Superannuation is a retirement fund set up in Australia for people who earn more than $450 per month. Your employer is obligated to put 9% of your earnings into a super fund once you reach this threshold.

You can create your own super fund, but most just have one set up with the company they are working with. This means it is possible to have more than one super fund account.

The money is entered into the share market, so how much you receive back depends on the market at the time.

Tax agents can also lodge your super refund, but in more cases than with tax refunds it’s not worth it to go through an agent as their fees, plus an automatic 35% tax by the government on any super at withdrawal, will leave you without much.

Luckily, the process of actually applying to receive your superannuation on your own is not as detailed as the tax refund process. You can withdraw your superannuation either through the company it’s invested with or through the government ATO website.

Either way, you must fill out a Departing Australia Superannuation Payment (DASP) form. You will have to fill out more than one of these forms if you have a superfund set up with more than one company.

At the start of your work with a company, they should give you forms regarding your superannuation that include all its details. If you no longer have these forms, contact previous employers to find out who the fund is with, then contact those companies to find out details such as your account number with that superannuation fund.

Now comes the most difficult part, whether you apply for your super refund with an agent or on your own, proving your identity and that your work visa has expired.

Since superannuation is set up as a retirement fund, in most cases only temporary workers can withdraw from it before retiring. Your temporary work visa must be expired to apply to receive your superfund.

If your visa has not expired but you want to claim your super, you must cancel your visa, which can be done by contacting immigration with your full name and date of birth, the passport number you had when you visited Australia, subclass of the visa you wish to have canceled (usually either 462 or 417 work holiday visas), current residential address and the date you departed Australia. Note, make sure you leave Australia or get a new visa before canceling your work visa.

Now back to receiving your super refund. To prove your identity, visa and its expiration and that you have departed the country you must make photocopies of the following:

• your passport photo page
• your arrival and departure stamps from Australia
•  your visa (stamp or email)
•  a second form of ID, such as a drivers license or two debit/credit cards from different banks

All these photo copies must be certified by someone qualified to do so such as a police officer, doctor, judge, etc. Whomever is certifying the document must write out, “I certify this to be a true and correct copy of the original document,” as well as sign and print their name, write their qualifications, their address, business hours, telephone number, registration number, date the document and stamp with an official stamp.

This all must be written or translated in English, making an already complicated task close to impossible when doing so in places like Hong Kong or the Philippines.

Once all this is complete, send all these forms and your application either to the government or individual super fund companies. Expect to wait at least 28 days to receive the payment.

Was this article helpful to the process of getting your superannuation back? Visit tomorrow to learn how to get your tax back from Australia.