There is roughly $13 billion dollars in unclaimed superannuation in Australia (commonly referred to as 'Lost Super'). This could be your money if you have lost track of you super over the years and it is important that you claim it because it is your money for your retirement and future. It’s possible that you have lost track of your super due to circumstances such as:

• Moved homes and changed address
• Changed your name
• Changed jobs and signed up to your employer's default fund each time, neglecting to rollover your existing fund(s)
• Had multiple jobs where you had multiple super funds

Finding your lost super
Fortunately the Australian Taxation Office keeps a list of all contributors that have been reported by super fund trustees as a lost super account and there is a free service you can access to find your unclaimed super funds.

The Australian Taxation Office’s SuperSeeker is a tool that helps you look for your lost super. It is free service available online, by phone or by paper and will provide you with a list of possible matches. In order to track down your lost super, you will need to provide your Tax File Number (TFN), family and given names and your date of birth. If a match is found, it is up to you to contact the relevant super fund and instruct them on what you would like to do. In some cases the account may be held in the care of the ATO so you will need to contact them instead.

It’s important when you find any lost super to consider rolling over the funds to your existing super fund or if there are multiple lost accounts then consolidating them to save on fees and costs. Click here to find out more on superannuation rollovers and consolidating multiple super accounts.