Super Preservation Age: When Can You Access It?
Preservation age is the age at which you can start accessing your super — now 60 for everyone born after 30 June 1964. But reaching it isn't enough on its own: you also need a condition of release.
- The age: preservation age is 60 for anyone born from 1 July 1964. Earlier cohorts had a lower age on a 55-to-60 sliding scale, now all reached.
- The condition: reaching preservation age isn't enough — you also need a condition of release, usually retiring, starting a transition-to-retirement pension, or turning 65.
- Early access: super can only be accessed before preservation age in narrow cases: severe financial hardship, compassionate grounds, terminal illness, or permanent incapacity.
01 Preservation age is now 60
Your super is 'preserved' until you reach preservation age. That age was historically a sliding scale from 55 to 60 based on birth year, but it has fully phased in: anyone born from 1 July 1964 has a preservation age of 60, which covers everyone retiring today. Enter your birth year to confirm yours.
Shows: your preservation age from your year of birth. Ignores: the separate condition of release you also need, and early-access hardship/compassionate grounds.
Preservation age is widely treated as the age at which super becomes available, and it is only half the test. Reaching 60 permits access; it does not grant it. Without a condition of release the money stays locked, which is why someone who turns 60 and keeps working in the same job frequently discovers their balance is no more reachable than it was at 59 — and why the rule about ceasing an employment arrangement matters far more than the birthday does.
On the defaults above, the worked example shows: Anyone born from 1 July 1964 has a preservation age of 60 — the sliding scale has fully phased out.
02 You also need a condition of release
Reaching preservation age unlocks the possibility of access, but you also need to meet a condition of release before any money can actually leave the fund.
The common ones are: retiring after reaching preservation age, meaning you have ceased employment and do not intend to work more than 10 hours a week again; ceasing any employment arrangement after 60, which releases everything accumulated to that point even if you start another job immediately; starting a transition-to-retirement income stream, which gives restricted access while you keep working; and turning 65, which releases everything automatically regardless of work status.
The second of these is the one most people do not know about and the one that most often applies. Someone who changes jobs at 61 has met a condition of release on their whole balance at that moment, whether or not they consider themselves retired — and the release is permanent, so the money stays accessible even after they start the new role.
03 Early access before preservation age
Super can be accessed before preservation age only in narrowly defined circumstances: severe financial hardship, specified compassionate grounds such as certain medical costs or preventing the loss of a home, a terminal medical condition, or permanent incapacity.
These are assessed case by case against strict criteria, and most involve applying to your fund or to the ATO with supporting evidence. Severe financial hardship generally requires having been on qualifying income support for a continuous period and being unable to meet reasonable immediate living expenses, and the amount releasable is capped.
None of these is a retirement strategy, and it is worth being explicit about that because promoters occasionally suggest otherwise. Schemes offering early access outside these grounds are illegal, the released amount is taxed at penalty rates, and the promoter's fee is gone regardless. If someone offers to unlock your super early for a fee, the correct response is to report them.
The full decision is in When Can I Retire in Australia.
The single most out-of-date 'fact' I see repeated about Australian super is that preservation age is 55. It isn't — for anyone retiring now it's 60, full stop. The subtler trap is thinking 60 alone unlocks the money; you need a condition of release too. If you're 60 and still working full-time, your super generally stays locked until you retire, start a TTR pension, or turn 65. Plan around both the age and the condition.
FAQ
What is the super preservation age?
The age you can start accessing super — now 60 for everyone born after 30 June 1964. Earlier cohorts had a lower age on a 55-to-60 scale that has fully phased out.
Is preservation age still 55?
No — that's outdated. The sliding scale has phased in to 60 for everyone retiring today.
Can I access super just by turning 60?
Not automatically. You also need a condition of release — usually retiring, starting a transition-to-retirement pension, or turning 65 (when access becomes automatic).
Sources
Regulator references
- ATO — When you can access your superPreservation age and the conditions of release that allow super to be accessed.Last verified: 2026-06-19
- ASIC Moneysmart — Accessing your superWhen super can be accessed, and the conditions of release that permit it earlier.Last verified: 2026-06-19
Calculator unit tests · the assertions this page's worked example is checked against, and their last result
Changelog
- 2026-06-19 — initial publish (new format)
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Jordan Reeves
Founder of Talk Through Wealth. A software engineer for over a decade before turning to retirement planning, Jordan built the projection engine after watching family members get fragmented, country-by-country advice that never reconciled. He writes about retirement the way the engine computes it: month-by-month, lifetime-long, and skeptical of any rule of thumb that hasn't been run through the math.