From 1 July 2026, individuals with a total superannuation balance exceeding $3 million will face an additional 15% tax (30% total) on earnings corresponding to the portion of their balance above that threshold. This proposed "Division 296" tax applies to realized gains, with a higher 40% total tax rate for balances exceeding $10 million.
Individuals whose total super balance exceeds $3 million under the rules applying for 2026–27 will be among the first to receive an assessment.
Around 87,000 individuals have super accounts with +$3 million. That compares to Treasury's figure of 80,000.
Yes, you can retire at 60 with $3 million, but how long your savings will last depends on your return rate. 3% return rate: Using a conservative estimate and accounting for taxes, the portfolio grows at 3% annually while withdrawing $93,600 per year.
Option 1 – release the excess from your super funds. You can release all your excess non-concessional contributions plus 85% of your associated earnings from your super funds. If you do, we will amend your income tax assessment to include: your associated earnings in your taxable income.
Currently the transfer balance cap is $2 million. After you retire any amounts over the cap need to be transferred into an accumulation account or withdrawn taken out as a lump sum. Earnings on any excess amount in your retirement account are taxed at 15%.
Only around 3.1 per cent of households have very high total balances of over $2 million. Around 1.4 per cent or 142,000 households have more than $3 million in superannuation.
Research shows that less than 1% of households have $3 million or more in retirement savings. While this amount is uncommon, those who consistently invest, save diligently and manage their spending can build significant retirement assets over time.
The terminal level, an ultra-high-net-worth individual (UHNWI, the ultra-rich, super-rich, extreme wealth, or a billionaire ), holds US$30 million in investable assets (adjusted for inflation). Individuals with a net worth of over US$1 billion are considered to occupy a special bracket of the UHNWI.
This represents 417,567 individuals, ASFA said, and is a 29 per cent increase from the 322,200 individuals who held over $1 million in June 2019. Only 0.3 per cent have more than $3 million – the balances affected by the government's tax changes, representing 55,000 individuals, up from 35,000 in 2019.
If you're aged 60 or over and withdraw a lump sum: You don't pay any tax when you withdraw from a taxed super fund.
The short answer: to retire on $80,000 a year in Australia, you'll need a super balance of roughly between $700,000 and $1.4 million. It's a broad range, and that's because everyone's circumstances are different.
According to estimates based on the Federal Reserve Survey of Consumer Finances, a mere 3.2% of retirees have over $1 million in their retirement accounts. The number of those with $2 million or more is even smaller, falling somewhere between this 3.2% and the 0.1% who have $5 million or more saved.
Recommended retirement savings generally follow a guideline of having your savings equal to your annual salary by age 30, three times by 40, six times by 50, eight times by 60, and ten times your salary by age 67, though exact figures vary by institution, with percentages of income (10-20%) also suggested, and catch-up contributions available for older savers. These benchmarks help you track progress towards a goal of 10-12 times your final salary by retirement.
Suze Orman famously suggests many people need $5 million to $10 million to retire comfortably, especially for early retirement, to cover longevity, inflation, and healthcare risks, calling smaller amounts like $1 million or $2 million "nothing" against catastrophes. She emphasizes having 3 to 5 years of living expenses in cash reserves, separate from investments, and stresses a high savings rate (around 15%) and delaying Social Security for maximum benefit. While her large figures target a very secure, risk-averse retirement, she also advises on saving significantly more than typical projections suggest.
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In a nutshell, the main changes are: a move to creating two tiers (earnings on balances greater than $3m and $10m); indexation of each of the tiers; an additional tax rate of 15% and 10% on the respective two tiers; and taxation on 'realised earnings' only.