lodge an ‘unpaid super enquiry’ with us. We’ll investigate your situation and work out how much super your employer should have paid.

There are a number of steps we need to take during your enquiry, and so it can take some time to finalise this process. We’ll keep you updated on the progress of your case and let you know once it’s finalised.

You can submit a claim for your DASP once your unpaid super enquiry has finalised.

I’ve completed my DASP, but now my superfund is asking for more information.

If your super balance is more $5000 or more, your fund will need certified copies of your proof of identification documentation as per the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter Financing Act 2006. Most people find it much easier to get documents certified before they leave Australia.

Some funds may ask for additional information before processing your DASP. It’s a good idea to check with your super fund before you lodge your application so you can provide them with all the information they need to help prevent delays.

If you have any issues with the fund’s requirements, ask them to provide additional information or lodge a complaint with your fund. Where you can’t resolve your complaint with your super fund, you can choose to contact the Superannuation Complaints Tribunal for more information and support.

I’ve heard that if I claim a DASP I can’t return to Australia in the future. Is this true?

No, claiming your DASP when you leave Australia won’t prevent you from applying for a visa in the future.

If you have any questions about your current or future immigration status or visa, contact the Department of Home Affairs.

Guide to claiming your departing Australia superannuation payment (DASP) online - Superannuation details

AmandaE — Wed, 25 Sep 2019 05:18:14 GMT

The ‘Superannuation details’ section of our guide will help you:

enter information about your superannuation fund
complete your application and
successfully lodge your application.

Click here to return to the ‘Claim information’ section of this guide.

Superannuation details

Once you’ve created a new application, you will need to provide as much information as you can so we can match you to the account details we have on file for you. You may receive one of two screens when you add an application, depending on your situation.

Screen 1 is the default screen. You’ll need to provide the ABN for your superannuation fund so the system knows where to forward your application. If you don’t know the ABN for your superannuation fund, you can use the Super Fund Lookup’ link.
1. If you haven’t claimed your super from your fund within 6 months of leaving Australia, and your visa isn’t in effect, your super fund may send your money to us. To apply to the ATO, you’ll need to provide our ABN 51-824-753-556.
2. If your super fund is still managing your super for you, you’ll need to complete as many fields as possible to allow us to send your claim to your fund. You should be able to find all this information on any member contribution statements your fund has sent to you.
3. If you don’t have any information about your super fund, the best place to start is to contact your former employer. They should be able to tell you which fund they paid your contributions into. If your former employer doesn’t have this information, you can phone or Skype us on +61 2 6216 1111 between 8:00am and 5:00pm (AEST) Monday to Friday – let the operator know you’re calling from overseas when you call and they can arrange a call back.

This screen will also ask for employment information – the name, address and ABN of an employer who contributed to your super fund. If you worked for multiple employers, you still only need to include details for one of them.

Screen 2 will display when we identify any unclaimed super accounts held by a super fund based on your TFN. Select ‘Pay to self’ if you’ve left Australia and are not a permanent resident of Australia, or a citizen of Australia or New Zealand.

- If you don’t have any information about your super fund, the best place to start is to contact your former employer. They should be able to tell you which fund they paid your contributions into.

Once you’ve filled in as much information as possible, you’ll need to click ‘Next’ to proceed. Only tick the box ‘I would like to save my details and return to this application at a later date’ if you’re not able to complete your application right now.

You should land on the ‘Add an application’ page from earlier. Check the section called ‘New applications’ to make sure that your details have saved and click ‘Next’ to move forward.

You’ll be directed to a page asking if you have left Australia. Click ‘Yes’ to proceed. This should take you to the confirmation screen, which will ask you to check the following details:

Fund name
Email address
Postal address.

If everything is correct, click ‘Submit’.

If you need to change any of your details click the ‘Back’ button. It may take a few minutes for your submission to go through – please don’t refresh your screen or close this window.

Once everything has been sent successfully, you’ll see the ‘Application complete’ screen. You’ll also receive an email to confirm that your application has been successfully submitted.

