Temporary and Past Residents - Superannuation Issues

We do not assist in the preparation or submission of Departing Australia Superannuation Payments (DASP) requests for temporary residents, they can be made very simply through the Australian Tax Office's DASP facility. 

Under the Temporary Residents’ Superannuation Legislation Amendment Act 2008 a temporary resident (who is not an Australian citizen, New Zealand citizen or a permanent resident) whose temporary visa has ceased to have effect can claim their Departing Australia Superannuation Payment (DASP) from their super fund within 6 months of their departure from Australia.

However, if a temporary resident whose temporary visa has ceased to have effect does not claim their DASP from their super fund within 6 months of departing Australia, their super benefit is treated as unclaimed money and the super fund must pay it to the Australian Taxation Office (ATO). The temporary resident will be able to reclaim their super benefit (less the DASP withholding tax) directly from the ATO at any time where certain conditions have been satisfied. If the departed temporary resident later becomes an Australian citizen, New Zealand citizen or the holder of a permanent visa, they can direct the ATO to rollover their super benefit from the ATO into a super fund. We are not clear regarding what level of return funds held with the ATO will make, but we are presuming it will be at a (low) statutory minimum. The legislation also increases the rate of withholding tax payable on a DASP paid from a taxed fund to 35% (up from 30%) where a DASP application is made on or after 1 April 2009.

Just a reminder.  If you are, or have been, a temporary visa holder who has not been covered by Medicare whilst in Australia - and either you or your employer has paid for private health insurance - then you are entitled to an exemption from the Medicare Levy/Surcharge and a refund of any Medicare levy or surcharge payments. These are usually deducted at source in Australia and temporary residents will often pay these taxes.

The refund process is quite cumbersome, requiring an individual exemption application for each tax year and passport certification, but refunds can often amount to thousands of dollars over the course of several years in Australia.and we simplify the process quite significantly. Our fees for managing this process are 20% of any rebate, subject to a minimum $100 charge, and this includes transferring refunds to any nominated Australian or overseas bank account.

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