Most people working in Australia end up with more than one super account, because each employer usually pays contributions somewhere, and that "somewhere" changes each time you change jobs. Finding those accounts and rolling them into one is something you can do yourself, through official systems, without paying anyone to do it.
Consolidating — sometimes called a rollover or transfer — moves balances from several accounts into a single receiving account. This guide covers the practical sequence: trace every account using myGov and ATO online services, find any you have forgotten, check what you would give up, then complete the transfer and confirm it landed.
What a rollover actually does
A rollover moves your existing super from one complying fund to another. According to the Australian Taxation Office, you may be able to transfer your existing super accounts to another complying fund "depending on the rules of your super funds" — so the funds' own rules, not just yours, determine what is possible.
It is not a withdrawal. The money stays inside super; what changes is which account holds it, which fees structures apply to it, what insurance it carries, and who invests it. That is why the sequence below puts the checking step before the transfer step.
One thing to clarify early: rolling money out of an account does not necessarily mean an instruction was given to close it. Ask the transferring fund directly whether the old account will be closed, left open with a nil balance, or incur fees after the transfer.
Step 1: List every account you hold through myGov
Your starting point is ATO online services, accessed through myGov. Per myGov, once you're signed in the service will show your super accounts and let you move money from one account to another. The ATO also notes that completing the rollover or transfer request using ATO online services allows you to view all your super accounts in one place.
If you haven't linked the ATO to your myGov account yet, do that first. The ATO's own page describes checking your super balances, finding lost super, comparing super products, choosing a new fund and transferring your super as things you can do once set up.
Before you start
Have these ready:
- Your myGov login details, with the ATO linked as a service
- Your tax file number
- Recent payslips or employer details if you need to identify older funds
- The name, unique superannuation identifier (USI) and member number of each account you already know about
The USI requirement comes from MoneySmart's guidance: when you arrange a transfer you may need to give the receiving fund the fund name, USI and your member number "plus any other details they ask for."
Step 2: Search for lost super
If you have worked for several employers, there may be accounts you cannot name. You can search for lost super in your ATO online account through myGov.
If you believe you have lost super and it does not appear there, the ATO's instruction is to contact your previous super funds. Old employer payroll details — approximate employment dates and the trading name of the business — help those funds identify you, so gather them before you call.
Two limitations worth knowing, both practical rather than official warnings: the ATO's view depends on what funds have reported to it, and reporting is not instantaneous. A very recent account may not appear for a while, and an old account may be sitting in ATO records waiting to be claimed.
Where to look, and what each option does
| Route | What you can do | Watch for |
|---|---|---|
| ATO online services via myGov | View all reported accounts, check balances, search for lost super, request a transfer | Depends on fund reporting; some accounts lag |
| Directly contacting the receiving fund | Ask them to pull money in from your other funds | Requires fund name, USI and member number for the accounts you're moving |
| Directly contacting the transferring fund | Request a partial transfer of an account balance | Required by the ATO route for partial amounts |
Step 3: Check what you might lose before moving anything
MoneySmart's headline caution on this topic is unambiguous: before you consolidate your super accounts, check you won't lose important benefits. This is the step people skip, and the step that is hardest to reverse.
Treat the following as questions to put to both funds, in writing where you can. Do not assume the answers.
- Insurance held inside super. Which fund provides death, total and permanent disablement or income protection cover today? Will the receiving account offer equivalent cover, and can you qualify for it given your age, occupation and health? Cover is not automatically replicated by moving money.
- Fees. What does each account charge now, and what would you pay on the consolidated balance? Multiple accounts can mean multiple sets of fees and multiple insurance premiums you're paying separately. Consolidating changes this; it does not automatically improve it.
- Investment options. Are the investment choices and asset mixes in the receiving account comparable to what you hold now? Past performance from any fund tells you nothing reliable about future returns.
- Employer-linked or special-plan features. Some accounts have features, contribution arrangements or benefit structures tied to a specific employer plan. Ask each fund whether anything about the account cannot be rolled over, or is lost if you move.
- Restrictions on the balance. Ask whether any part of your balance is not eligible to be transferred. Do not assume the full amount can move.
Write the answers down. If either fund's answer is vague, treat that as a sign to slow down rather than proceed.
Step 4: Choose where the money goes — not automatically the biggest account
MoneySmart is direct on this point: when you consolidate, don't just transfer your super into the account with the highest balance. It adds that the account best suited to you may be one of your small accounts, or an account with a completely new fund.
Balance size is the wrong test. The comparison that matters is fees on the combined balance, the insurance you can actually obtain, the investment options available, and the fund's performance history and service — none of which we can assess for you here, and none of which should be judged on headline returns alone.
You can compare super products using ATO online services through myGov as part of this process. Australian Today does not recommend any individual fund or product, and nothing here ranks or rates providers.
Step 5: Complete the transfer
There are two practical routes, and which one applies depends on whether you are moving a whole balance or part of one.
Full balance via myGov. You "can combine your accounts using your ATO online account through myGov" — that is the ATO's own framing. Work through the screens, confirm the source and destination accounts, and save any confirmation reference.
Partial balance, or arranged by the fund. If you want to transfer part of a super account balance, contact the super fund you want to transfer money from. If you would rather the receiving fund handle it, MoneySmart's advice is to give them the fund name, USI and your member number, plus any other details they request.
Before submitting anything, run these checks:
- Both accounts are still open. The ATO specifically asks you to check that both the account you're transferring from and the account you're transferring to are still open, because there can be delays in funds reporting closed accounts to the ATO.
- Your identity details match across funds — name, date of birth and tax file number. Mismatches are a common cause of transfers stalling.
- You have quoted the correct USI and member number for the source account, not the destination.
- You have kept the request reference and any written confirmation from both funds.
After the transfer
Confirmation is not instant. Balances update after processing at each end, and a residual amount can appear later in the old account — for example insurance premiums or adjustments processed after your request. Ask why, rather than assuming it resolved itself.
Also assume that beneficiary nominations do not travel with your money. Ask the receiving fund whether your existing binding death benefit nomination carries across, and if there is any doubt, make a fresh nomination on the new account.
Finally, consolidating now does not necessarily prevent a new account being created later. Your next employer may contribute somewhere different unless you nominate your chosen fund when you have the option, so re-check your accounts after each job change.
Questions you should verify yourself
- What insurance cover do I hold today, and what can I get in the receiving fund?
- What would this specific transfer cost me in fees and lost benefits?
- Can the whole balance be transferred, or part of it?
- Are both accounts open right now?
- Are there tax consequences for my circumstances?
That last question matters. This article deliberately does not address them.
General information only
This is general information about how super accounts and rollovers work in Australia. It is not personal financial, legal, tax or credit advice, it does not account for your objectives or circumstances, and nothing here should be read as a recommendation to transfer any particular balance or choose any particular fund. Fund rules, fees, thresholds and administrative processes change; confirm current details with the ATO, MoneySmart (ASIC), myGov, or your own funds before acting. Australian Today is not a superannuation fund, lender, broker, government body, regulator or comparison service.