Congratulations on completing your DASP application! Our frequently asked questions guide is here to answer questions you might have on:

the progress of your application
how you’ll receive your payment
how your payment will be taxed.

Guide to claiming your departing Australia superannuation payment (DASP) online - Claim information

AmandaE — Wed, 25 Sep 2019 05:32:12 GMT

The ‘Claim information’ section of our guide will help you:

enter your contact details
report your visa details.

Click here to go back to the ‘Getting started’ section of this guide.

Claim information

Now that you’ve entered your personal details, you’ll need to provide us with your contact details, including:

Your email address.
Your current postal address – DASP payments may be made by cheque, so it’s important to confirm this information before you send us your application.
Your most recent Australian address and previous Australian address – we use this information to help confirm your identity and process your payment.
Tip – if you don’t remember your most recent Australian address, use the address to which you had your tax file number posted.
Other names you’ve been known by – this information can help us match your details if you were known by another name to your former employer or super fund.
Your preferred payment method – you can tell us how you’d prefer to receive your DASP, however the option you select may not be possible. If your super is held by your super fund, you’ll need to check with them how they can make your payment. We can only pay DASP into Australian bank accounts; if you’ve closed your Australian accounts, we will send your payment by cheque.

Once you’ve checked the information you’ve entered on this page, click ‘Next’ in the bottom right corner.

Departing Australia superannuation payment: contact details screen (part 2)

From 1 July 2017, DASP will be taxed at a different rate for working holiday makers in certain circumstances. In the next screen, you'll be to see what visa information the DIBP has recorded for you. You'll see one of these two sentences:

The Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP) has advised that you never held a working holiday maker (WHM) visa.
The Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP) has advised that you have held working holiday maker (WHM) visa(s).

It's very important that the information about your visa information is correct, because your super fund will use this information to work out which DASP tax rate to use for your payment.

If the information reported on this screen is incorrect (for example, you were incorrectly advised that you held a working holiday maker visa), you should not submit your application. You'll need to contact the DIBP and request they update your details by submitting Form 1194 Certification of immigration status and/or request to cancel a Temporary Resident visa (PDA, 290KB).

When completing Form 1194, include a note with as much information as possible regarding the visas you have held. The DIBP will investigate your visa information before emailing you and your super fund a correct Certificate of Immigration.

After you have sent Form 1194 to the DIBP, you can either:

Send a paper application to your super fund. Your super fund will process this once they have received the Certificate from DIBP. If the visa information on the Certificate issued by DIBP is still incorrect, you'll need to follow up with DIBP by reply email. You'll also need to contact your super fund to let them know that incorrect visa information was supplied by DIBP.

Wait until you have received the certificate from the DIBP, then return to your online application once the visa information has been updated. Your super fund will process the application when they received it.

Click ‘Next’ to proceed.

If you entered your TFN at the start of your application, you’ll see a list of your current super accounts. If you haven’t entered your TFN, the next page displays information about any previous applications you’ve submitted. To create a new application, you’ll need to click ‘Add another application’ and ‘Next’ to generate a new application.

We're finished filling out the claim information section, which means there's only a few more screens to go! Click here for tips on completing the superannuation details section of your application.

Guide to claiming your departing Australia superannuation payment (DASP) online - Getting started

AmandaE — Wed, 25 Sep 2019 05:27:06 GMT

If you’ve worked and accumulated super while visiting Australia on a temporary visa, you can apply to have your super paid to you as a departing Australia superannuation payment (DASP) after you leave.

This guide provides additional information to help you complete our online DASP application form. For common questions on claiming a DASP, including how to claim a DASP, when a DASP is paid, and how your DASP is taxed, visit our Frequently Asked Questions guide.

Getting started

Generally speaking, you can claim a DASP if all of the following apply:

you accumulated superannuation while working in Australia as a temporary resident
your visa has expired or been cancelled
you have left Australia and
you are not an Australian or New Zealand citizen, or a permanent resident of Australia.

