Accessing super early may be illegal

Recognise the warning signs of a scheme to illegally access your super early.

Super is a way of saving for retirement and you need to meet very strict conditions to access it early.

Beware of people claiming you can use a self-managed super fund (SMSF) to withdraw your super early and pay off business debts, buy a car or pay for a holiday. This is a warning sign of a scheme to illegally access your super early.

Read our fact sheetThis link will download a file to help you recognise more warning signs.

You could face serious consequences for illegally accessing your super early. You may:

• be disqualified from being an SMSF trustee, which would go on your public record.
• have to pay additional tax, penalties and interest.

What should I do?

If you’ve accessed your super early, contact ATO using the voluntary disclosure service. ATO will take your voluntary disclosure and circumstances into account when determining any penalties.

You can report someone who recommends an illegal early access to super scheme using the tip-off form.