Super Balance Projection Calculator Australia

Use this Pro calculator to project your superannuation balance at retirement. It compounds your employer contributions and any extra concessional contributions, after the 15% contributions tax, at your expected return, growing your salary each year, and shows the full year-by-year balance.

How your balance grows

Three forces drive your final balance: how much goes in, how long it compounds, and the return it earns net of fees. Each year the calculator adds your employer Super Guarantee (a percentage of salary) plus any extra concessional contributions, subtracts the 15% contributions tax that applies inside super, then grows the whole balance by your expected return less the annual fee. Your salary grows by the salary-growth rate, so contributions rise over time too.

Because super earnings compound, small differences early, such as a slightly higher return, lower fees, or a few extra thousand dollars of contributions each year, make a large difference by retirement.

The contributions tax

Concessional (before-tax) contributions are taxed at a flat 15% as they enter the fund, rather than at your marginal rate. For most earners that is well below their income-tax rate, which is what makes salary sacrifice into super tax-effective. The calculator applies this tax to every contribution and reports the total tax paid across the projection.

Reading the schedule

The year-by-year table shows each year's net contribution, the investment growth, and the closing balance. Watch how the growth column overtakes the contribution column over time. The point where your balance is earning more each year than you are putting in is when compounding really takes over.

A worked example

Take Jess, 35, earning A$85,000, with A$60,000 already in super. She plans to work to 65, which is 30 years, and assumes a 7% return, 0.7% fees and 3% salary growth. Her employer pays the Super Guarantee (12% of salary), and she adds A$5,000 a year of salary sacrifice.

In year one, contributions are 12% of A$85,000 (A$10,200) plus A$5,000, totalling A$15,200. The 15% contributions tax removes A$2,280, leaving A$12,920 landing in her account. That net amount grows at 6.3% (7% return less 0.7% fees). As her salary climbs 3% a year, contributions rise with it. Over 30 years, compounding does the heavy lifting: her balance could grow past A$800,000, of which a large share is investment growth rather than the money she contributed. The schedule shows the crossover year, often around the two-thirds mark, where annual growth first exceeds annual contributions.

Why fees and timing matter so much

The gap between a 0.7% fee and a 1.7% fee looks trivial on paper, but over three decades that one percentage point can quietly consume six figures of your final balance, because the fee is charged every year on a compounding base. The same logic rewards starting early: a dollar contributed at 35 has 30 years to compound, while a dollar contributed at 55 has only 10. That is why even modest extra contributions in your thirties and forties tend to outperform much larger contributions made close to retirement. Running the projection with different fee and start assumptions makes the long-run cost of small differences visible.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Ignoring the concessional cap. There is an annual limit on concessional contributions; exceeding it can trigger extra tax. This tool does not enforce the cap, so check your total against it.
• Using an optimistic, flat return. Real returns swing year to year; a smooth 7% is a planning average, not a promise. Sequence-of-returns risk near retirement is not modelled.
• Forgetting Division 293. Very high earners pay an extra 15% on concessional contributions, which this projection does not include.
• Overlooking insurance premiums. Many funds deduct life and TPD premiums from your balance, a drag not captured here.

Concessional versus non-concessional contributions

The projection focuses on concessional (before-tax) contributions, the Super Guarantee and salary sacrifice, because those are what the 15% contributions tax applies to. It is worth knowing they are not the only way money enters super. Non-concessional contributions are made from money you have already paid income tax on, so they are not taxed again on the way in and do not count toward the concessional cap. They suit people who have spare after-tax savings, an inheritance, or proceeds from selling an asset. Because they are treated differently for tax and sit under a separate, higher cap, mixing them in changes the picture. This tool models the concessional path, so treat additional after-tax contributions as a separate calculation rather than adding them to the salary-sacrifice field.

Interpreting your result

Treat the final balance as a scenario, not a prediction. Its real value is comparative: change one input at a time, such as the return, the fee, or the extra contribution, and watch how the ending balance and the contribution-versus-growth crossover shift. That sensitivity is the insight, because it tells you which lever matters most for your situation. For someone decades from retirement, contributions and fees dominate; for someone close to it, the assumed return and sequence of returns matter more. Also remember the balance is shown in future dollars: A$800,000 in 30 years will not buy what A$800,000 buys today, so mentally discount it for inflation when you judge whether it is "enough".

Assumptions and limitations

The projection uses constant return, fee and growth rates and does not model market ups and downs, the concessional contributions cap, Division 293 tax for very high earners, insurance premiums inside super, or preservation rules. It is a planning estimate, not a guarantee; real returns vary year to year.

This is general information, not financial advice. Consider your own circumstances and speak to a licensed adviser before making contribution decisions.

About This Super Projection Calculator

Use this super projection calculator to get an instant, accurate estimate. The figures follow official ATO guidance and every rate and threshold is kept up to date for 2026. Adjust the inputs above to match your situation, or browse all our calculators to plan your next step.