Getting paid in retirement

You can get a regular income stream in retirement with our account-based pension product, called a Retirement Income account.

What is an income stream?

Our Retirement Income account is a super income stream that gives you regular payments when you retire. And the best part is that your super stays invested and earning returns, so you can focus on what matters most.

Log in to Member Online to open a retirement income stream today.

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Use our Retirement Calculator to get an idea of your retirement income, including how it might work with the Age Pension.

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Benefits of a superannuation income stream

Tax-free payments and investments

Once you turn 60, your income payments and any withdrawals are tax free.

Get a bonus when you retire

You could be eligible for a Retirement Bonus to give your retirement a head start.

Take out extra money when you need

As well as getting a regular income, you can make one-off withdrawals from your account.

Award-winning retirement

As a member of an award-winning super fund, you can be confident that your super's in good hands.1

qsuper awards

Why retire with QSuper?

Your QSuper account is managed by Australian Retirement Trust (ART). That means you're with one of the biggest super funds in Australia!

Focused on long-term returns

We automatically invest your Retirement Income account in Balanced Risk-Adjusted, which aims to produce strong, long-term returns with less ups and downs along the way.

Award-winning customer service

Our dedicated and friendly team is rated #1 for customer satisfaction, according to Finder.1 And you have access to education and seminars to help you make your super last.

Profit for members

With over a century of experience,2 we're always working hard for our 2.4 million members. And as a profit-for-member fund, you can be sure we're working in your best interests.

FAQs about our account-based income stream

You can open a Retirement Income account if you have a super balance of at least $30,000 and meet at least one of the following conditions:

  • You're a QSuper account holder
  • You've reached the age you can access your super and permanently retired3
  • You've stopped working on or after age 60
  • You're aged 65 or over
  • ou've met another condition of release approved by QSuper (e.g. you are totally and permanently disabled), or
  • You're an eligible recipient of a superannuation death benefit.

Not already a member? Find out if you're eligible.

The QSuper Product Disclosure Statement for Income Account and Lifetime Pension (PDS) has more details on eligibility.

There is a limit on the total amount of superannuation you can transfer to a retirement phase income stream. This is known as the transfer balance cap.

For the 2025-26 financial year, the transfer balance cap is $2 million. Your individual cap will be different if you've held a retirement phase account with any provider since 1 July 2017.

This cap will be indexed, and increases will be in increments of $100,000. The amount of indexation that you'll be entitled to will depend on how much of your transfer balance cap you've used. If you meet or exceed your transfer balance cap, you won't be entitled to indexation.

If you have a number of income streams or pension accounts (not including Transition to Retirement Income accounts), either at QSuper or across multiple super funds, you need to be aware that your combined account balances will all count towards this limit. Special rules apply for non account-based income streams. Visit the Australian Taxation Office's website for more about the transfer balance cap or log in to the ATO Online Services portal to see your individual transfer balance cap details.

If you go over the transfer balance cap:

The ATO will let you know that you need to remove the excess amount, plus any associated investment earnings, from your Retirement Income account. They'll also apply tax on those earnings – see the PDS for more information on this.

You won't be considered as having gone over the cap if your Retirement Income account balance grows to more than your cap due to investment earnings.

If you're concerned that this limit might impact your retirement plans, you should think about getting financial advice.

Withdrawals

If you're over 60, the regular income payments and one-off payments you take out from your account are tax free.

Investment earnings

If you decide to transfer your super to a Retirement Income account, the investment earnings are tax free (compared to the 15% tax you pay on super earnings in your Accumulation account.)

And because your savings move into a 'tax-free investment environment', you could be eligible to get a Retirement Bonus as well.

Your superannuation income stream could affect your Centrelink Age Pension payment rates. And whether you even get the Age Pension.

It’s counted in Centrelink's assets and income tests, just like your personal savings and investments.

Learn more about how super and the Age Pension work together.

Yes, you can choose to transfer your Defined Benefit into a Retirement Income account depending on your circumstances. Learn more about how your Defined Benefit works and get answers to some frequently asked questions with our exclusive member seminar.

When you pass away, we'll pay any remaining balance from your Retirement Income account to your beneficiaries. If you haven't nominated a beneficiary yet, the easiest way is through Member Online.

One of the benefits of a Retirement Income account is that you can control how much you pay yourself each year. But you need to drawdown at least the minimum amount set by the government.

The Product Disclosure Statement for Income Account and Lifetime Pension (PDS) (pdf) has more details about our Retirement Income account, including how it works together with our Lifetime Pension.

Start enjoying life after work

Consider opening a superannuation income stream like our Retirement Income account. It takes around 10 minutes to apply online.

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1. Awards and ratings are only one factor for you to think about when deciding to invest. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance.

2. QSuper was founded in 1913 before merging with Sunsuper on 28 February 2022 to form Australian Retirement Trust.

3. Permanently retired means you do not intend to ever work 10 hours' or more per week in the future.