Accessing your super early

On compassionate or financial hardship grounds

Generally, you can only access your super once you’ve reached Commonwealth preservation age and you’ve retired or met another condition of release. However, there are limited circumstances where you may be allowed to access your super earlier, such as in severe financial hardship or on compassionate grounds.

We assess applications for release of super on financial hardship or compassionate grounds according to guidelines set by the Australian Government.

Early release of super:

Access to super on compassionate grounds

You may be able to access your super under one or more compassionate grounds. This includes to help dependants (such as a spouse or child) who are experiencing financial difficulty.

Read our application guide

Before applying, please read our Early release of super on compassionate grounds information booklet and application guide which includes full eligibility criteria and a guide to the application process.

Compassionate grounds information booklet

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You may be able to access your super for the following reasons:

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1. Mortgage assistance

This is to allow you to make a payment on the mortgage on your principal place of residence, to prevent your lender from repossessing or selling your home due to arrears on your mortgage.

The maximum amount we can release in any 12-month period is the sum of three months of repayments plus the value of 12 months of interest on the outstanding balance of the loan.

To be eligible to claim release for mortgage assistance:

  • It must be for a payment on your principal place of residence (not an investment property or a place you don’t spend most of the time living in)
  • You must be the named mortgagor

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2. Medical treatment or transport

This is to help pay for medical costs, including dental treatment and the cost of transport to and from medical treatment, for you or your dependant.

To be eligible to claim release for medical treatment:

  • The treatment must be certified by two medical practitioners (at least one of whom must be a specialist) as medical treatment which is necessary for one or more of the following reasons:
    • To treat a life-threatening illness or injury
    • To alleviate acute or chronic pain
    • To alleviate an acute or chronic mental condition
  • The treatment must not be readily available to you or your dependant through the public health system

You may also be eligible for release of super to pay for transport to medical treatment for you or your dependant. This includes transport by land, water or air. The transport must be in relation to medical treatment as above.

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3. Accommodating a disability

This is to help pay for modifications required to accommodate special needs if you or one of your dependants has a severe disability.

To be eligible for release on this ground:

  • Your doctor must confirm that you or a dependant has a severe disability that requires specific modifications to your home or motor vehicle
  • The modifications must be physical alterations to the structure of the home or vehicle, or physical disability aids
  • If modifications are made to a home, it must be your principal place of residence (not an investment property or a place you don’t spend most of the time living in)

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4. Funeral expenses for your dependant

This is to help with burial or funeral-related expenses for your dependant.

To be eligible to claim under funeral assistance:

  • The person who passed away must be your dependant

5. Palliative care for terminal illness

This is to provide palliative care for you or your dependant.

To be eligible to claim for palliative care:

  • A registered medical professional must confirm that you or your dependant have a terminal illness and the need for palliative care

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How to apply for early release of super on compassionate grounds

  • You must apply to us using our application form (not through the ATO)

    For the application to be processed, you need to apply directly to us. Complete the application form within the Early release of super under compassionate grounds information booklet.

    Note: if you have an early release of super payment approved by the ATO, please contact your Member Services Centre on 13 43 72.

  • Make sure you meet the criteria before applying

    There are very specific criteria that apply. Please make sure you take the time to read and understand what they are before you apply – and if you’re unsure, contact us.

  • Submit all the required documentation as part of the application

    There are supporting documents that we need to receive in order to process your application. Please make sure you provide the relevant documents to ensure your application can be reviewed as quickly as possible.

  • Consider the implications of accessing your super early

    • It’s important to make sure that accessing your super early is the right financial option for you. There are several things to consider before submitting your application, including how tax may apply.

    Download application guide

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Access to super due to severe financial hardship

You may be able to access some or all of your super if you are experiencing severe financial hardship, as long as you meet certain conditions.

Severe financial hardship means being unable to meet reasonable and immediate family living expenses2 and not having any assets (other than your home) which could be used or sold to cover this gap.

This may include:

  • Mortgage and loan repayments
  • Household bills, insurance premiums, education and medical expenses, or
  • Rent

What you can claim under financial hardship

How you access your super due to severe financial hardship depends on whether you’ve reached your Commonwealth preservation age.

If you’re under preservation age

You can apply for one payment of between $1,000 (minimum) and $10,000 (maximum) in any 12-month period1 if you meet all the conditions below:

  • You’re in receipt of a Commonwealth income support payment at the time of the claim, and have been on these payments continuously for at least 26 weeks
  • You’re receiving these payments when you make your application for payment under financial hardship
  • You’re unable to meet reasonable and immediate family living expenses2
  • You obtain a Q230 Financial Hardship letter from Centrelink dated within 21 days of GESB receiving your application
  • You can provide copies of unpaid bills and quotes for family living expenses. Note these need to be of a similar dollar amount to the amount you are requesting

If you’re over preservation age

Once you’ve reached preservation age plus 39 weeks, you can apply for any amount at any time if you meet all the conditions below:

  • You’ve been receiving Commonwealth income support payments for a cumulative period of at least 39 weeks since reaching Commonwealth preservation age
  • You’re unemployed or not gainfully employed on a full or part-time basis for more than 10 hours a week when you make your application for payment under financial hardship
  • You obtain a Q251 Financial Hardship letter from Centrelink dated within 21 days of GESB receiving your application

We may be required to deduct tax from your financial hardship benefit. The amount payable will depend on the components of your benefit and your age. For more information, please refer to our Tax and super brochure or contact your Member Services Centre on 13 43 72.

If you don’t meet the above criteria, you may still be eligible to apply for a release on compassionate grounds.

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How to apply for early release of super due to financial hardship

  • Call your Member Services Centre on 13 43 72
  • If you may be eligible, we’ll provide you with a copy of the relevant application form, which will outline the all the documents you will need to provide to support your claim

Contact us

Things to consider before applying for early release

It’s important to make sure that accessing your super early is the right financial option for you.

  • Tax implications

    The amount of super you receive may be included in your taxable income, which can impact your financial situation.

  • Qualified financial advice

    • Before making an application for the early release of your super, we encourage you to obtain advice from a suitably qualified adviser.

  • Contacting Centrelink

    • We also recommend you contact Centrelink if you or your partner receives Centrelink payments. A release may impact any benefits you or your partner receive, including the Family Tax Benefit, Child Care Subsidy or income support payments. Early release of super may also impact the amount of child care support you receive or pay.

  • Free resources

    • You may wish to take advantage of the free financial resources available from the Financial Counsellors’ Association of Western Australia and ASIC MoneySmart website.

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Important note for Gold State Super members

If your application for payment on financial hardship or compassionate grounds is successful, a discount factor may apply to your benefit. In this case, the Contributory Service Component of your benefit is subject to a discount factor of 1.75% p.a. for every year you are under age 55.

Before starting an application, please contact your Member Services Centre on 13 43 72 to discuss how this may impact you.

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Need help

  • Call us on 13 43 72

1 These limits apply to the gross payment amount (i.e. before tax). If you are not currently employed in the WA public sector and your account balance is less than $1,000, the entire balance will be paid to you. If you are currently employed you must maintain a minimum balance of $1,000.

2 A family expense is generally considered to be an expense that is incurred to meet the needs of the family. We may allow for a release to cover future family living expenses we consider you clearly will be unable to meet. For credit cards and other loans, it is only the amount that is due at the time of the application that can be considered an immediate living expense.

Page last updated 14 March 2024

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 April 2024.