Super choice rules will change from 1 November

stapled super fund

You’ll have an extra step to take if you have new employees who start from 1 November 2021 and they don’t choose a super fund.

 

You may now need to request their ‘stapled super fund’ details from the ATO.

 

A stapled super fund is an existing super account of an employee that follows them as they change jobs.

This change aims to stop your new employees paying extra account fees for unintended super accounts set up when they start a new job.

What you need to do from 1 November 2021

 

Step 1: Offer your eligible employees a choice of super fund

 

You need to give your eligible new employees a Super standard choice form and pay their super into the account they tell you on the form. Most employees are eligible to choose what fund their super goes into.

 

There is no change to this step of your super obligations.

 

Step 2: Request stapled super fund details

 

If your employee doesn’t choose a super fund, you may need to log into our Online services and go to ‘Employee Super Accounts’ to request their stapled super fund details. We can do this for you

 

The ATO will provide your employee’s stapled super fund details after they have confirmed that you are their employer.

 

If the ATO provide a stapled super fund result for your employee, you must pay your employee’s super using the stapled super fund details they provide you.

 

Step 3: Pay super into a default fund

 

You can pay into a default fund, or another fund that meets the choice of fund obligations if:

  • your employee doesn’t choose a super fund, and
  • the ATO have advised you that they don’t have a stapled super fund.

 

How to request stapled fund details?

To request a stapled super fund, you, or your authorised representative, need to:

  1. log into ATO online services.
  2. enter your employee’s details, including their:
    • TFN – an exemption code can be entered where an employee cannot provide their TFN, but this could result in processing delays
    • full name – including ‘other given name’ if known
    • date of birth
    • address (residential or postal), if TFN not given.
  3. ATO online system will use rules based on the regulations to work out and return a stapled super fund in response to a request.

You will receive the response on-screen. You should be notified of the result of the stapled super fund request within minutes.

The ATO will notify your employee of the stapled super fund request and the fund details they have provided.