Yes. Indian citizens who worked or studied in Australia on a temporary visa can claim their full super balance as a DASP once home, provided the visa has expired or been cancelled. The rate depends on which visa you held, and for Indians that usually works in your favour: student (subclass 500), skilled (482) and temporary graduate (485) visas are taxed at 35% on the taxed element, rather than the 65% that applies to working holiday makers. Payment goes directly to your Indian bank account, normally within about 28 days of a complete application.
Why Indians usually pay the lower rate
Most country pages on this site lead with the 417 working holiday visa and its 65% rate. India, like Brazil, is the other kind of story, and it is worth understanding why, because it is worth thousands of dollars.
Australia does run a Work and Holiday arrangement with India, under subclass 462, but it is capped at 1,000 grants a year and allocated by ballot (Department of Home Affairs), a programme so small next to the demand that most people never get near it. The overwhelming majority of Indians who have worked in Australia did it on a student visa, subclass 500, on a sponsored 482, or on a temporary graduate 485 after finishing a degree.
That is good news for your claim. Those visas are taxed at 35% on the taxed element of the DASP. If you did hold one of the 1,000 ballot places, the working holiday rate of 65% applies to you instead.
| Visa you held in Australia | DASP rate | You keep |
|---|---|---|
| Student 500, skilled 482 or graduate 485 (taxed element) | 35% | 65% |
| Work and Holiday 462, the capped ballot programme | 65% | 35% |
| Any visa, once the money has moved to the ATO | 65% | 35% |
The six-month clock costs Indians more than most
Six months after your visa ends and you have left, your fund must hand your balance to the ATO as unclaimed super. From that moment it is taxed at 65% regardless of which visa you held.
For a British or Irish backpacker on a 417 that transfer changes nothing, because they were paying 65% either way. For an Indian engineer who spent three years here on a 482, it is the difference between keeping 65% of the balance and keeping 35% of it. On a balance of A$20,000 that is roughly A$6,000 that stops being yours. If you are inside the six months, that timing is the single most valuable thing you control.
Run your own numbers on the DASP tax calculator, which shows both rates side by side.
Skilled wages mean real balances
A 482 or 485 usually means full-time professional wages, and employers must pay super on top of those wages at a legislated rate, currently 12%. Three years as a nurse, an engineer or a software developer commonly accrues A$15,000 to A$30,000 in super, and people who moved between employers often have it spread across two or three funds without knowing.
Student work adds up too: a cafe job, a cleaning contract, some delivery shifts, each employer possibly with a different fund. Finding every account in your name, including money already sitting with the ATO, is the core of what we do, under one flat fee.
Paid to your Indian account
Your DASP is paid to an Indian account using your bank's SWIFT/BIC. SBI, HDFC, ICICI, Axis, Kotak and the other major banks all receive international transfers to an account in your own name. The money arrives in Australian dollars and your bank converts it to rupees at its own rate; some people use a multi-currency account to control the conversion themselves. We never hold your money, the fund or the ATO pays you directly.
No attestation, no consulate queue
Identity is verified electronically with your passport and a selfie, from your phone, in about two minutes. There are no attested copies, no notary and no appointment at the Australian High Commission in New Delhi or a consulate. Funds approached directly will often ask for certified documents, particularly above about A$5,000, and removing that step is a large part of why people use a registered tax agent.
How the claim works from India
- The five-minute form. Short, in English. If you do not know which fund holds your super, say so and we find it.
- Identity check. Passport plus selfie, on your phone.
- A registered tax agent lodges it. We search every fund plus ATO-held money, prepare the application and chase it through.
- The money reaches your account. Paid by the fund or the ATO directly to you, typically within about 28 days of a complete application.
One flat fee of $149 + GST covers all of it, however many funds you turn out to have, and it is refunded in full if we recover nothing. If your situation is simple, the ATO also runs a free DASP application system you are welcome to use; there is an honest comparison on doing it yourself for free.
Common questions
Which visa was I probably on?
Most Indians who work in Australia are there on a student visa (subclass 500), a sponsored skilled 482, or a temporary graduate 485 after finishing their degree. Australia does run a Work and Holiday (subclass 462) programme with India, but it is capped at 1,000 places a year and allocated by ballot, so very few people hold one. The distinction matters: student, skilled and graduate visas are taxed at 35% on the taxed element, while the working holiday rate is 65%. Your subclass is on the grant email you were sent, and if you cannot find it we can establish it from your passport details.
I only worked part time while studying. Is it worth claiming?
Usually yes. Super is paid on top of your wages at a legislated rate, currently 12%, and it accrues from the first dollar you earn. Two or three years of part-time hours while studying commonly leaves a balance worth several thousand dollars, spread across however many employers you had. There is no minimum balance for a DASP.
Can the money be paid into an Indian bank account?
Yes. Your fund or the ATO sends the payment internationally using your bank's SWIFT/BIC details, so accounts with SBI, HDFC, ICICI, Axis, Kotak and the other major banks all work, provided the account is in your own name and accepts international transfers. It arrives in Australian dollars and your bank converts it to rupees at its own rate.
I came to Australia under MATES. Do the same rules apply?
Yes. The MATES stream of subclass 403 is a temporary visa, so once you have left Australia and the visa has expired or been cancelled you can claim your super as a DASP like any other temporary resident. MATES is not a working holiday visa, so as long as you never held a 417 or 462 the taxed element of your DASP is taxed at 35% rather than 65%, while the money is still with your fund.
I left Australia years ago. Is it too late?
No. There is no deadline for claiming a DASP and the money is still yours. What the delay changes is where it sits: six months after your visa ended and you departed, funds must hand the balance to the ATO, and ATO-held super is taxed at 65% whatever visa you held. For a student or skilled visa that is the difference between 35% and 65%, so it is worth checking sooner rather than later.
Will India tax the payment when it arrives?
The payment has already been taxed in Australia at the legislated rate. How it is treated in India depends on your residency status and the India-Australia double taxation agreement, and we are not licensed to advise on Indian tax. That is a question for a chartered accountant in India, and we provide the payment summary you would need for that conversation.
Ready when you are. 5 minutes, flat fee.
$149 + GST · every fund plus ATO-held super · paid to your bank worldwide in about 28 days.