Applying for super when a member has a terminal illness

When a member has been diagnosed with a terminal illness, they may be able to access their super early, even if they don’t have insurance with their super account.

If the member does have insurance, they may need to draw on their super while their insurance claim is being assessed.

If you are helping a terminally ill member, here are some important things to know when applying to access super.

This page covers:

What is the definition of ‘terminal illness’ for the purpose of super?

To be eligible to receive super on the grounds of terminal illness, a member must have been given a life expectancy of no more than 24 months. This must be certified by two medical practitioners. At least one of the practitioners must be a specialist practising in the field related to the illness or injury.

If a member has been told they have a terminal illness but have a prognosis greater than 24 months, they may still be eligible to withdraw their super. Please call our Member Services Centre on 13 43 72 for more information.

What is needed to claim super early for terminal illness?

These documents are required to support the claim:

1. Letters from two legally qualified medical practitioners1

At least one of the medical practitioners must be a specialist practising in the area of the member’s illness.

We strongly recommend the member shows the sentence below to their doctor and specialist, as they must write word for word:

[The individual] suffers from an illness or injury that is likely to result in their death within 24 months of the date of this letter.

Please note: the ‘individual’ should be the member’s name and ‘the date’ is the date the medical practitioner signs the letter.

If we do not receive the required wording, we may not be able to authorise the early release of the member’s super2.

2. Benefit access form

The relevant Benefit access form for the member’s account must be completed and submitted. If you are not sure which form to use, please call us on 13 43 72 and we will send you the correct form.

3. Certified identification

Please refer to our Proof of identity fact sheet for identification requirements.

4. Bank statement

A bank statement showing the details of the account the funds are to be paid into must be provided.
Please note:

  • If you are acting on behalf of a terminally ill member and hold an administration order or enduring power of attorney, we are still required to pay into a bank account in the member’s name
  • We accept bank accounts in joint names, if the member’s first name and surname appear in the account name
  • Please refer to our Benefit access form for the types of bank accounts that are eligible to receive the super payment. This form also outlines the information we need on the bank statement

Other important things to know:

The Benefit access form and all supporting documents should be submitted together.

Once we receive all required documents, it may take up to 10 business days to process the request. We understand this is a difficult time and will prioritise the terminal illness application wherever possible.

Please note: if the Benefit access form or any of the supporting documents are incorrect or incomplete, the claim may be delayed.

What is the first thing a member needs to do when making a claim?

After reading this FAQ, the member should call our Member Services Centre on 13 43 72. They may discover they have insurance they were not aware they could claim on.

We will take some details and arrange for the member to speak with one of our Insurance Claims Consultants. The insurance claims team also manages the early release of super for terminally ill members who do not have insurance with their account.

Does a member need to have stopped work before they can claim their super?

This depends on the type of account they have.

If a GESB Super or West State Super member has been diagnosed with a terminal illness, they do not need to have stopped working or ceased employment to access their super.

If a Gold State Super member has been diagnosed with a terminal illness, they should call our Member Services Centre on 13 43 72 for more information.

How much tax will a member pay on their benefit?

If you meet the 'terminal medical condition' of release for super, you will be eligible to receive your lump sum payment tax free.

If you plan to transfer your super to another fund, please call us first on 13 43 72, to make sure you understand the tax implications.

How can another person help with the member's claim?

This can be arranged by providing one of these documents:

  • Letter of authority (signed by the member)

    The member can provide an authority to notify us that they want someone else to help with their super withdrawal. This can be a spouse, parent, child, other relative, financial adviser, lawyer3, case worker, friend or anyone else they choose to nominate.

    They can use the Third party authority form to do this.

  • Enduring power of attorney

    If you hold an enduring power of attorney for a member with a terminal illness, please send through a certified copy of this document.

    For information on how to certify an enduring power of attorney, please see our Proof of identity fact sheet, for a list of who can certify the document and what they need to provide. Each page of the enduring power of attorney must be certified.

    If you intend to sign forms or make changes on behalf of a member (including changing a postal address), you will also need to provide your certified identification.

    If the enduring power of attorney is joint and several, we will need all named parties to sign forms submitted on behalf of the member, and certified identification provided for each person.

    If your enduring power of attorney was made interstate or overseas, you will need an order from the Western Australian State Administration Tribunal to confirm that your power of attorney can be used in Western Australia.

What if a member is making an insurance claim but needs some of their super now?

If the member can provide the required documents outlined above, they may be able to access their funds while their insurance claim is being assessed.

It’s important that the member does not close their account while the insurance claim is being processed.

If they are considering accessing their super while the claim is being assessed, they should call our Member Services Centre on 13 43 72 and ask to speak with their case officer.

If a member outlives their prognosis, do they have to pay the money back?

No. If a member was assessed as being terminally ill for the purposes of super and outlives the prognosis they were given, they will not need to repay the money withdrawn from their super.

Please note: any remaining super can be accessed at any time after the certification period ends, but these amounts may not be tax free.

Other resources available

Lifeline Australia has a 24-hour counselling service that can be accessed free of charge by calling 13 11 14 or visiting their website.

Members can also contact Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636 or visit their website, or they may be able to access other services by speaking with their General Practitioner.

1 Legally qualified medical practitioners means persons who have general or specialist registration recorded in the Register of Practitioners.
2 As required under the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 (Cth).
3 A lawyer can provide a letter of authority, or a certificate of appointment confirming they are acting on the member's behalf. If we receive a certificate of appointment, we won’t require a letter of authority.

Page last updated 09 July 2026

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 19 July 2026.