Leaving Australia: check DASP eligibility and tax before claiming super
DASP is a departure payment for eligible former temporary residents. It is not available simply because you have stopped work or booked a flight. Use this guide to prepare the claim, understand component tax and avoid surprises from a mixed visa history.
In this guide
- 1. Check the departure conditions
- 2. Prepare before you lose access to records
- 3. Use the official claim route
- 4. Ask for the actual payment components
- Worked example: components change the amount received
- If you have not claimed or plan to return
- While still working: verify employer contributions
- Common questions
- Sources and scope
1. Check the departure conditions
Generally, you must have accumulated super while working on an eligible temporary visa, have left Australia, and have a visa that has ceased (expired or been cancelled). You must not be an Australian or New Zealand citizen, or an Australian permanent resident. Some temporary visa classes are excluded. Check every current visa and the ATO’s precise eligibility conditions; do not cancel a visa just to obtain a payment without understanding the immigration consequences.
New Zealand citizenship is an exclusion, not a general exception based on previously holding a different temporary visa. Trans-Tasman retirement-savings transfer arrangements are a separate subject. Permanent residents who leave Australia normally keep super preserved until a condition of release is met.
2. Prepare before you lose access to records
- Record each fund’s name, ABN and membership details, and check for any ATO-held super.
- Keep a complete visa and employment timeline, including any 417/462 or associated bridging visa periods. Ask the fund how transferred contributions are classified.
- Update fund contact details and check identification/certification requirements. Do not send TFNs, passport copies or bank details through public messages.
- Ask each fund which payment methods, accounts and fees it accepts. An overseas bank account is not universally the only route.
- Check pending employer contributions before closing an account. A payslip entry is not proof the fund received the money.
3. Use the official claim route
Read the ATO DASP instructions and follow the link to the DASP online application service. The official service can handle both fund-held and ATO-held money; follow its identity process rather than assuming myGov registration is required for every application. You can prepare information before leaving, but cannot receive DASP unless eligible.
The official application service says payment is generally made within 28 days after the fund or ATO has all required information. Missing identification, incomplete fund records or unresolved visa details can delay it. Save your application record, then follow up with the body holding the money.
4. Ask for the actual payment components
| Component | Ordinary DASP | DASP subject to WHM rate |
|---|---|---|
| Tax-free component | 0% | 0% |
| Taxable component: taxed element | 35% | 65% |
| Taxable component: untaxed element | 45% | 65% |
These are DASP withholding rates, separate from tax previously deducted from contributions or fund earnings. A fund balance is not automatically all one component. Ask the fund to identify the components and the rate applying to its payment.
If a payment includes amounts attributable to contributions made while you held a WHM visa, the WHM rate can apply to the entire taxable component of that payment, including amounts earned on another visa. Moving from 417 to 482 does not by itself make the whole payment subject to 35%. Do not assume the rate applies only to the WHM portion; obtain the fund’s calculation.
Worked example: components change the amount received
Assume the fund confirms a $12,000 DASP consisting of $2,000 tax-free, $9,000 taxed taxable element and $1,000 untaxed taxable element, with no separate payment fees. Under ordinary DASP rates, tax is $9,000 × 35% + $1,000 × 45% = $3,600, so the payment is $8,400. If the WHM rate applies to this payment, tax is ($9,000 + $1,000) × 65% = $6,500, so the payment is $5,500. The $2,000 tax-free component remains untaxed in both cases. These are invented inputs for arithmetic, not predicted balances.
If you have not claimed or plan to return
Eligible former temporary residents’ unclaimed super may be transferred to the ATO after the relevant departure/visa-cessation period and fund notification process. It does not simply disappear, and it can still be claimed. Do not assume leaving it in a fund guarantees it will remain there indefinitely. Check with the ATO and fund if another visa or permanent-residence application affects your circumstances.
Before consolidating accounts, compare insurance, fees, benefits and contribution history. Moving accounts can affect cover and does not erase WHM history. Do not make voluntary contributions purely on the assumption of a lower income-tax rate: contributions tax, access restrictions and eventual DASP tax all matter.
While still working: verify employer contributions
SG is 12% from 1 July 2025 for eligible workers. The old $450 monthly earnings threshold was removed on 1 July 2022. Under-18 workers and some other groups have additional eligibility tests; certain labour-only contractors can also qualify. From 1 July 2026, Payday Super generally requires payment with wages and receipt by the fund within seven business days, subject to statutory extensions. For fund choice and checking receipts, use our new-job super checklist.
Common questions
Can New Zealand citizens use DASP?
No. New Zealand citizens are excluded from DASP eligibility. Trans-Tasman transfers are separate.
Does switching from a WHM visa to another visa guarantee 35% DASP tax?
No. WHM contribution history can affect the entire taxable component of a payment. Ask your fund to confirm its component and visa-history treatment.
Can I claim while my visa is still active?
Do not assume you can. Departure and visa-cessation conditions must be met, along with the other eligibility rules.
Sources and scope
Checked 30 September 2026. This is general information, not an individual tax, financial, employment or migration assessment. Follow the linked official instructions for your circumstances.