Costly super mistakes, lost and unpaid super, scams, early release rules, death benefits and how to complain to AFCA.
The most expensive super problems are often not the headline fee but the things members miss: duplicate accounts, insurance they did not know they had or had lost, unpaid employer contributions, pressure selling and unlawful early release schemes. The super mistakes guide is the overview and links to each detailed guide.
The guides in this section explain how to find lost and unclaimed super through myGov or the ATO, what to do if your employer has not paid your super, how to recognise switching scams and high-pressure sales, the narrow rules for early release on hardship or compassionate grounds, why beneficiary nominations matter, and how to complain to your fund and then to AFCA.
Each guide ends with the official bodies to use: the Australian Taxation Office, the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission and its Moneysmart website, the Australian Financial Complaints Authority, and the National Debt Helpline where money stress is part of the picture. These services are free; you do not need to pay a company to find or claim your super.
Mistakes, Complaints and Official Sources
How to make a complaint to your super fund, how long the fund has to respond, when and how to go to AFCA free, the time limits for super complaints, and what to include.
Mistakes, Complaints and Official Sources
The lawful ways to access super early in Australia — severe financial hardship, compassionate grounds, terminal illness, incapacity — the limits, and the illegal early release schemes to avoid.
Mistakes, Complaints and Official Sources
How to find lost and unclaimed super in Australia using myGov, the ATO app or phone line, what ATO-held super is, and how to claim it without paying anyone.
Mistakes, Complaints and Official Sources
Who gets your super when you die, how binding and non-binding nominations work, who counts as a dependant, tax on death benefits, and the nomination mistakes to avoid.
Mistakes, Complaints and Official Sources
The super mistakes that most often cost Australians money — duplicate accounts, lost insurance, unpaid super, scams, missed nominations — with fixes and official contacts.
Mistakes, Complaints and Official Sources
How super switching scams and high-pressure sales work in Australia — cold calls, 'free super health checks', SMSF pitches — the warning signs, checks with ASIC and what to do.
Mistakes, Complaints and Official Sources
How to tell if your employer has not paid your super under payday super, the steps to take with your employer, how to report unpaid super to the ATO, and what records to keep.
