Departing Australia Superannuation Payment (DASP)
Anyone who worked in Australia on a temporary visa has almost certainly had superannuation paid into a fund on their behalf, usually without much thought at the time.
Once you’ve left the country permanently and your visa has expired or been cancelled, the law lets you claim that money back as a Departing Australia Superannuation Payment (DASP).
AMA Accountants’ registered tax agents handle the full process: locating every fund that holds your super, lodging a correct claim, and checking the tax withheld against your actual visa and contribution history before you accept it.
The Key Takeaways About DASP:
- You can claim a DASP once you’ve left Australia permanently, your temporary visa has expired or been cancelled, and you hold no other active Australian visa.
- DASP tax is a final withholding tax, deducted by your super fund (or the ATO) before payment. It is not reported in an Australian tax return and generally cannot be reduced or refunded afterwards.
- Working holiday makers (visa subclass 417 or 462) are taxed at a flat 65% on the taxable component. Other eligible temporary visa holders are generally taxed at 35% on the taxed element and 45% on any untaxed element; the tax-free component isn’t taxed.
- If your balance exceeds $5,000, you may need a Certificate of Immigration Status from the Department of Home Affairs unless you apply through the ATO’s online system, which checks your status automatically.
- Unclaimed super is transferred to the ATO around six months after you leave. There’s no deadline to claim it once it’s there, but the process generally takes longer than claiming directly from your fund.
What Is the Departing Australia Superannuation Payment?
Superannuation is Australia’s compulsory retirement savings system. Employers must contribute a percentage of an eligible employee’s earnings into a super fund, and that money is normally locked away until the employee reaches preservation age, decades later in most cases.
Temporary residents don’t retire in Australia, so the system makes an exception: once you’ve permanently left the country and your visa has ceased, you can apply to have your super paid out to you, less withholding tax. This is the DASP.
Your DASP balance can include:
- Compulsory Superannuation Guarantee contributions your employer paid on your behalf.
- Any voluntary or salary-sacrificed contributions you made.
- Investment earnings on both, positive or negative, up to the date of payment.
It does not include super accumulated while working under visa subclass 405 (Investor Retirement) or 410 (Retirement), which are specifically excluded from the DASP scheme.
Who Is Eligible?
According to the ATO, you can generally apply for a DASP if all of the following apply:
– You accumulated super while working in Australia on a temporary resident visa issued under the *Migration Act 1958* (excluding subclasses 405 and 410).
– That visa has ceased to be in effect — it has expired or been cancelled.
– You have left Australia and do not hold any other active Australian visa.
– You are not an Australian or New Zealand citizen, and not a permanent resident of Australia.
New Zealand citizens leaving Australia permanently have a separate option: rather than claiming a DASP, they may be able to transfer their Australian super into a New Zealand KiwiSaver scheme under the trans-Tasman retirement savings portability arrangement.
A frequent and costly mistake is applying too early ,before the visa has actually expired, or while a replacement visa application is still pending with the Department of Home Affairs.
The ATO’s DASP online system checks your immigration status electronically, and an application lodged before your status is actually “ceased” will simply be rejected, wasting weeks.
How Much Tax Will Be Withheld?
DASP tax rates depend on two things: which component of your balance is being paid, and whether you have ever held a Working Holiday (subclass 417) or Work and Holiday (subclass 462) visa.
| Visa history | Component | Tax rate |
|---|---|---|
| Ever held a 417 or 462 visa (Working Holiday Maker) | Taxable component (taxed and untaxed elements) | 65% |
| Any other eligible temporary visa | Taxed element of taxable component | 35% |
| Any other eligible temporary visa | Untaxed element of taxable component | 45% |
| Any visa type | Tax-free component | 0% |
If you have ever held a 417 or 462 visa, the 65% rate applies to the entire taxable component linked to that period, even if you later moved onto a different type of visa before leaving Australia.
It’s a common assumption that a later, non-WHM visa “resets” the rate; it doesn’t.
Because DASP tax is a final withholding tax, it is deducted at the point of payment and is not included in or adjustable through an Australian income tax return.
There is no legal mechanism to claim it back later based on your income, residency, or circumstances after the payment is made.
This is precisely why the tax calculation needs to be right the first time; it’s effectively a one-shot process.
Worked example
A working holiday maker with a super balance of $4,000, entirely in the taxable, taxed-element category, would have $2,600 withheld (65%) and receive a net payment of $1,400.
A non-WHM temporary visa holder with the same $4,000 balance, all in the taxed element, would have $1,400 withheld (35%) and receive $2,600.
The difference of $1,200 on an identical balance illustrates why confirming your correct visa history and rate before applying genuinely matters.
Certificate of Immigration Status
For claims made directly to a super fund using the paper application (form NAT 7204), a Certificate of Immigration Status from the Department of Home Affairs is generally required once your balance exceeds $5,000.
If you apply through the ATO’s free DASP online system instead, this step is usually unnecessary because the system verifies your immigration status electronically with Home Affairs as part of the application, which is one of the main reasons the online pathway is faster for most claimants.
