The Australian Taxation Office estimates more than $17 billion in lost and unclaimed superannuation is held across Australia’s super system. Much of it belongs to people who changed jobs, moved house, or didn’t update their contact details with their fund.
Finding your lost super takes less than 10 minutes using the ATO’s SuperMatch tool, accessible through myGov. This guide walks you through the process step by step.
Key Takeaways
- The ATO estimates more than $17 billion in lost and unclaimed super is held across Australia’s super system
- Search for lost super in minutes via myGov → ATO online → Super → Manage → Find my super (SuperMatch)
- ‘Lost’ super (held by funds that have lost contact) and ‘unclaimed’ super (transferred to ATO) are both searchable
- Unclaimed super held by the ATO earns only CPI interest — not investment returns — while it sits unclaimed
- The most common causes: changing jobs frequently and not updating your address with your old fund
What Is Lost Super?
The ATO classifies super as “lost” when a fund has lost contact with a member — typically because the member hasn’t updated their address after moving. A super account is classified as lost if:
- The fund has received two pieces of mail returned unclaimed, OR
- Contributions haven’t been received for 12 months and the fund cannot contact the member
“Unclaimed super” is a further step — lost super that has been transferred to the ATO because the fund has been unable to locate the member after a certain period, or the member has reached preservation age without claiming their money.
Both lost super (held by funds) and unclaimed super (transferred to the ATO) can be found and claimed using myGov.
Why You Might Have Lost Super
The most common reasons:
- Changed jobs — your old employer opened a new default fund account for each job you started
- Changed address — your old fund can’t send mail to a new address they don’t have
- Changed name — super held under a previous surname may not be easily found
- Never claimed — super earned from short-term or casual work in early employment that you forgot about
- Small balance accounts — accounts with small balances from past jobs may have been overlooked
How to Find Your Lost Super (Step-by-Step)
Step 1 — Log in to myGov
Go to my.gov.au and log in. If you don’t have a myGov account, you can create one for free — you’ll need a mobile number and email address to set it up.
Step 2 — Link the ATO to Your myGov Account
If you haven’t linked the ATO service:
- Select “Link a service” in your myGov account
- Choose “Australian Taxation Office”
- Follow the prompts — you’ll need either a tax file number or a recent ATO document reference number to verify your identity
Step 3 — Open the ATO Super Search Tool
Once linked:
- Select “Australian Taxation Office” from your myGov dashboard
- In the ATO portal, navigate to “Super” → “Manage” → “Search for lost super”
This opens the SuperMatch tool.
Step 4 — Review Your Results
SuperMatch will display all super accounts linked to your tax file number. For each account you’ll see:
- The fund name
- Your member number
- The approximate balance (if available)
- Whether the account is active, inactive, or held by the ATO as unclaimed super
Review the list carefully. Some accounts may be ones you’re already aware of. Look for any you had forgotten about.
Step 5 — Claim Any ATO-Held Unclaimed Super
If the search shows money held by the ATO as unclaimed super:
- Select the unclaimed amount
- Choose to have it transferred to an active super fund account
The transfer to your nominated fund is typically processed within a few days.
Step 6 — Consolidate Accounts (Optional)
If you have multiple active super accounts you want to merge, you can initiate a rollover directly from the ATO portal — see How to Consolidate Your Super for the full process.
Other Ways to Search for Lost Super
If you don’t have myGov access or prefer an alternative:
- Contact your old employers — ask HR or payroll which super fund they used during your employment, and your member number
- Contact funds directly — if you know which funds you may have been in, contact them directly with your full name, date of birth, and tax file number
- Paper application — the ATO has a form (NAT 74880) you can lodge to have SuperMatch results sent to you by mail
What Counts as “Eligible Rollover Fund” (ERF) Accounts
Before 2019, inactive small accounts were often transferred to Eligible Rollover Funds (ERFs) — intermediary funds designed to hold small or inactive balances. ERFs were abolished, and their balances transferred to the ATO as unclaimed super, from 1 July 2019. If you had super in an ERF before 2019, it may now appear as ATO-held unclaimed super in your SuperMatch results.
How Much Lost Super Is Out There?
According to ATO data:
- Over $17 billion in lost and unclaimed super as of recent years
- More than 5 million lost super accounts exist in the system
- The average lost account holds approximately $3,000–$4,000
These amounts compound over time — even $3,000 found today, added to an active super account and invested in a growth option for 20 years, could grow to $10,000–$15,000 by retirement.
After You Find Your Lost Super
Once you’ve located all your super accounts, decide whether to consolidate them into a single fund. Before doing so, read Should I Consolidate My Super? — there are specific circumstances where keeping accounts separate makes sense, particularly around insurance.
For the full step-by-step consolidation process, see How to Consolidate Your Super into One Fund.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a fee to search for lost super? No. The ATO SuperMatch tool via myGov is free. No super fund or third-party service needs to charge you to find your own super — be cautious of any service that asks for a fee or a percentage of recovered super to do this on your behalf.
How long does it take to recover unclaimed super from the ATO? Once you submit a claim for ATO-held unclaimed super via myGov, it is typically transferred to your nominated super fund within a few business days.
What if my tax file number isn’t linked to an old super account? If your TFN wasn’t provided to an old fund (e.g. before TFN collection became standard), the fund may hold the account under your name and date of birth only. Contact old employers or funds directly with your personal details to locate these accounts. You can also submit your TFN to any fund holding your super — this allows future tax efficiency and ATO matching.
Can I find super for a deceased person? Yes. Legal personal representatives (executors of an estate) can contact super funds and the ATO to find and claim super on behalf of a deceased estate. The process involves providing probate or letters of administration documentation.
What happens to lost super if I never claim it? Super held by the ATO as unclaimed money remains there indefinitely — it does not expire. You can claim it at any time. However, the balance does not earn investment returns while held by the ATO; it accrues at the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rate only, so the real value does not grow meaningfully. Claiming and consolidating sooner rather than later preserves its investment potential.
For advice tailored to your situation, speak with a licensed financial adviser. You can find one through the ASIC financial advisers register or MoneySmart.