Frequently Asked Questions

What if I change address?

Simply phone the CONNECT Administration Service on 1800 025 464 (Free Call), or use MemberAccess to change your personal contact details online.

What if my beneficiaries change?

Those people you've nominated to receive your super benefit in the case of your death may change from time to time as your personal circumstances change (eg. change of marital status). Simply fill in a Change of Member Details Form and send it to CONNECT at Locked Bag 3410 Melbourne VIC 3001.

What's a rollover?

'Rolling over' is the process of transferring your super from one
fund to another. It could also be an eligible termination payment
received from your previous employer.

What if I don't claim my benefit?

If you haven't instructed CONNECT about how and where your benefit is to be paid after receiving correspondence from CONNECT, the Directors may treat it as "unclaimed". You will receive a letter from CONNECT's administrator at the time of leaving asking you where your benefit is to be paid.

If your benefit is unclaimed it will be transferred to:

AMP Eligible Rollover Fund
Locked Bag 5400
Parramatta NSW 1741

Tel: 1300 300 277
Fax: 1300 726 300

This may not be in your best interest as returns may be lower than other super funds. If you've reached your pension age and your benefit is still in CONNECT, the Directors must pay it to the ATO or the relevant state authority.

You'll be considered a "lost" member if:

• you're over 65, haven't claimed your benefit and CONNECT no longer receives any contributions for you; or
• you're under 65 and correspondence to you has been returned unclaimed.

You won't lose your benefits but your money will be transferred to the Australian Taxation Office or relevant state authority if you're over your pension age, or to the AMP Eligible Rollover Fund if you're under your pension age. Before your benefits are transferred you'll be sent a letter at your last known address that will give you 28 days to get in touch.

If your benefit is transferred to the AMP Eligible Rollover Fund you'll no longer be a member of CONNECT. If you want to claim your benefit in the future you will have to contact the organisation holding your money.

Who can I call for enquiries or complaints?

If you have an enquiry or complaint, you can ring the CONNECT Administration Service on 1800 025 464 (freecall) 8.30 am to 5 pm (AEST) Monday to Friday. Be sure to tell the operator you're a member of CONNECT and have your membership number handy.

The CONNECT administrators will attempt to solve your enquiry or complaint on behalf of the Trustee. Where possible, your enquiry will be dealt with over the telephone.

If the CONNECT administrators need more information or information in writing, they will tell you and let you know where to send it.

If necessary, your complaint will be taken to the Trustee Board for a decision. Once you have sent a written enquiry or complaint to the Trustee Board, they must reply to you within 90 days of receiving your correspondence.

The Board will either reply to your enquiry or complaint in full, or tell you what additional information it needs before it can reply to you

In most cases, enquiries and complaints are dealt with before the 90 days have passed.

If you're not satisfied with the Trustee's decision, you may contact the Superannuation Complaints Tribunal within 28 days (for a death benefit decision) or 12 months (for any other sort of decision) of receiving the Trustee's decision.

The Tribunal is an independent body set up by the Federal Government to assist Members or beneficiaries to resolve certain superannuation complaints. The Tribunal may be able to help you to resolve your complaint, but only after you have first tried to sort out your problem with CONNECT under CONNECT's dispute procedure.

You can contact the Superannuation Complaints Tribunal on 1300 884 114 or write to them at this address:

The Secretariat
Superannuation Complaints Tribunal
Locked Bag 3060
GPO Melbourne, VIC, 3001

Why can't I get access to all of my super?

Superannuation is to provide for your retirement, so the Government has rules limiting your ability to access your super before then. This is called 'preservation.' If you retire permanently from the work-force and have reached your preservation age, you can take your whole superannuation benefit in cash.

Your preservation age changes depending on your date of birth. If you were born before 1 July 1960, your preservation age is 55.

If you were born after 30 June in one of the following financial years, your preservation age would change to:

Year born	1960-61	1961-62	1962-63	1963-64	> 1964
Preservation age	56	57	58	59	60

 

In some cases, contributions are not preserved:

• If you become totally and permanently disabled; or
• If you die (the benefit is paid to your beneficiaries).

Contact the CONNECT Administration Service on 1800 025 464 (freecall) 8.30 am to 5 pm (AEST) Monday to Friday for more details.

Also, you can now take preserved benefits of less than $200 in cash, when you leave CONNECT.

What can you do with your preserved super?

If your super is preserved, you have the following choices:

• Keep your super in CONNECT. In this case the Administrator will debit your personal account with an account keeping fee; or
• Rollover the balance in your personal account to another superannuation scheme or to an approved deposit account or deferred annuity plan.

What are accumulation benefits?

These are benefits that are based on contributions plus the earnings made on those contributions. Members who have accumulation benefits carry the investment risk, which means their benefits can be directly affected by the performance of CONNECT's investments.

What are reasonable benefit limits (RBLs)?

RBLs are limits or amounts set by the Government. When you can take your benefit in cash, any amount below the RBL qualifies for lower than normal tax treatment. Any amount above the RBL is taxed at the top marginal rate of tax regardless of your income. Contact the CONNECT Hotline on 1800 025 464 if you require information. Note, from 1 July 2007 RBLs will no longer apply and there will be no limit to the size of the super payment you can receive tax free (assuming you've reached age 60).

Tell me about Salary Sacrifice Contributions

Salary-sacrificing means that when you pay your super contributions on a pre-tax basis, your employer reduces your salary by the amount of super contributions you make. Your employer then puts money into your CONNECT account on your behalf equal to the amount you have 'sacrificed'.

Depending on your circumstances, salary sacrifice contributions could save you tax. This is because you don't pay personal income tax on the part of your salary that's been sacrificed to super. Instead you pay super tax, which is at a lower rate than personal income tax rate.

You should only decide whether salary sacrifice is right for you after you've looked at your own situation. We recommend you use CONNECT’s special salary sacrifice calculator which lets you see the impact on your super savings and take-home pay of making salary sacrifice contributions. You should also consider consulting a professional financial adviser.

What's the Superannuation Guarantee?

Federal Government legislation requires all Australian employers to provide their employees with a minimum level of superannuation known as the Superannuation Guarantee. This rate is currently 9% of your pay (usually based on ordinary time earnings). Visit www.ato.gov.au/super for further details.

How do I apply for additional insurance cover?

To apply to increase your total cover up to and including $396,000 fill out the Insurance Application Form. To apply to increase your total cover over $396,000 fill out a Personal Insurance Statement.
If you are applying for 2 units of Life Event top up cover, fill out the Specific Life Events Insurance Form.

top of page...