If you hold money in a foreign super fund you may be able to:
- transfer it to a complying Australian super fund
- withdraw it directly as a lump sum.
Note that, depending on the foreign country’s retirement income system, a 'foreign super fund' for the purposes of Australian law may be known in its home country as a retirement fund, pension fund, retirement savings plan or similar.
Whether you can transfer or withdraw money from a foreign super fund will depend on the fund's rules and the laws of its home country.
When received in Australia or by an Australian resident, transfers and payments from a foreign super fund may be taxed on the applicable fund earnings part of the transfer or payment. The applicable fund earnings are the earnings on your foreign super interest that have accrued since you became an Australian resident for tax purposes.
Transfers between Australian super funds and New Zealand KiwiSaver schemes under the voluntary Trans-Tasman Retirement Savings Portability scheme are treated differently.
Options for transferring or withdrawing money from a foreign super fund and the tax implications in Australia.