Frequently asked questions

Vanguard's philosophy is all about our focus on you. We put this into action in many ways. From our simple, yearly fee, to our commitment to clear communication, Vanguard Super is grounded in our longstanding commitment to put our clients' interests first. Globally, Vanguard Group Inc.’s scale, combined with a focus on efficient investment management, helps to keep costs low. And that means more of your money stays in your account, helping to grow your retirement balance. For more, head to About us.

When it comes to your super, you want the best minds in the business running the show. We're proud to say we've got this kind of leadership and expertise at Vanguard Super, both in our highly qualified Board of Directors and the broader Vanguard Super Management Team. For more on our Board, see About us.

Yes. You can download the Vanguard Australia app from the App Store or Google Play*. As a Vanguard Super member you’ll have immediate access to our secure online portal for a simple, easy way to manage all aspects of your Vanguard Super account. Access your account anytime via all your devices. We want our members to have a seamless, simple experience every time they’re logged on, whether through Vanguard Online, our secure portal, or any other applications. 

*Apple and the Apple logo are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. App Store is a service mark of Apple Inc. registered in the U.S. and other countries. Google Play and the Google Play logo are trademarks of Google LLC.

We want you to always be clear about exactly how much you’re paying for your super. Your yearly fee is all mapped out for you on Vanguard Online - including what portion of your fee goes to admin, transaction and investment costs. 

For example, if you have $50,000 in the Vanguard MySuper (Lifecycle) investment option, you’ll have:

• Administration fees and costs equivalent to 0.35% of your account balance per year 
• Investment fees and costs equivalent to 0.21% of your account balance per year 
• Transaction costs equivalent to 0.02% of your account balance per year. 

Therefore, for a balance of $50,000 in the Vanguard MySuper (Lifecycle) investment option at the beginning of the year, you will be charged or have deducted from your investment, fees and costs of $290 for that year. 

Note that additional fees may apply. For example, if you invest in investment options other than Vanguard MySuper (Lifecycle), the investment fees and costs and transaction costs may be different to those shown in the example above.

More details are available in the ‘Fees and costs’ information in Your super guide.

Alternatively, for a clear breakdown of the cost of product, use our fee calculator to see the yearly fees and costs that apply to your super balance.

In addition, if you want to see how our MySuper fees stack up against the competition, use the ATO’s YourSuper comparison tool.

Administration fees are deducted from your super account every month. You’ll see them listed clearly as monthly transactions in your record of account activity available via Vanguard Online. (Also, it’s good to know you won’t pay any admin fees on the portion of your super account above $850,000.) 

If you want to see how our MySuper fees stack up against other super funds, use the ATO’s YourSuper comparison tool.

Super is taxed in a range of ways, but it’s generally taxed at lower rates than many other forms of investment to encourage retirement savings.

Any Superannuation Guarantee (SG) contributions your employer makes to your Vanguard Super - or any other super account – are generally taxed at 15%. If you make super contributions as part of a salary sacrifice scheme with your employer, these are also generally taxed in the super fund at a rate of 15%.

There are some instances where the tax rate may be higher (for instance, if you go over the contribution caps, or if you’re a high- income earner, you’ll pay higher rates of tax.) 

Any personal contributions you make, such as personal non-deductible contributions, and spouse contributions, are generally not taxed. Note there are limits on the amount of contributions you can make. If you go over these limits, you may be taxed.

For more on how your super contributions are taxed, refer to Vanguard Super’s Your super guide (under ‘How super is taxed’). 

As an employer, you can make contributions to Vanguard Super via a clearing house. Vanguard’s preferred clearing house is SuperChoice.

Yes, you can. Register to use SuperChoice if you aren’t already registered.  

Yes, you can. 

As a Vanguard Super member, you get to choose how your super’s invested.  Whether you’d like a ready-made, diversified portfolio that’s already been constructed for you, or you’d prefer to select your investments to create your own unique portfolio, we’ve got something to suit your needs. If you prefer to construct your own portfolio, you'll have the choice of selecting different investment options when you sign up. Get a good overview of your choices here.

Of course, you don’t have to make an investment choice. If you don’t select a specific investment option (or options), you’ll automatically become a Vanguard MySuper member, and we’ll invest your super in our Lifecycle investment option, (this is the MySuper investment option for Vanguard Super). 

If you want more on how we invest your money, check our Investing Your Super guide.

If you don’t make an investment choice when you join, you’ll automatically become a Vanguard MySuper member, and we’ll invest your super in our default Lifecycle investment option. Lifecycle is a diversified investment option with a dynamic asset class mix. The mix automatically adjusts as you get older, gradually reducing your exposure to investment risk.  We're proud to offer this simple but sophisticated approach as our default option for members.

As a Vanguard Super member, you get to choose how you'd like your money invested. Whether it’s a ready-made, diversified portfolio of investments pre-selected by the experts; a selection of sector-specific options you can use as building-blocks to create your own portfolio, or the Lifecycle investment option that automatically adjusts according to your age – the choice is yours.

You can change the way your Vanguard Super account is invested at any stage. For instance, if you’d like to switch from our Lifecycle investment option to a Single Sector investment option (or vice versa) you can make these changes anytime via Vanguard Online. 

You can change how your super is invested via Vanguard Online at any time. 

If you’re invested in our Lifecycle investment option, for example, you can switch to our Diversified investment options, or our Single Sector investment options, if you’d prefer to build your own unique portfolio. You can make these changes anytime via Vanguard Online. 

