Superannuation Calculator
Project your Australian superannuation balance at retirement using employer SG contributions, voluntary contributions, and compound investment returns.
About the Superannuation Calculator
Superannuation is Australia's compulsory retirement savings system. Under the Superannuation Guarantee (SG), employers must contribute a percentage of each employee's ordinary time earnings into a super fund. The SG rate is 11.5% for the 2024–25 financial year, rising to 12% from 1 July 2025. These compulsory contributions, combined with investment growth over a working lifetime, are designed to provide Australians with retirement income independent of the Age Pension.
The power of superannuation lies in its long investment horizon and the concessional tax environment. Contributions and earnings within a super fund are taxed at 15% — far below most individuals' marginal tax rate. For a worker earning $80,000 with a marginal rate of 32.5%, salary sacrificing into super effectively converts income that would have been taxed at 32.5% into super earnings taxed at 15%, a saving of 17.5 cents per dollar contributed.
Our superannuation calculator projects your balance at your chosen retirement age using your current balance, salary, employer SG rate, any additional voluntary contributions, and an assumed investment return. Use it to see how small increases in your contribution rate today compound dramatically over a 30–40 year working career.
Superannuation Contribution Rules
Concessional contributions (before-tax) include employer SG contributions and salary sacrifice contributions. They are taxed at 15% within the fund (or 30% for very high earners). The concessional cap for 2024–25 is $30,000 per year. Exceeding this cap means the excess is taxed at your marginal rate with a 15% offset. Unused concessional cap amounts can be carried forward for up to five years if your super balance is below $500,000.
Non-concessional contributions (after-tax personal contributions) are made from your after-tax income. They are not taxed when entering the fund but earnings within the fund are taxed at 15%. The non-concessional cap is $110,000 per year. The bring-forward rule allows those under 75 to bring forward up to three years of non-concessional contributions ($330,000 in a single year), subject to your total super balance being below the general transfer balance cap.
The preservation age — the earliest you can access your super — is 60 for those born after 30 June 1964. Benefits can only be accessed after reaching preservation age and meeting a condition of release such as retirement. Super cannot be accessed simply because you need money before preservation age (there are limited hardship and medical exceptions). This restriction is what gives super its power: it forces long-term saving that cannot be dipped into for short-term needs.