If you meet all of these criteria, you can apply to claim your super from your fund using our online application system.

Your superannuation may also have been transferred to us if your fund hasn’t been able to contact you for longer than six months. Check the information on eligibility for claiming a DASP from the ATO here.

Your DASP is subject to a final withholding tax, which will be withheld by the super fund or the ATO when your payment is made. These amounts are not refundable and shouldn’t be included on your income tax return.

There are a few steps involved in completing the application, so we’ve developed this guide to make it easier. To lodge your DASP, you’ll need:

access to an internet connection
your passport details
your superannuation account details – including your fund’s Australian Business Number (ABN) and your membership number

If you enter your tax file number (TFN) in your application, we can search for any unclaimed super you may have in Australia. Our system uses your TFN to search for your super accounts and then pre-populates your fund account information into the application so all you have to do is check and submit. If you choose not to enter your TFN, you’ll need to manually create an application for each super account and enter all your account details for each application.

To begin, head over to https://applicant.tr.super.ato.gov.au/applicants/default.aspx?pid=1. The landing page contains instructions to help you prepare your application as well as general information about the application process.

Once you’ve had a chance to read through the information, click ‘Next’ to move on to the next page.

The second page contains important information about your right to privacy and how we use information you include in your application.

You’ll need to declare that you have read and understood this information to go onto the third page, where you’ll need to complete the declaration that you are lodging the DASP application for yourself.

From here, you’ll be directed to a page requesting information about your passport details, contact details and your tax file number. You can choose to not include your TFN, but without your TFN our system can’t search for any unclaimed super you might have. You must include:

Your name as it appears on your passport and visa
Your date of birth
The country that issued your passport and
The number of the passport you used to enter Australia.

When you select ‘Next’, you’ll be sent to the verification page. Click ‘Next’ on this page – we’ll check your information with the Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP) to make sure you are eligible to claim a DASP. It may take a couple of minutes to finish this search, so please don’t refresh or close the page until the search is complete.

Once DIBP have confirmed that you’re eligible to claim a DASP, they'll display your visa details on the screen.

You’ll then be asked to provide an answer to a ‘shared secret question’. You’ll need to answer this question each time you open your application, so make sure to write the answer down and keep it in a safe place. If you forget the answer to your question, you’ll need to email us to reset it.

That’s the end of the ‘Getting started’ section! Click here for information on how to complete the claim section of your DASP.

How do I sacrifice super into my spouse's super fund?

AmandaE — Wed, 20 Mar 2019 01:40:15 GMT

Salary sacrifice into super

Salary sacrifice is an arrangement with your employer to forego part of your salary or wages in return for your employer providing benefits of a similar value. The sacrificed component of your total salary package is not counted as assessable income for tax purposes, however it will be taxed in your super fund at 15% (which can be less depending on your current marginal tax rate).

Check out our website for more information on how to salary sacrifice into your super.

Just note that not every employer allows salary sacrificing and some might count your salary sacrifice as part of their obligations to pay Super Guarantee of 9.5% of your ordinary time earnings. It's worth checking this out before entering into an arrangement.

Contributions splitting with your spouse

You can ask your super fund to transfer up to 85% of a financial year’s ‘taxed splittable contributions’ to your spouse. These are generally:

any contributions your employer made for you (your 'before-tax contributions'), including any salary sacrifice contributions; or
any personal contributions you made for yourself that you have advised your super fund you will claim as a tax deduction

Find more details on how to do this here.

It's a good idea to talk to your current superannuation fund to see if they offer contribution splitting - they should be able to help you with the process, but both you and your spouse will need to be members of the same superannuation fund.

There are many finanical considerations to think about here, and in some circumstances it might be better to claim the spouse contributions tax offset using 'after-tax' money (i.e. what you receive in your pay) or even to claim a personal super contributions deduction (if eligible) and then split these contributions. You may benefit from contacting your fund, registered tax professional or a financial advisor depending on how complex your personal financial affairs are.