If you don’t select a specific investment option (or options) when you first join us, you’ll automatically become a Vanguard MySuper member, and your account will be invested in our Lifecycle investment option.

If you’d prefer to build your own portfolio, you have the choice of mixing and matching investments using our Lifecycle, Single Sector and Diversified investment options to build your own unique portfolio.

You can’t invest directly in Vanguard ETFs through your Vanguard Super account. You are, however, able to invest in the same underlying assets that make up our ETFs. 

For example, if you’d like to invest in Australian Shares, you can invest directly in the Vanguard Australian Shares Index Fund as opposed to the Vanguard Australian Shares Index ETF. Outside of Super, you can also invest directly in Vanguard ETFs via our Personal Investor platform or other brokerage platforms.

A good place to start is our Portfolio Holdings Disclosure documentation. This is updated twice a year (as at 31 December and 30 June, in accordance with Portfolio Holdings Disclosure regulations) and gives you a detailed view of all the underlying assets (or “holdings") Vanguard Super is invested in through our different investment options.

You can access the current holdings here.

While there’s no cost from Vanguard Super to transfer your super, it’s worth checking what costs may be charged by your existing fund to transfer. It’s also worth checking any impact a change of funds may have on your insurance cover. 

You can transfer your super to Vanguard Super at any time. To make the move, start by signing up to become a Vanguard Super member. You'll need to let your employer know where to make future contributions, so make sure you fill out a Have my super paid to Vanguard Super form while you're there. 

Once you’re set-up with your Vanguard Super account, you can combine any other super accounts you may have into your new Vanguard Super account. To do this, we suggest:

1. Logging into Vanguard Online to search for your other super accounts. You’ll need one form of ID and your TFN if you haven’t already provided it.  We’ll send you an email shortly after you join to step you through the process. After you get the results of the search, you can also ask Vanguard Super to combine them for you (excluding SMSF’s.)
2. Completing a form through Vanguard Online. If you want to transfer whole or part of your super balance using a form, complete the Consolidate My Super form. Send it to Vanguard Super via secure message and we’ll complete the rest of the process. 
3. Consolidating through the Australian Taxation Office (ATO). An alternative way to consolidate your super accounts is through your myGov account linked to the ATO. You’ll see your existing super accounts listed under the ‘Super’ tab within the ATO site. The ATO’s site can take a number of working days to update, so ensure you check back if it’s not there. From here you can manage and ‘transfer’ your super accounts. For more information about the myGov consolidation process, see the ATO's website.
   

It’s also worth noting, if you want to transfer funds from an SMSF you will need to use Option 2 or Option 3. 

As a Vanguard Super member, if you’re eligible for cover we'll provide you with a basic level of Death and Total & Permanent Disablement (TPD) cover. The premiums are paid from your super account monthly, so nothing extra comes out of your pocket.

Vanguard Super also offers Income Protection cover for eligible members. You need to apply for this separately, as it’s not part of the default cover we offer. We’ve done this to keep our default cover as affordable as possible, and to avoid unnecessarily eroding your retirement savings by having you pay for more cover than you might need. Read more about Vanguard Super's insurance options.

You can change your cover at any time to better suit your needs.

Your cover is automatic with your Vanguard Super membership but eligibility rules still apply. In order to be eligible for default Death and TPD cover, you need to meet a number of minimum requirements. For more about your eligibility, refer to our member guide, Insurance in your super.

If you’d like to speak to someone about your specific insurance needs, or what level of cover is right for you, we suggest you speak with a financial adviser. 

The cost of your insurance cover (or your "premium") is based on a number of factors, including the type and amount of cover you have, your age and your gender. It's also based on the type of work you do, known as your 'occupation category.' Insurance premiums are reviewed every year.

If you already have cover through another super fund, you have a couple of options. You can: 

• Transfer your cover to Vanguard Super.
• Keep your cover where it is. 
• Opt out of our default cover through Vanguard Super. You can do this when you join. If you’ve joined through an employer, you’ll need to complete an Opt out of default cover form.

As part of your Vanguard Super account you have access to simple, smart and flexible cover that you can change according to your needs. Apply to increase, decrease or cancel your cover at any time. If you’ve got any questions about your insurance options, don’t hesitate to get in touch on 1300 655 101 and we’ll help you get it sorted. 

If you'd like to change or cancel your cover, you can do so any time via Vanguard Online. If you’d like to speak to someone about your insurance needs, give us a call on 1300 655 101. 

Vanguard Super is a comprehensive super offer that will include a pension option. We currently have an accumulation offer and pension products will be offered soon.    

Register your details to be kept up to date on our pension offer.

Vanguard Super is a comprehensive super offer that will include a TTR option. We currently have an accumulation offer and a TTR option will be offered soon.

Register your details to be kept up to date on our pension offer.

Generally, your super is not accessible until you’ve stopped working and you’ve reached your ‘preservation age’ – this is the exact age when you’re eligible to access your super and it varies depending on when you were born. You can find your preservation age by referring to Vanguard Super’s Your super guide (under ‘Accessing your money’). 

In limited circumstances you may also be able to access some super earlier, but the government applies strict rules to which circumstances qualify and how much you can withdraw. 

These circumstances may include specified compassionate grounds, severe financial hardship, terminal medical condition or permanent incapacity.  and, occasionally, specific policy-related reasons. For more information on the conditions of early release, see the ATO's website. We’ve also got more information detailed in Vanguard Super’s Your super guide (under ‘accessing your money’).