Stapled Super Fund

From November 2021, employers will need to change their onboarding and payroll processes to comply with the new ‘super stapling’ requirements.

A stapled super fund is an existing super account which is linked, or 'stapled', to an individual employee so that it follows them as they change jobs.

The change aims to stop new super accounts from being opened every time an employee starts a new job.

If you are an employee, this means that when you change jobs your super fund will still be the same fund you had at your last job, unless you take an action to make a change. If you have never had a super account before you will need to choose one, or your employer will create an account for you with their default fund.

If you are an employer, when you hire a new employee, you must use an Australian Taxation Office (ATO) database to check if your employee has an existing super fund. If a fund is recorded, then you must send contributions to that fund, unless your employee asks for a change.

Employers will need to log into ATO online services and enter the relevant employee details to request information on the employee's stapled fund.

'Super stapling' is part of a package of reforms to the superannuation system announced in the 2020 Federal Budget and are aimed at tackling the problem of unintended multiple accounts eroding the retirement savings of Australians. The ATO estimates that there are approximately 6 million unintended multiple accounts in the super system charging $450 million in fees.

For further details on super stapling, click this link.