If you’ve worked in Australia on a temporary visa, your employer has been paying superannuation for you — currently 12% on top of your wages. When you leave permanently, you don’t have to abandon that money. You can claim it as a Departing Australia Superannuation Payment (DASP).
Who can claim DASP?
You can claim your super as a DASP if all of these apply:
- You accumulated super while working in Australia on a temporary visa (this includes student visas and working holiday visas)
- Your visa has ceased to be in effect (expired or cancelled)
- You have left Australia
- You’re not an Australian or New Zealand citizen, or a permanent resident
Australian and NZ citizens and permanent residents can’t claim DASP — their super stays preserved for retirement.
How much tax comes out?
DASP is taxed as a final withholding tax before it’s paid to you — you don’t include it in an Australian tax return afterwards. The rates:
| Component | Standard rate | Working holiday makers (417/462) |
|---|---|---|
| Tax-free component | 0% | 0% |
| Taxable component (taxed element) | 35% | 65% |
| Taxable component (untaxed element) | 45% | 65% |
The 65% working holiday maker rate applies if you ever held a 417 or 462 visa and accumulated super while working under it — even if you later switched to a different visa. For most former students (never on a WHM visa), the typical outcome is 35% tax on the bulk of the payment.
Yes, the tax is significant. But the alternative is usually worse: unclaimed super is eventually transferred to the ATO, sits unindexed in many cases, and still gets taxed when you finally claim it.
How to claim
- Before you leave (ideally): track down all your super accounts. Many workers have two or three funds they’ve forgotten about. We can find them via your myGov/ATO records.
- Confirm your visa has ended. You can ask Home Affairs for evidence of visa cessation if needed.
- Apply through the ATO’s online DASP system (free) — or authorise us to prepare and lodge it for you, which is worth it if you have multiple funds, large balances, or the fund is asking for certified documents.
- Get paid. Funds generally must pay within 28 days of receiving a complete application. Payments can go to an Australian bank account, or overseas by cheque or international transfer depending on the fund.
Common problems we fix
- Multiple lost accounts — we consolidate the search so nothing is left behind
- Fund identity requirements — certified ID from overseas can be painful; we know what each fund accepts
- Employer never paid your super — if contributions are missing, we can help you chase unpaid super before you lose visibility from overseas
- WHM rate disputes — the 65% rate is sometimes applied incorrectly to people who never worked on a WHM visa
Claim it before you forget it
The best time to organise your DASP is in your last few months in Australia, while you can still access myGov easily and get documents certified. Book a free consultation — we can handle the whole claim, in your language, even after you’ve flown home. More on our DASP service page.
This article is general information only. Tax rates cited are current at publication (August 2026) and can change — check with us before acting.