How to Apply for Your DASP?
Confirm eligibility.
Your visa must have expired or been cancelled, and you must have left Australia with no other active Australian visa.
Locate every fund holding your super.
Casual and short-term jobs are the most common source of “forgotten” super, and it’s not unusual to find two or three separate funds, or a balance already sitting with the ATO as unclaimed money.
Gather your documents:
passport, visa details, Tax File Number (TFN, optional but strongly recommended), and each fund’s member number.
Choose your application method:
Most claimants use the ATO’s online DASP system, free of charge, which can be started and saved while you’re still in Australia. Alternatively, use the paper forms: NAT 7204 for super held by a fund, or NAT 74880 for super already held by the ATO.
Lodge the application:
after you’ve actually left the country, since a DASP cannot be paid while you’re still in Australia.
Receive your payment summary:
Your fund (or the ATO) must issue this within 14 days of payment, showing the gross amount, tax withheld, and net amount paid.
Check the tax withheld:
Compare it against your actual visa history and the components of your balance because this is the step where errors most often go unnoticed.
Once a complete application is received, payment is typically processed within about 28 days, though individual funds may be faster or slower depending on internal processing times and whether any information is missing.
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Payment Methods
Depending on your fund, DASP can usually be paid by electronic funds transfer (EFT) to any bank account, including an overseas account, international money transfer (IMT), or in some cases by cheque.
Not all funds offer every option, so it’s worth confirming with each fund directly. Keeping an Australian bank account open, where practical, can sometimes speed up the transfer compared to an international one.
What Happens If You Don't Claim in Time?
If your DASP isn’t claimed within six months of leaving Australia (or of your visa expiring, whichever is relevant), your super fund is generally required to transfer your balance to the ATO as unclaimed superannuation money.
This isn’t a loss of your entitlement but you can still apply for it at any time, with no deadline, once it’s held by the ATO, using form NAT 74880 or the online system. The same tax rates continue to apply.
The main practical difference is that dealing with the ATO directly, rather than your original fund, can involve more documentation and a slower turnaround, especially if your contact details have changed since you left.
Returning to Australia After Claiming a DASP
Claiming a DASP does not, by itself, affect a future Australian visa application.
However, once your super has been paid out as a DASP, it cannot be reinstated or reclaimed , even if you later return to Australia and work here again, including on a permanent basis.
Any new work will simply start building a fresh super balance from scratch.
Common DASP Mistakes We See
- Applying before the visa has actually ceased, or while a new visa is still pending, leading to automatic rejection.
- Missing a super fund entirely, particularly from short casual roles, and leaving that money unclaimed for years.
- Assuming a later, non-working-holiday visa removes the 65% rate on super linked to an earlier 417 or 462 period , it generally doesn’t.
- Not obtaining a Certificate of Immigration Status when required for a paper claim over $5,000, delaying the application.
- Skipping the payment summary review, so incorrect withholding goes uncorrected.
- Providing bank details for an account that’s since been closed, causing payment delays of weeks.
How AMA Accountants Helps You Claim Your DASP
Confirming Your Eligibility
We confirm your eligibility before lodgement, helping prevent rejection and the need to restart your application from overseas.
Finding Your Super Funds
We search for every super fund linked to your TFN, including balances that may already have been transferred to the ATO as unclaimed money.
Preparing & Lodging Your Claim
We prepare and lodge your application correctly using the appropriate pathway for your individual circumstances.
Reviewing Your Tax Withheld
We review your payment summary against your visa and contribution history to confirm the correct DASP tax rate has been applied.
Explaining Your Final Payment
We explain in plain terms exactly what you will receive and why, before your DASP payment is finalised.
Departing Australia Superannuation Payment (DASP) - FAQ
You can start and save your application before you leave, but it can only be lodged and paid after you’ve actually departed and your visa has ceased.
It’s optional, but providing a TFN helps the ATO locate all super accounts linked to you, including any you may have forgotten, and can make the process smoother.
No. DASP tax is a final withholding tax. It isn’t included in an Australian tax return and generally cannot be reduced or refunded afterwards.
You’ll need to apply to each fund separately, or via the ATO for any balance already transferred as unclaimed super. This is one of the most common reasons people receive less than they’re entitled to — they simply don’t realise a second or third fund exists.
Typically around 28 days from a complete application, though this varies by fund and can take longer if information is missing or the balance is held by the ATO.
It applies to the taxable component of super linked to any period you held a subclass 417 or 462 visa, even if you later held a different visa type before leaving. It doesn’t apply to super earned entirely outside a working holiday visa.
No, claiming a DASP does not itself affect future visa eligibility. It does, however, permanently forfeit that super — it cannot be reclaimed if you later return and work in Australia again.
Ready to Claim Your DASP?
If you’ve left Australia, or you’re about to, after working here on a temporary visa, it’s worth checking what super is waiting for you. Contact AMA Accountants and we’ll manage your DASP claim from start to finish.
