What is salary maintenance and how does it work?

Your Gold State Super Final Benefit is based on your Gold State Super remuneration.

If your equivalent full-time Gold State Super remuneration is reduced, your benefit will also be reduced.

Salary maintenance allows you to preserve the value of the benefit that you have already accrued, and could help to protect the accrual of benefits in the future.

Types of salary maintenance

There are two types of salary maintenance: full or partial.

The type of salary maintenance available to you depends on your age when your salary is reduced and the reasons why your salary has changed.

Full salary maintenance

This allows your contributions and entitlements to be maintained, including any salary increases of the higher paid position that you previously held.

Full salary maintenance may apply if:

• You accept a lower paid position because of an illness or workers’ compensation
• You accept a lower paid position within the same organisation or another WA State Government employer because of redeployment
• You accept a lower paid position if your job is reclassified after positions are reorganised by your employer
• You are aged 50 years or over and you choose to reduce your salary voluntarily

Partial salary maintenance

Partial salary maintenance allows your contributions and entitlements to be based on your higher salary until the salary of your new position exceeds it.

This might apply if you are aged under 50 and you choose to reduce your salary voluntarily, for example:

• If you lose allowances (not including ‘special allowances’) that you’ve been continuously receiving for at least 12 months in your current position or by taking a new position
• If you accept a lower paid position for personal reasons

Increased salary for less than 12 months

Salary maintenance will not apply if you have been in receipt of the higher salary for less than 12 months.

Misconduct or inefficiency

You can’t use salary maintenance to protect your benefit if your salary is reduced due to your own misconduct or inefficiency.

Reduction of hours

Salary maintenance will not apply if you choose to reduce the number of hours you work.

How to apply for salary maintenance

If you would like to apply for salary maintenance, you need to put your request in writing, quoting your member number and the contact details of your employer at the time of your salary reduction. We will assess your application and let you know the outcome.

Please post your request to us at:

GESB
PO Box J 755
Perth WA 6842

You can also fax it to us on 1800 300 067.