FAQs

There are a number of potential tax benefits in making spouse contributions, such as:

• You could receive a tax offset of up to $540 per financial year, if you meet certain criteria
• Your spouse contributions are tax-free upon withdrawal
• Your spouse or partner could pay a lower rate of tax than you, when...

Making a contribution to your spouse’s super is a great way to build your shared retirement savings.

There is no minimum contribution you need to make. If your spouse doesn’t already have an account with us, we will automatically open a GESB Super account for them.

Below you’ll find the steps you...

If you have not made a spouse contribution before, then you will need to complete the Spouse contribution - first contribution form.

Once you’ve made your first spouse contribution, the process for adding money to your partner’s super account becomes easier. Here are the steps you need to take.

The Super Co-contribution is a way for the Commonwealth government to help you save for your retirement. If you are a low-income earner, you may be able to take advantage of the super co-contribution by making personal after-tax contributions to your super fund.

To qualify, you’ll need to meet certain ...

First, you need to make an after-tax personal contribution to your super before the end of the financial year.

Each year, we report members' contributions to the Australian Tax Office within 10 business days of the event or allocation to your account. The ATO uses this information, together with your tax...

To receive a co-contribution you need to meet certain eligibility criteria. You're eligible for a co-contribution payment if you:

• Have made one or more personal after-tax contributions to your complying super fund (such as GESB Super or West State Super) in the financial year
• Have a total income of less than the...

There are a few ways to make an after-tax personal contribution to your super. For step-by-step instructions select your preferred option below:

• Pay through your employer’s payroll department
• Use...

If you’re a GESB Super or West State Super member, contribution splitting allows you to share some of your super contributions with your partner. If you’re a single income family, this means you can make use of the same tax incentives available to dual income families.

You might have lost track of some of your super if you've ever changed your name, address or job. After some time, if any of your super accounts have not received contributions, then your super could be held by the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) on your behalf.

Here we’ll look at...

Combining your super means transferring the money from your other super accounts into just one account.

Every time you've changed jobs, you may have opened another super account. Keeping track of small amounts of super can be a hassle, and it's likely that money in these separate super accounts is being...

If you've worked for a number of different employers, you might have a number of super accounts. Combining your super funds into your GESB Super or West State Super account means:

• You can stop paying fees for all of your other accounts and could save money with our fees being below...

You can combine your other super accounts into the account you hold with us by providing the details online or by completing a printed form.

Using Member Online is the quickest way. Visit the Member Online help guide...

Before you can withdraw part or all of your super, or set up a Retirement Income Pension account, we need to confirm your identity. This is to prove you are the person who owns the super entitlements.

If electronic identity verification is available...

As of 1 July 2015, our West State Super and GESB Super schemes are no longer listed as Qualified Recognised Overseas Pension Schemes (QROPS). This means we can’t accept UK pension transfers.

We’ve introduced this two-step security check – known as multi-factor authentication (MFA) – to help make sure you are the only one who can make changes to or apply for insurance.

It’s a simple process. When you request any changes to...

If you voluntarily withdraw your Gold State Super membership, you cannot re-join the scheme, as it was closed to new members on 29 December 1995.

However, you may apply to continue your Gold State Super membership in either of the following circumstances:

• Your membership ended because you stopped working in the WA...

Gold State Super is a defined benefit scheme. This means your Final Benefit is determined by applying a fixed, or 'defined', formula. On this page we’ll explain how you can calculate your Gold State Super benefit.

• Time it takesIt can take up to 20 minutes to...

Your Final Benefit for Gold State Super is based on your years of service and an average of your equivalent full-time remuneration before you stop contributing to your account.

The rules about which payments can be included as part of your remuneration are determined by the provisions of the State Superannuation...

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...

If you have a Gold State Super account, you need to make regular contributions to the scheme from your pay. These are known as compulsory member contributions.

You can make member contributions into your Gold State Super using 3%, 4%, 5%,...

You can contribute 3%, 4%, 5%, 6% or 7% of your wage or salary to your Gold State Super account. Your Average Contribution Rate can’t be more than 5%.

Your super is likely to be one of your most significant assets, so it’s important to know what will happen to it after you’re gone or if you get injured and are unable to work.

Our schemes are unique and our rules for payment of super benefits after a member's death...

Your Gold State Super account includes automatic death and disability insurance, at no extra cost, for as long as you’re making contributions, and until you turn 60.

You’re covered 24 hours a day, seven days a week, no matter where you are.

Here’s a summary of the insurance...

Your Gold State Super includes basic death and disability insurance cover at no extra cost, for as long as you're making contributions, and until you turn 60.

We don’t deduct any charges from your account for administration, insurance or other running expenses. Please see the Gold State Super fees page for more information about fees and other costs.

At some point in your working career, you may need to take unpaid leave. Your unpaid leave could impact your super and your insurance cover, depending on the length of time you take and the reason why you take it. On this page you’ll find information about the impact of...

If you work in the Australian Defence Forces, being on military leave for Reserve or Active service can have an impact on your super.

The impact can depend on a number of factors including the type of leave and the type of super account you have with us. The following conditions...

If you are a Gold State Super member, your super continues to grow while you work part-time. Here, we explain how choosing to work part-time will have an effect on your final Gold State Super benefit.

To calculate your Gold State Super Final Benefit, we use...

If you choose to leave the WA public sector before you retire, you can still take advantage of the unique benefits offered by Gold State Super. Your entitlement and benefit options will depend on whether you have turned 55 and reached the Commonwealth preservation age¹.

This page outlines some important information...

Redundancy can have a serious impact on you and it is important to know how it can impact your super and what you can do.

Your entitlement and benefit options will depend on whether you have turned 55 and reached the Commonwealth preservation age¹.

This page outlines some important information which you...