• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

SuperGuide

Superannuation and retirement planning information

  • SuperGuide Premium
  • Account
  • Log In
  • SuperGuide Premium
  • Account
  • Log In
  • How super works
    • Super for beginners
    • Super rules
    • Employers guide to super
    • Super contributions
    • Super and tax
    • Accessing super
    • Super news
    • Women and super
    • Super tips and strategies
    • How-to guides
    • Super quizzes
    • Superannuation Q&As
    • Superannuation glossary
  • Super funds
    • Best performing super funds
    • Super fund rankings
    • Best performing pension funds
    • Pension fund rankings
    • Super fund average returns
    • Super investing strategies
    • Comparing super funds
    • Choosing a super fund
    • Choosing an investment option
    • Super fund fees
    • Insurance and super
    • Super fund profiles
  • SMSFs
    • SMSFs for beginners
    • SMSF administration
    • SMSF checklists
    • SMSF compliance
    • SMSF investing
    • SMSF pensions
    • SMSF strategies
    • SMSF Q&As
  • Plan your retirement
    • Retirement planning for beginners
    • When should I retire?
    • How long will I live?
    • How much super do I need?
    • Will I get the Age Pension?
    • How much will I spend in retirement?
    • Financial advice
    • Retiring overseas
    • Preparing for retirement
    • Retirement planning strategies
    • Retirement calculators and reckoners
  • In retirement
    • Income in retirement
    • Super lump sums
    • Super pensions
    • Age Pension
    • Working in retirement
    • Life in retirement
    • Senior concessions and services
    • Aged care
    • Estate planning
    • Super death benefits

Home / How super works / Accessing super / Early release of super / Early release of super through DASP (Departing Australia Superannuation Payment)

Early release of super through DASP (Departing Australia Superannuation Payment)

March 8, 2019 by SuperGuide 1 Comment

Reading time: 3 minutes

On this page

  • What are the eligibility requirements for a Departing Australia superannuation payment (DASP)?
  • What are the tax implications?
  • How do I apply for a Departing Australia superannuation payment (DASP)?
  • The bottom line

The Departing Australia superannuation payment (DASP) is available to departed temporary residents who worked and earned super in Australia. It is not available for permanent Australian residents, nor for Australian and New Zealand citizens.

Normally you can only access your super once you’ve reached your preservation age and met a condition of release (such as retiring from the workforce or turning 65). Your preservation age is between the ages of 55 and 60, depending on your date of birth.

However, these super release conditions do not apply to temporary Australian residents.

What are the eligibility requirements for a Departing Australia superannuation payment (DASP)?

In addition to having accumulated super while working as a temporary resident in Australia:

  • your temporary visa to work in Australia must have expired, and
  • you must have left Australia.

Temporary residents working in Australia must have a work visa to legally be employed. A range of work visas are available, including skilled worker visas and working holiday-maker visas. The type of work visa you have is important in relation to your DASP, as it affects how much tax you’ll pay when you receive it.

What are the tax implications?

The Australian tax payable on a DASP depends on three factors:


Advertisement
SuperGuide Premium is ad-free
  1. Whether you have a working holiday maker visa or another type of visa that enables you to work in Australia.
  2. Whether your DASP contains taxable and non-taxable (tax-free) components.
  3. Whether the taxable component of your DASP contains taxed and untaxed elements. Taxed elements are amounts that your fund has already paid 15% tax on.

The table below outlines the different Australian tax rates that apply.

DASP component Tax rate for working holiday makers Tax rate for non-working holiday makers 
Non-taxable component Nil Nil
Taxable component (taxed element) 65% 35%
Taxable component (untaxed element) 65% 45%

The tax payable in your home country will depend on its specific tax legislation for foreign earnings and this specific type of payment.

What if I have paid Division 293 tax?

Division 293 tax is paid by individuals whose taxable income and concessional super contributions (i.e. contributions made before tax) exceed $250,000 in a financial year. The Division 293 tax rate is 15%, which effectively means that these excess super contributions are taxed at 30% (i.e. the concessional rate of 15% plus the 15% Division 293 tax rate).

If you’re a temporary resident departing Australia who has paid or is liable to pay Division 293 tax, you can apply to the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) to be released from both your current and future tax obligations. You must have received a DASP payment prior to making this application. You may also be entitled to a refund of some of the Division 293 tax you have paid. The ATO will make this assessment based on your specific situation.

How do I apply for a Departing Australia superannuation payment (DASP)?

