How to Claim Your Super After Leaving Australia as a Temporary Resident

Who can claim super after leaving Australia?

The Departing Australia Superannuation Payment, usually called DASP, is the process for eligible former temporary residents to receive super they accumulated while working in Australia.

You generally qualify when all of these conditions are met:

• you accumulated super while holding an eligible temporary visa under the Migration Act 1958;
• the visa was not subclass 405 or 410;
• you have left Australia;
• your temporary visa has expired or been cancelled; and
• you are not an Australian citizen, New Zealand citizen or Australian permanent resident.

You cannot submit a DASP claim while you are still in Australia or while an Australian visa remains active. The online system does, however, allow you to enter and save information before departure so that you can complete the application later.

What should you organise before you leave?

The ATO recommends preparing for your claim before departure because documents and account information may be harder to obtain from overseas.

Before leaving, collect:

• your passport and current personal details;
• your Tax File Number if you have one;
• the names of your super funds;
• each fund's Australian Business Number where available;
• your membership or account numbers;
• current email and postal contact details; and
• identity documents your super fund may require.

Also check with your employer that it has paid all super contributions that are due to you. Submitting your DASP before an outstanding contribution reaches the fund can leave money behind.

Do you need a TFN to claim DASP?

No. Your Tax File Number is optional in the DASP online application.

Providing it is useful, however, because the system can search ATO records for super accounts associated with you and identify money that has already been transferred to the ATO. Without a TFN, you may need to provide more of the account information yourself.

How do you find super accounts you have lost track of?

If you worked for several employers, you may have more than one super account. Once Home Affairs confirms that you are eligible for DASP, the online system can search ATO records for your super when you provide your TFN.

The results may show both super held by funds and super that has already been transferred to the ATO as unclaimed super money. If an account is not found automatically, you can add an application manually using the super fund's ABN and your membership details.

Before making structural changes to several accounts, consider the DASP tax consequences. In particular, special tax rules can apply where super attributable to a Working Holiday Maker visa is included in a payment.

How do you apply for DASP online?

The ATO's DASP online application system is free and is the simplest route for most eligible former temporary residents.

The system asks for:

• your name, date of birth and other personal details;
• your email address and contact information;
• your passport country and passport number;
• your TFN, if you choose to provide it; and
• details of your super accounts where they cannot be located automatically.

Your personal and passport details are checked with the Department of Home Affairs to confirm that you have departed Australia, your visa has ceased and whether you have held a Working Holiday Maker visa.

The online application takes approximately 30 minutes to complete when you have the necessary information. You can save an application before departure, but you can submit it only after leaving Australia and after your visa has ceased.

Once submitted, the system sends confirmation to your email address and makes the application available to the relevant super fund or the ATO for processing.

Can you claim DASP with a paper form?

Yes. The correct paper form depends on who holds the money.

• For super still held by a super fund, use Application for a departing Australia superannuation payment, NAT 7204. You need a separate application for each fund and send it directly to the relevant super fund, not to the ATO or Home Affairs.
• For super held by the ATO, use Application for payment of ATO-held superannuation money, NAT 74880 and send it to the address specified by the ATO.

The ATO does not charge for the online DASP service or for a paper claim sent to the ATO. Extra requirements can apply when you claim directly from a super fund on paper.

What if a paper fund claim is $5,000 or more?

If the withdrawal benefit from a super fund is $5,000 or more and you use a paper application, the fund may require a Certification of Immigration Status from the Department of Home Affairs confirming that you left Australia and your temporary visa ceased.

The certification is requested using Form 1194. As verified on 14 September 2026, the Home Affairs charging arrangement specifies a AUD55 fee for the certification. The charge must accompany the request and is generally not refunded if the request is unsuccessful.

If the withdrawal benefit is below $5,000, you may instead be able to provide your own evidence of departure and visa cessation. Your super fund decides what evidence it requires and can still request formal certification where necessary.

What if your super is now held by the ATO?

If you do not claim your super and more than 6 months have passed since you left Australia and your visa ceased, your super fund may transfer the balance to the ATO as unclaimed super money.

This does not mean you lose the money. An eligible former temporary resident can still claim ATO-held super as a DASP. The online DASP application system can identify ATO-held amounts when sufficient identifying information is available.

For ATO-held DASP paid directly by the ATO, available payment methods differ from those offered by individual funds. The ATO states that ATO-held super can be paid by electronic funds transfer to an Australian bank account in your name or by cheque.

How long does DASP take to be paid?

The ATO states that, generally, you will receive your payment within 28 days after the relevant super fund or the ATO receives all the information it requires.

The period can be longer if the payer needs to verify identity, immigration information, account ownership or other details. If you want an update on a claim to a super fund, contact that fund directly. For ATO-held money, contact the ATO.

The DASP application system lets you view submitted applications, but it does not show whether a fund has finished processing them.

How much tax is deducted from a DASP?

DASP is subject to a final withholding tax when it is paid. It is not treated as an ordinary superannuation lump sum and is not included as assessable or exempt income in your Australian income tax return.

For a DASP that is not subject to the Working Holiday Maker rate, the current rates are:

• 0% on the tax-free component;
• 35% on the taxable component's taxed element; and
• 45% on the taxable component's untaxed element.

The payer calculates and withholds the tax before sending you the balance.

What tax applies if you held a Working Holiday visa?

A separate 65% DASP tax rate applies to the taxable component of a Working Holiday Maker DASP. Working Holiday Maker visas include subclasses 417 and 462 and certain associated bridging visas.

If you have held both a Working Holiday Maker visa and another type of visa, each super fund determines whether its DASP includes contributions attributable to the period when you held the Working Holiday Maker visa. If it does, the Working Holiday Maker rate applies to the entire taxable payment from that fund, including amounts accumulated while you held other visas. If the fund's payment contains no super attributable to your Working Holiday Maker period, the ordinary DASP rates apply.

Because each super fund makes a separate payment, the applicable rate is determined separately for each fund.

What happens after the payment is made?

The super fund or ATO deducts the applicable DASP tax and sends you the net amount using the payment method available for that payer.

The payer must provide a DASP payment summary within 14 days of making the payment. The summary shows the amount paid and the DASP tax withheld.

You should keep this document with your financial records. The DASP itself is not included in your Australian income tax return because the withholding is a final tax.

Common DASP mistakes to avoid

• Trying to submit before leaving Australia. You may prepare an online application in advance, but you cannot submit it until you have departed.
• Applying while a visa is still active. Your temporary visa must have ceased before the DASP application can be submitted.
• Forgetting an additional super account. Check all employers, fund statements and the online DASP search before finalising your claims.
• Applying before all employer contributions arrive. Check that your employer has paid everything required before claiming.
• Sending NAT 7204 to the ATO. A paper NAT 7204 application must be sent directly to the super fund holding the account.
• Ignoring identification requirements. A fund may require certified identity documents, particularly for larger claims.
• Assuming every temporary visa qualifies. Visa subclasses 405 and 410 are excluded from this DASP eligibility route.
• Assuming Working Holiday Maker tax applies only to contributions made during that visa. Where a fund's DASP includes WHM-period contributions, the 65% rate can apply to the entire taxable payment from that fund.