Hello - I retired at 58 and lived off my savings. Now that I have hit 60 (preservation age) my financial advisor is saying I have to get a job so that I can then resign from it to retire and access my super. That seems a bit ridiculous - is that really how it works. They are saving I have to retire from a job to access the super! Would love to know if this is indeed the case! Thanks
Hi @Traveller,
Pretty much!
Unless you're 65 yrs of age, then you can just get it all.
Accessing Superannuation at Preservation Age:
This is the age at which your superannuation benefits become accessible, provided certain conditions are met.
These are specific circumstances that allow you to access your superannuation. Retirement is a common condition of release, especially when combined with reaching your preservation age.
If you are below 60, you need to permanently retire from the workforce to access your super. After 60, you can access your super when you cease employment. You just need to prove to your superfund that you 'have ceased employment' permanently.
Generally the most common way to do this is to provide a letter from your employer.
If eligible, you can also access your super under transition to retirement rules while still working, though with some limitations.
Accessing Super After 65:
Once you reach 65, you can access your superannuation, regardless of whether you are still working.
Accessing super to retire at preservation age is actually up to your superfund and their conditions, so you'd be best served by reaching out to them directly. 🍀
Thanks for the reply - but I can hardly believe it is true. I think my next business idea is to set up a company to employ those over 60 who need to resign from something in order to access their super. For let’s say $100 we will employ you for 1 day, let you resign and send you a letter to confirm such and then throw you a retirement party!! Just a joke of course but someone should do it as I am now having to go and waste some businesses time by applying for a job, going for an interview, getting a job, working for a week and then resigning - ALL SO I CAN ACCESS MY SUPER!!!!!
Hi @Traveller,
If you’re 60 or older, you don’t have to get a new job just to quit it. There are two ways you can meet the retirement condition to access your super:
You’ve stopped working and don’t plan to go back: If you’ve ever had a job and you’re now retired (and don’t intend to work 10+ hours a week again), you can access your super. It doesn’t matter when you stopped working.
You leave a job after turning 60: Even if you’re still working elsewhere, stopping one job after your 60th birthday is enough to access the super you’ve built up to that point.
So no, you don’t need to go out and get a job just to quit it. But if you’ve never worked at all, then you won’t meet the retirement condition until you turn 65.
There’s also a transition to retirement option if you want to access some of your super while still working, but it has limits.
You can read more about the rules on our conditions of release page.
Thanks for this advice - I will forward to my financial advisor.
10 Apr 2025 · 4 min read time
8 June 2023 · 2 min read time
28 Aug 2025 · 5 min read time
2,806 views
5 replies