How to find and claim someone's super after they die
Super doesn't automatically follow the will. It's generally not part of the deceased estate, and is paid out under the super fund's rules and any valid beneficiary nomination. (ATO) The payout, called a death benefit, often includes life insurance held inside the fund, so it can be much larger than the balance.
Last changed: 19 October 2026Step 1: Find every fund
Many people have more than one super account, especially if they changed jobs often. Ways to find them:
- Their paperwork and inbox: annual statements, insurance letters, payslips showing which fund received contributions.
- Through the ATO: once the executor or administrator is recorded with the ATO as the authorised legal personal representative (LPR), the ATO can provide the deceased's tax and super information, including their super account details. Some of their super may also have been transferred to the ATO itself. This requires a grant of probate or letters of administration. (ATO)
- Their former tax agent or financial adviser, who may have records.
If you're family but not the LPR, the ATO can still help, but there are legal limits on what it can tell you. (ATO)
Want this done for you? See the Guided Inventory ↓
Step 2: Notify each fund
To start a claim, contact each fund. You can notify several funds at once through the free Australian Death Notification Service if they participate. Funds will usually ask for:
- A certified copy of the death certificate
- The will, plus probate or letters of administration if the benefit is going to the estate
- ID and contact details for anyone claiming
- Evidence of relationship or financial dependence, if a dependant is claiming
Step 3: Understand who gets paid
This depends on what nomination, if any, the person made. (Moneysmart)
| Nomination type | What the fund does |
|---|---|
| Valid binding nomination | Must pay the people named |
| Lapsed binding nomination | Usually treated as non-binding |
| Non-binding nomination | Uses it as a guide, but the trustee decides |
| No nomination | Trustee decides between dependants and the estate under fund rules |
People who can generally receive a death benefit directly are a spouse or partner, children, financial dependants, people in an interdependency relationship, or the estate via the LPR. If the benefit goes to the estate, it's distributed under the will.
Tax
Tax depends on whether the person receiving it counts as a death benefits dependant under tax law: a spouse or de facto (including a former one), a child under 18, someone financially dependent on the deceased, or someone in an interdependency relationship with them. A lump sum paid to a dependant is entirely tax-free. Death benefit income streams are taxed differently, and one paid to a child generally has to end by age 25. A non-dependant, such as a financially independent adult child, pays tax on the taxable component. (ATO) Get advice before choosing how a benefit is paid, especially if it's going to the estate.
How long it takes
Expect weeks to months. Benefits with a valid binding nomination are usually paid faster than ones where the trustee has to investigate and decide.
Make it easier for your own family
Two things make the biggest difference: a valid, current binding nomination, and a written list of every fund you have, with member numbers. Binding nominations can lapse, typically after three years, unless your fund offers non-lapsing ones. Recording your funds in your Legacy Mapped Guided Inventory, alongside your other financial accounts, means your executor can contact them straight away.
- Includes the $49 Digital Estate Kit
- Generates your finished inventory, ready to print
- Encrypted on your device with your own passphrase — we never see your answers
- Sign in with your email and a one-time code · 12 months’ access
This guide is general information only, not legal, financial or tax advice. Providers change their processes, so always confirm the current steps on the linked official page. For advice on a specific estate, speak with a solicitor, accountant or licensed financial adviser.