Home / Retiree / Accessing super / Q&A: If I’m retired can I leave one of my two funds in accumulation?

Q&A: If I’m retired can I leave one of my two funds in accumulation?

Q: I have two super funds and being in my 60s and retired believe I’m eligible to change from accumulation to pension. If I do this, does this need to happen for both funds, or can I choose to have one fund with one account in pension/drawdown mode and have the second fund with one account remaining in accumulation mode? I’m well below the transfer balance cap. Thank you for your help and of course, the wonderful information offered to readers.

A: In most cases, you can choose how much of your current accumulation money, so how much of your super savings, that you then use to start a pension. You don’t have to use all your money. You can use a portion of it and leave some of your money in accumulation phase. If you had a million dollars, you could start a pension with half of it or all of it. It’s totally up to you. Of course, you can only start a pension with the amounts that are allowed under that transfer balance cap. You don’t need to start a pension with all your super. You can use part of it.

The same principle applies if you’ve got more than one fund, you could start a pension in one fund and leave the other fund in accumulation phase. You can commence a pension in one fund with some of your benefits and leave the rest in accumulation phase. There’s nothing that says that you need to start a pension with all of your super savings. That’s the general position. But keep in mind, if you are a member of larger funds or industry-style funds or retail funds, check the specific rules, the specific requirements of your fund. It is quite important that you check the rules of your fund to find out what it allows or what it requires. Now, I’m not saying that your fund will require you to use all your savings to start a pension, but as I say, check with them and find out what their rules are. If it’s a self-managed fund, of course, you refer to the trust deed and what it allows.

Basically, you can do what you want by starting a pension with whatever balance you like. Just check what your fund specific rules might be.

If you’re looking to do this, there’s a couple of really good articles that we have put out on the website. One is about explaining all of the conditions of release, when you can access your super and how you can access them. And we’ve also got a webinar on starting an account-based pension, both inside an SMSF, but also with other style funds. If you want more about this topic, jump on the website and have a look at those two resources.

Retirement planning for beginners

Free eBook

Retirement planning for beginners

Our easy-to-follow guide walks you through the fundamentals, giving you the confidence to start your own retirement plans.

"*" indicates required fields

First name*
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

This Q&A is taken from one of SuperGuide’s regular members Q&A webinars.

Upgrade your retirement with a SuperGuide membership

Unlock independent expert guidance to make your super last and boost your income in retirement.
  • Interactive tools and calculators give you power to plan
  • Step-by-step guides help you put plans into action
  • Discover best performing super and pension funds
  • Experts detail tips and strategies to boost your nest egg
  • Comprehensive super rules in plain language
  • Newsletters and webinars keep you on top of the current rules

Find out more


About the author

Related topics,

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 2008-25. Copyright for this guide belongs to SuperGuide Pty Ltd, and cannot be reproduced without express and specific consent. Learn more

Leave a Reply