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Super fund ABN: How to lookup your super fund ABN
06 May 2022
The term Australian Business Number, or simply ABN, is something we tend to associate with companies and businesses. But a super fund ABN helps to identify each individual superannuation fund including retail, industry and self-managed super funds. It’s a good idea to have your super fund ABN on hand for reference. There can be times when you’ll need it.
What is a super fund ABN?
All super funds that have been in place since 2000 will have an Australian Business Number – or ABN. It is a unique one-stop identifier made up of 11 digits, and it’s used by government departments such as the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) to identify different entities such as companies, trusts and managed funds.
A super fund ABN doesn’t just apply to professionally managed retail and industry funds. If you are setting up a self-managed super fund (SMSF) your fund will need to have an ABN.
A super fund ABN is issued by the ATO and it is a very different number from a tax file number (TFN).
Why might you need a super fund ABN?
There can be times when you will need to know your super fund ABN.
Starting a new job
If you start a new job, your employer will likely ask you to complete a Superannuation Standard Choice form. This lets you nominate which fund you would like your compulsory super contributions paid into. The standard choice form asks you to fill out your super fund’s name and its ABN.
Making super contributions of your own
You may choose to make extra contributions of your own to super either through pre-tax (concessional) or after-tax (non-concessional) contributions.
You need to let your fund know which type of contributions you are making. That’s because before-tax contributions have tax deducted and paid by your fund at a flat rate of 15%.
Identifying the type of contribution means completing some paperwork with your fund – usually a form called a ‘Notice of intent to claim a deduction for personal super contributions’. It’s a bit of a mouthful but it’s easier to download the form, which should be on your super fund’s website.
The main point is that this form will also ask you to provide your super fund’s ABN. You could find the super fund ABN is already pre-filled on the form to make things easier for members.
How to find a super fund ABN?
The easiest way to find out your super fund ABN is simply to contact your fund.
The ATO also has an online Super Fund ABN Lookup tool. You simply type in the name of the fund you’re looking for, and the super fund ABN will appear on the search results.
Be sure to type in the correct fund name, as the results will show the super fund ABN for a variety of different funds with similar names. The results may potentially include dozens of SMSFs.
Once you know your super fund ABN, keep a record of it handy so it’s at your fingertips the next time you need it.
Cover image source: Prostock-studio/Shutterstock.com
This article was reviewed by our Sub Editor Jacqueline Belesky before it was updated, as part of our fact-checking process.
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