You can contact your super fund (or the ATO if they have your funds). Your super fund may have transferred your super balance to the ATO if it’s been six months or more since you left Australia, or if your visa has expired. The ATO will class your super balance as unclaimed super money that you’re entitled to claim as a DASP.

You can check online if the ATO is holding any of your super if you have a myGov account.

Compare super funds

Read more...

Advertisement

Whether you’re applying for your DASP via your super fund or the ATO, you’ll need to  provide documentary evidence that your temporary Australian visa has expired and that you’re no longer living in the country as part of the application process.

You can authorise someone else to claim your DASP for you, such as a registered tax agent or another suitable person of your own choosing. Your authorisation must be in writing and it enables the person you nominate to act on your behalf in relation to your DASP claim.

Your DASP will generally be made within 28 days of your application if you provide all the required supporting documentation.

The bottom line

Accessing your DASP when you leave Australia is your legal right and it can help you to consolidate your retirement savings in your home country.

The information contained in this article is general in nature.

Learn more about accessing super early in the following SuperGuide articles:

Your tax guide to accessing your super under age 60

July 16, 2020

Early release of super due to severe financial hardship

April 4, 2020

Early release of super on compassionate grounds

April 1, 2020

What are the SMSF residency requirements?

June 1, 2020

Which super funds accept transfers from KiwiSaver accounts?

May 1, 2020

What are the Age Pension residency rules?

March 1, 2020

How to structure your super if you’re going overseas

October 11, 2019

Should I retire overseas?

October 3, 2019

What happens to your SMSF when you go overseas?

July 12, 2019

Can I access my super if I retire overseas?

April 5, 2019

Related topics

Accessing super Early release of super How super works

Related features

Leaving or living outside Australia

IMPORTANT: All information on SuperGuide is general in nature only and does not take into account your personal objectives, financial situation or needs. You should consider whether any information on SuperGuide is appropriate to you before acting on it. If SuperGuide refers to a financial product you should obtain the relevant product disclosure statement (PDS) or seek personal financial advice before making any investment decisions. Comments provided by readers that may include information relating to tax, superannuation or other rules cannot be relied upon as advice. SuperGuide does not verify the information provided within comments from readers. Learn more

© Copyright SuperGuide 2009-21. Copyright for this article belongs to SuperGuide Pty Ltd, and cannot be reproduced without express and specific consent. Learn more

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Prosail says

    July 10, 2019 at 10:15 pm

    useful advice and information

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

How super works
Super for beginners
Super rules
Employers guide to super
Super contributions
Super and tax
Accessing super
Super news
Women and super
Super tips and strategies
How-to guides
Super quizzes
Superannuation Q&As
Superannuation glossary
Super funds
Best performing super funds
Super fund rankings
Best performing pension funds
Pension fund rankings
Super fund average returns
Super investing strategies
Comparing super funds
Choosing a super fund
Choosing an investment option
Super fund fees
Insurance and super
Super fund profiles
SMSFs
SMSFs for beginners
SMSF administration
SMSF checklists
SMSF compliance
SMSF investing
SMSF pensions
SMSF strategies
SMSF Q&As
Plan your retirement
Retirement planning for beginners
When should I retire?
How long will I live?
How much super do I need?
Will I get the Age Pension?
How much will I spend in retirement?
Financial advice
Retiring overseas
Preparing for retirement
Retirement planning strategies
Retirement calculators and reckoners
In retirement
Income in retirement
Super lump sums
Super pensions
Age Pension
Working in retirement
Life in retirement
Senior concessions and services
Aged care
Estate planning
Super death benefits
Advertisement
Compare super funds

Footer

Important: Disclaimer

All information on SuperGuide is general in nature only and does not take into account your personal objectives, financial situation or needs.

You should consider whether any information on SuperGuide is appropriate to you before acting on it.

If SuperGuide refers to a financial product you should obtain the relevant product disclosure statement (PDS) or seek personal financial advice before making any investment decisions.

Learn more

About SuperGuide

SuperGuide is Australia’s leading superannuation and retirement planning website. Learn more

Superguide Pty Ltd ATF Superguide Unit Trust as a Corporate Authorised Representative (CAR) is a Corporate Authorised Representative of Independent Financial Advisers Australia, AFSL 464629

  • Contact us
  • Advertise on SuperGuide
  • Careers

Before using this website

  • New to SuperGuide?
  • Terms and Conditions of Use
  • Financial Services Guide
  • Privacy Policy and Privacy Collection
  • Copyright Policy
  • Editorial Policy and Complaints
  • Disclaimer

  • SuperGuide Premium
  • Subscriber feedback
  • Sitemap