Money, super, tax and benefits

Unclaimed money

If the government or a company—like a bank or real estate—owes you money but they can’t find you, it becomes unclaimed money.

Search the Public Trustee unclaimed money register for unclaimed money from hospitals, prisons, real estate agencies, accountants and nursing homes.

Search MoneySmart’s unclaimed money register for unclaimed money from banks, credit unions, building societies, shares and life insurance policies.

Superannuation

Superannuation (often known as ‘super’) is money that is set aside to live off for retirement.

Getting superannuation

The Australian Tax Office's Guide to superannuation tells you how much superannuation you should be getting and how to check that you are being paid.

Extra superannuation from the government

If you are eligible for the Australian Government’s super co-contribution program, when you add extra money into your super account, they will also. See the super co-contribution calculator for details.

Superannuation for business owners

If you run a business, it is up to you to put money into a super account for yourself and your staff. Find out about paying your staff superannuation.

Accessing your superannuation

If you are retired and over 65, you can access your super anytime. Contact your super fund to arrange this.

See the Australian Taxation Office to find out how you can:

• access your super when you retire but are not yet 65 or
• access your super before you retire or turn 65.

Lost superannuation

Use the SuperSeeker program to track and manage your lost super.

Complaints about superannuation

Make your complaint to your super fund before you do anything else. If your complaint isn’t resolved, you can complain to the:

• Superannuation Complaints Tribunal for complaints about your trustee
• Australian Taxation Office for complaints about your employer
• Australian Prudential Regulation Authority for complaints about not following superannuation law
• Queensland Ombudsman for complaints about government
• Financial Ombudsman Service for complaints about financial errors your trustee has made.

Tax

How much income tax you need to pay

The Australian Taxation Office’s tax calculator helps you work out how much income tax you should be paying.

Tax returns

Lodging your tax return

You must lodge a tax return before 31 October each year if you earn money working in Australia. See the Australian Taxation Office for details on how to lodge your tax return.

Tax return mistakes

Learn about how to request changes to errors on your notice of assessment in the Australian Taxation Office’s guide to correcting mistakes and disputing decisions.

Tax return disagreements

Learn about how to lodge an objection, if you think you should be getting back a different amount of tax, in the Australian Taxation Office’s guide to correcting mistakes and disputing decisions.

Benefits

Age pension

The age pension helps retired Australians pay for their living costs. The amount you get paid depends on your income, assets, and other circumstances.

ABSTUDY

ABSTUDY helps Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australian students and apprentices pay for their living and tuition costs.

Austudy

Austudy payments help people 25 years or older, who are studying an approved course full-time or doing a full-time apprenticeship.

Carer payment

The carer payment helps people who are not able to have a regular job because they provide full-time care to someone else.

Family tax benefit

The family tax benefit helps parents with the cost of raising children. It is made up of 2 parts: Family Tax Benefit Part A and Part B.

Newstart allowance

Newstart allowance helps unemployed people between 22 years and pension age pay for activities that will help them find work (e.g. study or training).

Youth allowance

Youth allowance helps young people in a variety of situations; this includes people living away from home, supporting themselves financially, studying full-time or doing a full-time apprenticeship or training.

Rent assistance

Rent assistance helps tenants, who already receive a pension, allowance, or benefit from Centrelink, to pay the rent. It can include private rent, lodging, board and lodging, site fees, fees to moor a vessel and retirement village fees.

Sickness allowance

The sickness allowance helps workers and full-time students, who are older than 22, to pay for living costs when they get seriously sick or injured.

Special benefit

The special benefit helps people in severe financial hardship, when they cannot receive any other social security pension or benefit.

Widow allowance

The widow allowance helps women born before 1 July 1955, who do not work and have become windowed, divorced, or separated since they turned 40.