If you worked in Australia on a temporary visa, you can withdraw your entire super balance when you leave. It's called a Departing Australia Superannuation Payment (DASP). You become eligible once you've departed and your visa has expired or been cancelled. Tax is withheld at 65% for working holiday makers (417/462) or 35% on the taxed element for most other visas, and the rest is paid to your bank anywhere in the world, typically within 28 days of a complete application.
Who can withdraw their super, and who can't
Eligible: anyone who held a temporary visa with work rights, working holiday (417/462), student (500), skilled (482), temporary graduate (485) and most others. Who has left Australia and whose visa has ended. Nationality doesn't matter; where you live now doesn't matter.
Not eligible: Australian and New Zealand citizens and permanent residents. If you're a permanent resident leaving Australia for good, your super stays in the Australian system until you reach preservation age. Moving overseas doesn't unlock it. The one meaningful exception: NZ citizens returning home can usually transfer their balance to a KiwiSaver scheme under the Trans-Tasman scheme. Not sure where you fall? The 60-second eligibility check gives you a straight answer, including when the answer is "you can't".
How much you'll get back
| Visa held | DASP tax | You keep |
|---|---|---|
| Working Holiday / Work & Holiday (417, 462) | 65% | 35% |
| Student, skilled & most other temporary visas (500, 482, 485…) | 35% (taxed element) | 65% |
| Any visa: super already transferred to the ATO as unclaimed money | 65% | 35% |
The rates are set by legislation and withheld automatically. No agent can change them. Run your own numbers in the DASP tax calculator (it doubles as a superannuation refund calculator, with a balance estimator if you don't know what you've got), or see how much super is taxed when leaving Australia for the full rate breakdown with worked dollar examples. The withholding is final, if you're wondering whether it can be claimed back afterwards, the honest answer (generally no, with one narrow exception) is in can I claim tax back on a super withdrawal.
Step by step: withdrawing your super from overseas
- Gather the basics. Passport (old and current if renewed), visa subclass, rough departure date, and the bank account you want paid, international accounts work via SWIFT/BIC.
- Find your super. Every legal job paid super, usually into whichever default fund each employer used. Multiple jobs almost always means multiple funds, and balances from 6+ months ago may already sit with the ATO as unclaimed money. Your TFN is the reliable key to finding all of it.
- Confirm your visa has ended. Expired is automatic; if you've left for good with time still on the visa, you can ask Home Affairs to cancel it rather than waiting it out.
- Apply online. Two routes, the ATO's free system, or a registered agent who does it all for a flat fee. Full comparison on the DASP online application page.
- Verify your identity. With us that's a passport photo and selfie from your phone; DIY claimants may need certified document copies for balances over $5,000.
- Get paid. The fund or the ATO pays your bank directly, typically within 28 days of a complete application. Nobody (including us) ever holds your money in between.
Timing: the six-month rule
Roughly six months after you've departed and your visa has ended, funds are required to transfer unclaimed balances to the ATO. The money stays yours, but two things change: it earns only CPI interest, and when eventually claimed it's taxed at 65% regardless of your visa. If you were on a student or skilled visa, claiming before the transfer nearly halves your tax. This is the single most expensive thing to get wrong. Check your dates with the deadline checker.
Is the withdrawal taxed anywhere else?
The DASP tax is a final withholding tax. You don't lodge an Australian return for it. Your home country's treatment of the receipt is a local question (most clients simply confirm with their local tax office using the payment summary we provide). One related perk: fees paid to a registered tax agent are generally tax deductible in Australia if you lodge a final return for your departure year.
Doing it yourself vs using an agent
Honestly: both work. The ATO's free system suits simple, small, single-fund claims. We've written a straight guide to the DIY route here. A registered agent earns the flat $149 + GST when there's anything to find or fix: unknown funds, ATO-held money, certified-document demands, name mismatches, rejected applications, or just not wanting to project-manage three super funds from another hemisphere. With DASPA it's no super, no fee. The fee is refunded in full if we can't recover anything.
Visa-specific guides: Working Holiday 417 · Work & Holiday 462 · Skilled 482 · Student 500, or by home country: UK · Ireland · Germany · Philippines · Italy · France · Spain · India.
Leaving-Australia super questions, answered straight
How much superannuation do I get back when leaving Australia?
Your whole balance, less the legislated DASP tax: working holiday makers (417/462) keep 35% of their balance, most other temporary visa holders (482, student 500) keep 65% of the taxed element. On a typical $5,600 working-holiday balance that is roughly $1,960; on a $20,000 skilled-visa balance, about $13,000. Use the DASP calculator for your own numbers.
Can I withdraw my super before I leave Australia?
No. A DASP can only be paid after you have departed and your visa has expired or been cancelled. You can (and should) prepare the application before you fly, so it lodges the moment you are eligible.
How long does it take to get my super after leaving Australia?
The ATO and funds typically pay within 28 days of a complete application. Add a few days for an international bank transfer to arrive and convert.
What happens if I never claim my super?
About six months after you leave and your visa ends, your fund must transfer the balance to the ATO as unclaimed super money. It stays yours forever, but earns only CPI interest and is taxed at 65% when eventually claimed, which hurts most if you were on a non-working-holiday visa and would have paid 35%.
Can permanent residents claim their super when leaving Australia?
No. DASP is only for former temporary visa holders, permanent residents and citizens keep their super in the system until they reach preservation age, even if they move overseas permanently. The main exception: NZ citizens moving home can usually transfer their super to a KiwiSaver scheme under the Trans-Tasman retirement savings scheme.
Is the super withdrawal taxed twice, in Australia and at home?
The DASP tax is a final Australian withholding tax. You do not report it in an Australian tax return. How your home country treats the receipt is a question for your local tax office or adviser; most clients confirm locally with the payment summary we provide.
Ready when you are. 5 minutes, flat fee.
$149 + GST · no super, no fee · every fund plus ATO-held money · paid worldwide in about 28 days.