How to claim your superannuation when you leave Australia (DASP)

Superannuation ("super") is retirement money your employer pays on top of your wages — currently 11.5% of your earnings. As a temporary visa holder you can claim it back when you leave Australia for good, through the Departing Australia Superannuation Payment (DASP). Billions of dollars in super sit unclaimed, much of it belonging to backpackers who didn't know to ask.

How much super is yours

If you earned wages in Australia, your employer should have paid super into a fund for you. Across a year of farm and hospitality work that can easily be a few thousand dollars. The catch: every time you change jobs without nominating a fund, a new account is created — so your super ends up scattered, each account charging its own fees.

Claiming your DASP step by step

• Make sure your visa is expired or cancelled and you've left Australia (DASP is paid after you depart)
• Find all your super accounts — the ATO's online services can help you locate lost super
• Submit a DASP application online with each fund (or via the ATO)
• Provide your TFN, passport and visa details for identity verification

How DASP is taxed

DASP for working holiday makers (subclass 417/462) is taxed at 65%. It sounds steep, but 35% of your super back is far better than 0% — which is what you get if you never claim. On a few thousand dollars, that's still real money toward your next trip.

Don't lose track of your super

The biggest reason backpackers never claim is simple: old fund logins, forgotten emails, and multiple scattered accounts. Consolidating and tracking your super while you're still in Australia makes the DASP claim painless once you leave.

How Tern helps

Tern tracks the super each employer pays, warns you before a needless new fund is opened, and walks you through the DASP claim step by step from overseas — so you don't leave your retirement money behind in Australia.