Retirement Options Service
Discuss your retirement plans with an expert
Feeling unsure about your retirement options? We're here to help.
We know retirement is different for everyone so we offer our Retirement Options Service (ROS) to provide tailored information and help you feel more confident in making your retirement plans.
ROS is a one-on-one meeting1 with one of our experienced consultants, who know and understand our unique schemes.
You will get factual information about your specific situation, have the opportunity to ask questions and learn about your retirement options. You will also receive handouts to support the information presented to you.
To make the most of your meeting, we recommend you attend one of our seminars or webinars first. Having a basic understanding of super and retirement will help you benefit from the discussion about your situation and the options available to you.
What's involved
Once you're comfortable with how retirement works and are ready to learn more, the below steps are involved in booking your ROS meeting.
An initial phone call
First, you book an initial phone call through our online form. We will call you to chat about your requirements and to organise a time for your one-on-one ROS meeting.
Your meeting
Your one-on-one ROS meeting will run for 60 minutes and you can choose to have it in-person at our Perth CBD office, or virtually.
A $350 fee
The service costs $350. This fee can be deducted from your GESB Super, West State Super or Retirement Income Pension account, from your nominated cheque or savings account, or paid by credit or debit card.
Book your phone call
Please complete our online form to book your phone call. During the call, we will confirm the topics you'd like to discuss in your appointment and book a time for your one-to-one ROS meeting.
Help is available if you're not comfortable talking on the phone
The National Relay Service is available if you're unable to hear or speak on a telephone. If speaking in English is a barrier for you, the Translating and Interpreting Service can help. Find out how to access these services
Benefits of the service
The topics you discuss will vary, depending on your situation and any specific requirements that you may have. Before your meeting, you'll have a phone call with a consultant to discuss what your needs are and what you’d like to discuss in your appointment.
You have control over the topics you want to cover to get the most from your appointment.
Our consultants can provide you with factual information and details on:
Retirement options
- Retirement income streams and how they work
- How to open a Retirement Income Pension account, including getting help with paperwork
- How to increase your super before you retire
- Transition to retirement strategies
- Conditions of super release
- Tax in retirement
- Centrelink entitlements
Gold State Super
- How your benefit is calculated
- The effect pre-1 July 1983 service has on your account
- The difference between salary sacrifice and after-tax contributions
- What happens if you don't want to access your account once you retire
- What happens to your account if you don't meet a condition of release and have left WA State Government employment
- At what stage might you withdraw from Gold State Super
- Things to be aware of if you have both a Gold State Super and West State Super account
- How transition to retirement impacts your Service Multiple
- How can salary maintenance can benefit you
- What the best date to retire could be
- What tax considerations are unique to Gold State Super
- What to consider if you're thinking of going part time before retiring
West State Super
- The impact pre-1 July 1983 service has on your account
- What is an untaxed fund and how does it work
- How salary sacrifice can help you reduce tax
- How much can you salary sacrifice per year
- Making personal contributions
- When you can access your super
- Do you need to access super if over 65 and no longer working
How to prepare for your meeting
You’ll get the most out of your meeting if you’ve previously attended one of our retirement seminars or webinars.
These will give you a basic understanding of your retirement options, which means that you can spend more time discussing your specific situation in your appointment.
It will also help if you read more about your GESB account(s) before your meeting. For more information, see the relevant Product Information Booklet for your account.
What our members say about our service
Read about how ROS has helped our members on their retirement journey.
Tony
"I now understand the value of the pre-83 service and how that could actually be of benefit to me from a tax point of view."
Margaret
“The information provided is objective and can be trusted. I don’t have to wonder what the consultant’s angle is.”
Michelle
“It’s reduced my stress level. I was terrified I wouldn’t be able to retire. Many of my work colleagues, particularly women, felt like they couldn’t afford to retire.”
Please note: these are real member stories. Names, images and some information has been changed for privacy purposes. These interviews were conducted by a third-party researcher to maintain objectivity.
How to pay
A fee of $350 is charged for ROS. To pay this, you can either:
- Authorise us to deduct the fee directly from your GESB Super, West State Super or Retirement Income Pension account. Due to the nature of your Gold State Super account, you can't pay for ROS from this account.
- Pay the fee directly from your nominated cheque or savings account or by credit card (we accept MasterCard and Visa)
OR
If you have a meeting together with another GESB member (e.g. your partner), where both accounts will be discussed, you will be given a double meeting (120 minutes) and each of you will be charged an individual fee. The total fee amount can’t be paid out of one member’s account.
If you have a meeting and have someone with you who is not a GESB member (e.g. your partner), only a single appointment will be arranged, and one fee charged (as this service is not available to non-members).
For more information, please read:
1 ROS is not financial planning advice.
Disclaimer: information provided to you in your ROS appointment is of a factual or general nature only and doesn't take into account your complete financial situation. Your ROS consultant can only discuss the options you have for the super you hold with us, and is not able to make any recommendations. If you are looking for more complex financial planning advice, your consultant can provide you with a list of questions that may help when choosing a financial adviser.
More information
- Find out more about personal financial advice
- Get helpful retirement tips
- Read the GESB Super Product Information Booklet
- Read the West State Super Product Information Booklet
- Read the Gold State Super essentials Booklet
Need help
- Book into a webinar
- Call us on 13 43 72
Thank you for printing this page. Remember to come back to gesb.wa.gov.au for the latest information as our content is updated regularly. This information is correct as at 24 April 2024.