Your Total Super Balance (TSB) is the total value of all your superannuation interests across all super funds. The ATO calculates your TSB each year on 30 June, and it determines your eligibility for several important superannuation strategies.
What Is Total Super Balance?
Your TSB on 30 June includes:
- The balance of all your accumulation accounts
- The value of any account-based pension accounts
- The value of any defined benefit interests (using a special formula)
- Any amounts that have been transferred out (rollover in transit on 30 June)
- Less: amounts in a retirement phase pension already counted toward your Transfer Balance Cap
The ATO updates your TSB each year after your fund reports your account balances.
Why Total Super Balance Matters
Your TSB on 30 June of the prior financial year determines your eligibility for a range of super strategies:
1. Carry-Forward Concessional Contributions (Catch-Up)
| TSB on 30 June prior year | Eligibility |
|---|---|
| Under $500,000 | Eligible to use carry-forward concessional cap amounts from prior 5 years |
| $500,000 or more | NOT eligible — must stay within standard $30,000 concessional cap |
Carry-forward allows you to contribute more than $30,000 in a year using unused cap from prior years — valuable for career breaks, windfalls, or catch-up strategies.
2. Non-Concessional Contribution Bring-Forward Rule
| TSB on 30 June prior year | Bring-forward available |
|---|---|
| Under $1.68M | Access 3-year bring-forward ($360,000 NCC in one year) |
| $1.68M–$1.79M | Reduced bring-forward ($240,000 over 2 years) |
| $1.79M–$1.9M | Reduced bring-forward ($120,000 — one year only, no bring-forward) |
| $1.9M or more | No NCC permitted |
If your TSB exceeds $1.9M (the Transfer Balance Cap), you cannot make any further non-concessional contributions.
Note: Thresholds are indexed and may change. The figures above are approximate for FY2024–25.
3. Eligibility for Personal Deductible Contributions
The work test (from July 2022, aged 67–74 must pass a work test OR the work test exemption) interacts with TSB but is separate. TSB itself does not affect personal deductible contribution eligibility for those under 67.
4. Government Co-Contribution
The government co-contribution has a TSB threshold — if your TSB is $1.9M or more, you are not eligible for the co-contribution.
How to Find Your Total Super Balance
- Log in to your myGov account
- Go to ATO online services
- Select Super → Information → Total super balance
The ATO shows your TSB based on fund reports. It is updated annually after the end of each financial year.
TSB vs Transfer Balance Cap
These are related but distinct:
| Concept | What it measures | Key threshold |
|---|---|---|
| Total Super Balance (TSB) | All your super interests across all phases | $500,000 (catch-up), $1.68M–$1.9M (NCC) |
| Transfer Balance Cap (TBC) | Amount you can move into tax-free pension phase | $1.9M |
Your TBC usage is tracked by the ATO via your Transfer Balance Account — a separate concept from TSB.
For more: Contribution Limits and Caps, Catch-Up Concessional Contributions, Super vs Shares. For advice on your super strategy, speak with a licensed financial adviser via MoneySmart.