after-tax super contributions

Boost your super with extra super contributions from your take-home pay or savings. It’s never too late to start. A little extra today could potentially go a long way tomorrow.

 


 

make an after-tax super contribution

You can make a one-off payment or set up regular contributions into your account. The fastest and most secure way to contribute is with BPAY® or bank transfer. Log in to your HESTA account or the HESTA App to get your BPAY details.

®Registered to BPAY Pty Ltd ABN 69 079 137 518

 


Other ways to make contributions into your super

 

  Bank transfer

Log in to your account to get our account details and your payment reference number to make a contribution by bank transfer.

Log in to get our account details

 

 

  Direct debit form

Complete the Member direct debit form to set up a direct debit from your bank account into your HESTA account.

Download direct debit form (pdf) 

 


 

potential benefits of making after-tax contributions

Grow your super

Get a co-contribution from the government

(if eligible)

 

 

 

government co-contributions

 

Could your super savings get up to a $500 boost from the government? Find out if you’re eligible for a co-contribution. That’s where if you put some money in, the government could too.

 


 


who can make after-tax contributions into super?

 

Before you contribute extra to your super, you should consider your current financial situation and how much additional money you can afford to put away given you generally won't be able to access the money until you retire.

Most people can make after-tax contributions into their super account. You'll just need to ensure that you haven't gone over the after-tax 'contributions cap'. This is a limit on the amount of after-tax contributions you can make into your super account/s each financial year.
 

Contributions cap for after-tax (non-concessional) contributions

The cap for after-tax contributions (also known as non-concessional or voluntary contributions) is $120,000 for the 2024-25 financial year, although your own cap may be different.

Log in to your myGov account to see how you’re tracking against your cap. 

Find out more about the contributions cap in How your super is taxed (pdf)

 

After-tax contributions - bring forward rule

You can contribute up to $120,000 per year into your super using after-tax contributions.

Eligible individuals may ‘bring forward’ two future years contribution caps and make a larger contribution. Eligibility to ‘bring forward’ will depend on your age and total super balance. Go to the ATO website to see if you’re eligible and what your cap might be. For example, this means you could put in up to three times the contribution cap in the first year (2024-2025) of $360,000 but won’t be able to make any more after-tax contributions for 3 years until 2027-2028.

There may be other limits on after-tax contributions depending on your account balance as well.

Read more about the bring forward rule on the ATO website.

 

Total super balance

If your total super balance (across all your super funds) is $1.9 million or more at the start of this financial year, you should seek financial advice before you contribute any after-tax earnings to your super as there may be tax consequences.

Find out about how after-tax contributions are taxed in How your super is taxed (pdf).

 

 

 

see the difference an extra $30 a week into your super could make 

 

Regular contributions of $30 (or less!) from your take-home pay could make a real difference to your super balance in years to come. Every little bit you put into your super now is invested and, over time, could potentially grow your savings.

See the potential benefits of making regular contributions into your super account.

 

Meet Tom and Jill

  • Aged 25 and plan on working until age 67
  • Each earn $55,000 before tax per annum 
  • Both start with no money in their super account

 

 

Tom

Tom doesn't make any extra contributions to his super

Super contribution: Super Guarantee only from age 25

Tom's super balance at age 67:

$428,483

 

 

Jill

Jill contributes $30 extra per week from her take-home pay from age 25

Super contribution: Super Guarantee plus $30 per week from age 25

Jill's super balance at age 67:

$551,873

 

 

The difference

Jill retires with the most super savings: $551,873

That’s $123,390 more than Tom.

Jill is proof that if you can afford it, making extra contributions is a great way to boost your retirement savings. And you can benefit from compound interest (which is interest earned upon the initial interest).

 

*Assumptions based on: Superannuation Guarantee (SG) rate assumed at 11.5% until 30 June 2025 and increases by 0.5% to 12% from 1 July 2025 onwards. Rate of return on investment of 6.20% after the deduction of investment fees and costs, transaction costs and taxes. The final amount does not take into consideration any administration fees and costs or additional fees. All figures are rounded to nearest dollar. Relevant after-tax contribution per week, assumes government co-contribution (if eligible) payable to age 67. Contributions received quarterly. LISTO received at the end of each year. Tax on SG contributions applied at 15%. Before-tax salary and contributions indexed at 2.5%. Inflation applied at 2.5% to calculate Future Value, all figures in today’s dollars.

 

 

 

 

tax deductions on after-tax contributions

Did you know you might be able to claim a tax deduction if you’ve made a personal after-tax (non-concessional) contribution to your super? This could mean you get something back when you complete your tax return.

 

 

you might also be interested in ...
 

 

Contributions calculator

Work out whether to make contributions before or after tax — or a mix of both — with ASIC's Moneysmart Super contribution optimiser tool.

 

Spouse contributions

If you’re not working, are the main caregiver for your family or you’re working part-time, your spouse or partner may be able to make extra contributions for you. 

 

 

 

 

Need some expert help with contributions?

Our super advisers can help work out a regular or lump sum contribution strategy that's right for you. You can see a super adviser at no extra cost: it’s all part of being with HESTA.