Today, there are many people who may have lost contact with their super accounts but surprisingly, they are not even aware of this. What happens is that most people move to another house, change their addresses, change their names or even jobs, but they do not notify the fund authorities. Also, your employer might not have been paying your superannuation contributions or your contribution might simply get lost in the system.
However, there is good news. You can track your contributions and still claim for the lost superannuation. Since your employer is the main contributor in most cases, you might want to start your search from there. If you feel there is trouble, perhaps the first step is to contact your human resource department and ask them about the superannuation. However, it is good to know beforehand if you really qualify for the contributions, before you start calling your employer names. The following are some of the ways that are used to help people find their lost super:
– Super Seeker – This is an online search tool that is provided by the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) to help people do the search of their lost superannuation contributions. The tool will search the ATO’s registers for unclaimed or lost super. All that is required is your name, tax file number and date of birth in order for the search to be successful. A good thing with this tool is that it is free and you can even use the service over your phone. There are many professionals out there who are also willing to help you in the process and you might want to involve them for the best and quick results.
– Rollover funds – Usually, when the super gets lost, it is transferred to a holding fund, commonly known as the eligible rollover fund. There are about sixteen rollover funds and because in some cases the SuperSeeker tool might not locate a lost super, you might be forced to search each one of the eligible rollover funds. This is where a reputable company comes in to help you in the search. Also, the company will contact each one of them, and surprisingly, you might find out that your money is in some of the funds under your name or even in your old address. A good thing with this way of search is that it is great especially for the searches that involve super that got lost before it was a legal requirement to list your tax file number with any of your super payments.
– Super fund lookup – This is yet another search tool only that it goes further to search for money that is held in specific super fund and not a roller fund.
It is good to know that the more the super accounts you have, the more keeping fees will be. This is true if you can do the calculation to see how much it might cost you over time. By holding one account, you are bound to save a lot of money which can be used in other important projects.