Accessing your super early
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. These include:
Compassionate grounds or severe financial hardship
Find out below when you can access super on compassionate grounds or in severe financial hardship, and how to apply.
We assess applications according to guidelines set by the Australian Government.
Super balance less than $200
If your super balance is less than $200 and you no longer work for the employer who contributed to the account, you can complete the relevant benefit access form or call 13 43 72 for a copy.
Permanently departing Australia
Learn what happens to your super when you leave Australia if you're a temporary resident, or an Australian or New Zealand citizen who has emigrated permanently to New Zealand.
First Home Super Saver Scheme
If you're saving for your first home, read our guide to find out if you're eligible to access part of your super under the Australian Government's First Home Super Saver Scheme.
Total and permanent disablement
Find out when you can access your super if you become totally and permanently disabled, and how to apply for a disability benefit.
Terminal medical illness
See our FAQ on how to claim your super if you're diagnosed with a terminal medical illness.
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 impacts
The amount of super you receive may be included in your taxable income, which can impact your financial situation.
Qualified financial advice
Before you apply, we encourage you to seek advice from a suitably qualified adviser.
Free financial resources are also available from the Financial Counsellors’ Association of Western Australia and ASIC MoneySmart website.
Contacting Centrelink
We 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.
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.
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
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.
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)
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
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
How to apply for early release of super on compassionate grounds
For your application to be processed, you need to apply directly to us – not through the Australian Taxation Office (ATO).
To apply, complete the application form in our Early release of super under compassionate grounds information booklet.
Already applied and approved for an early release of your super by the ATO? Please contact your Member Services Centre on 13 43 72.
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, or allow us to 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
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.
How to apply for early release of super due to financial hardship
To find out if you are eligible and apply, download our Early release of super on financial hardship grounds form.
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.
More information
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.
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 22 June 2026.