Unclaimed Superannuation If you've ever had a change of jobs during your working life without, you could well be one of millions of Australians with lost or unclaimed superannuation. Preventing Unclaimed Superannuation By keeping track of your superannuation during your working life, you can avoid having to go through the inconvenience of having to track them down at a later stage which could involve a significant amount of time, paperwork and frustration. Always be sure to update your contact details for all of your superannuation funds whenever you change addresses. This is usually just a matter of making a simple phone call to your fund. Depending on the frequency of your job changes, you may have small amounts of money distributed over several funds. If this is the case, combining or rolling over these amounts into a single fund could help you save on the administration fees charged by the fund while making it easier to keep track of your super. Find Lost Superannuation If you believe you have some unclaimed superannuation out there, the process required to find lost superannuation funds belonging to you will generally be to: locate lost funds using the ATO's online SuperSeeker tool identify any additional superannuation funds from past employment contact all of the located super funds complete the necessary forms required to withdraw your money or rollover to another fund SuperSeeker SuperSeeker is an online tool provided by the Australian Tax Office which will attempt to provide you with a list of possible lost superannuation accounts which match your personal details. To use the SuperSeeker tool, simply enter your tax file number, surname, first name and date of birth in the fields provided and click on the 'Submit' button. Note that the results returned are limited only to superannuation funds which have formally reported you as a 'lost' member when they have been unable to contact you. You may, in fact, have more money in other funds not in the list. If so, you'll have to locate them manually. Manually Locating Unclaimed Super Make a list of each job you have had. Using your resume/CV will help with this. If you do not know where your super contributions went to during your employment, contact any former colleagues you may still be in touch with to get the information you need. Contacting the Super Funds You can now proceed to call each fund you believe may have some of your unclaimed superannuation. Once your account has been verified by the fund, you will usually be required to submit the necessary forms to either withdraw your money (if eligible) or roll them over to another fund. These forms will usually either be mailed to you from the fund or can be downloaded from their website. Good luck and, depending on your situation, be prepared for a bit of work in recovering your lost superannuation. Recommended Reading Manage your own super with DIY Self-Managed Superannuation Funds. Minimise fees and enjoy high returns with Industry Super Funds. Get tips on how to Choose the Right Super Fund. Understand the various types of Superannuation Funds available.