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Once you have left Australia and your working holiday visa has ended, you can claim your superannuation as a Departing Australia Superannuation Payment (DASP). Tax of 65% applies to working holiday super, so a 10,000 dollar balance pays out about 3,500 dollars.
First: check you are eligible
You can claim DASP only when all of these are true:
- You accumulated super while working in Australia on a temporary visa (417 or 462 included)
- You have left Australia
- Your visa has expired or been cancelled
You cannot claim while your visa is still active, even from overseas. If you plan to return on another temporary visa, you can still claim - eligibility depends on the visa you accumulated the super under having ended.
The three ways to claim
Option 1: DIY through the ATO DASP portal
The ATO's online DASP application is free. It works well when you have one super fund, your identity documents are in order, and your fund does not demand certified copies. Be prepared for the fund to ask for additional verification, which is harder to arrange from overseas.
Option 2: through an agent
An agent charges a fee but handles the parts that go wrong in practice: finding all your funds (many backpackers have two or three without knowing), fund-specific document requirements, certified copies, follow-ups when a fund goes quiet, and combining the DASP claim with your final tax return. Worth it especially when you have multiple funds or have already left the country.
Option 3: recovering ATO-held super
If you do not claim within about 6 months of leaving, funds transfer your balance to the ATO as unclaimed super. It is not lost - you claim it directly from the ATO instead - but fund insurance ends and the process differs. If you left Australia years ago, this is likely where your money is.
What you will need
- Passport details and visa information
- Your TFN
- Super fund name and member number (check old payslips or your fund's app)
- An overseas or Australian bank account for payment
Not sure which fund your employer paid into? We can find lost super across all funds and ATO-held amounts.
How much arrives and when
DASP for working holiday makers is taxed at 65% on the taxed element - the flat outcome for most 417/462 balances is roughly 35 cents in the dollar paid out. Most complete applications are paid within 28 days; incomplete document sets are the main cause of delays. See how long DASP takes for the full timeline.
Timing your claim around the 6-month transfer
The clock that matters: roughly 6 months after your visa ends and you depart, funds must transfer unclaimed balances to the ATO. Claim before the transfer and you deal with your fund - app access, known member number, familiar process, but also fund paperwork standards (certified copies, identity re-verification from overseas). Claim after and you deal with the ATO - often less paperwork friction, no fund fees eroding the balance while you procrastinated, but you first need to discover where the money went. Neither timing loses you money permanently; the fee erosion before transfer is the only true cost of waiting. The optimal play remains preparing everything before you fly so the claim lodges the week eligibility begins.
Frequently asked questions
Is it worth claiming super with 65% tax?
Yes. The alternative is leaving 100% of it behind. On a typical year of full-time work, employer contributions at 12% add up fast - a 8,000 dollar balance still pays you about 2,800 dollars.
Can I claim DASP while still in Australia?
No. You must have departed and your visa must have ended. You can prepare everything before you leave, then submit once eligible - which is exactly what we set up for clients through our superannuation service.
What happens to my super if I never claim it?
It transfers to the ATO as unclaimed money and sits there indefinitely. You can claim it years later, but it earns no fund returns in the meantime.
Get in touch with our team before you fly out - ten minutes of preparation saves weeks of chasing documents from overseas.