An example of an accumulation scheme is Triple S, the current scheme open to SA public sector employees. This style of scheme operates in a similar way to a bank account. Each pay day your employer forwards all contributions, and Super SA banks them into your Superannuation Accounts.

An Active member is defined as a member who is either:
– contributing from their after-tax or before-tax salary (salary sacrifice), and/or
– receiving Superannuation Guarantee (SG) contributions, and/or
– on Leave Without Pay (LWOP) and has notified Super SA of this, and/or
– employed on a Casual basis and has received Superannuation Guarantee contributions in the last 12 months.

Your Adjusted Taxable Income is made up of:
– Your taxable income, plus
– Reportable fringe benefits, plus
– Surchargeable contributions, plus
– Part of any “golden handshake” you may receive when you leave employment.

This is a measure of average weekly earnings, before tax, of Australian employees as published by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

Should you die, your entitlement will be paid to your surviving spouse and/or putative spouse*. Should you not have a spouse, the entitlement will be paid to your Estate.

For a person to be recognised as a putative spouse, they need to be declared a putative spouse under the Southern State Superannuation Act 1994 (Triple S, Flexible Rollover Product, Allocated Pension) or the Superannuation Act 1988 (Pension Scheme or Lump Sum Scheme). Conditions apply.

In general terms, they must have been living with their partner at the date of death and have either:

• Lived continuously with them for a period of three years immediately before the date of death or
• Lived with them for an aggregate of three out of four years immediately before the date of death.

A de facto partner can also be declared a putative spouse if both partners are the parents of the same child.

*Same sex couples
Where a couple are in a same sex relationship that has the distinguishing characteristics of a married relationship and have been living together continuously for the preceding three years, or living together for not less than three aggregate years of the preceding four, the relationship has putative status.

You Co-contribution Account comprises:

• Amounts you have received from the Commonwealth Government as part of the Co-contributions scheme.
• Investment earnings.

Your Co-contribution Account is subject to fluctuations in investment markets and Commonwealth Government preservation requirements.

The Commonwealth preservation rules are rules established by the Commonwealth Government which relate to the conditions under which you can claim your super entitlement. These rules apply to funds rolled over into your Super SA fund and your Co-contribution Account.

Any part of your Rollover Account that was subject to preservation before it was transferred to your Super SA fund will remain subject to Commonwealth Government preservation requirements. The balance not subject to preservation (non-preserved) can be taken in cash on leaving the SA public sector.

Your preservation age depends on your date of birth:

Preserved entitlements are preserved until:

– you have retired permanently from the workforce having reached Preservation Age.
– you leave an employment arrangement after age 60.
– you reach age 65.
– you become totally and permanently disabled.
– you die.

See also Preserved entitlements and Triple S preservation rules.

Super SA administers two closed defined benefit schemes, the State Pension Scheme and the State Lump Sum Scheme.

Members' entitlements under these schemes are defined or calculated on specific criteria; you'll find these criteria in the Overview page for the State Pension Scheme or the Overview page for the Lump Sum Scheme.

A security, such as an option or futures contract, whose value depends on the performance of an underlying security. Futures contracts, forward contracts and options are the most common types of derivatives. Derivatives are generally used by institutional investors to increase overall portfolio return or to hedge portfolio risk.

In relation to a deceased member, an eligible child/student is:

a. (i) a child of the member, or

(ii) a child in relation to whom the member had assumed parental responsibilities and who was cared
for and maintained, wholly or in part, by the member up to the date of the member’s death.

b. (i) under the age of 16 years, or

(ii) between the ages of 16 and 25 years and in full-time attendance at an educational institution recognised by the Board for the purposes of this definition.

This is either the date you first commenced continuous service with the SA public sector or a “date joined employer”, transferred with a rollover from a previous employment. Your eligible service date is used to determine your taxation liability.

Your Entitlements Superannuation Salary (ESS) is your full-time equivalent annual salary at the time of application for entitlement. While you only pay contributions based on your substantive salary, if you have been in receipt of a higher duties allowance continuously for 12 months or more when you apply for your entitlement, your ESS will be based on the higher salary.

Please note that if you are on a fixed term appointment (including a Curriculum Guarantee position), you should refer to the “Contracts of Employment or Acting Arrangements lasting longer than 12 months” fact sheet for more information on your retirement entitlements.

Your Employer Account includes:

• Employer contributions.
• Salary sacrifice contributions .
• Investment earnings.

Less:

• Administration fees.
• Insurance fees.
• Switching fees.

Your Employer Account is subject to fluctuations in the investment markets.

Your employer contribution rate is the amount your employer is contributing to your super. Your employer is obliged to contribute 9% of your superannuation salary, known as the Superannuation Guarantee. If you are contributing 4.5% or more of your gross superannuation salary, deducted from your after-tax salary, your employer contribution will increase from 9% to 10%. If you are no longer employed or are on leave without pay (LWOP) your employer will not be contributing.

This is a lump sum payment made in consequence of the termination of employment. It can include:

• for unused rostered days off
• in lieu of notice
• gratuity or "golden handshake"
• employee’s invalidity payment (for permanent disability, other than compensation for personal injury), and
• payments after the death of an employee.

Extrapolate means to estimate a future figure based on known data, assuming that the estimated figure follows logically from the known data.

In the case of working out your disablement or death entitlement, Extrapolated Points take into account your Accrued Points and then assume you would have continued accruing Points in the scheme until age 55 had it not been for disablement, or age 60 in the case of death before age 55.

For a disablement entitlement before age 55 your Extrapolated Points equal your Accrued Points plus the number of months from the date of the disablement to age 55.

For a death entitlement before age 55 your Extrapolated Points equal your Accrued Points plus the number of months between the date of death and age 60. Extrapolated Points are adjusted for part-time service over the whole of your contributory membership (if any).

An optional type of insurance that provides Active members of Triple S with a fixed lump sum insurance entitlement at a fixed price, up to the age of 65, in the event of their death or total and permanent disablement.

Your choice of investment options include:

• High Growth
• Growth
• Balanced
• Moderate
• Conservative
• Capital Defensive
• Cash.

The Super SA Board's current Investment Choice "Switching Policy" is:

The unit price to be applied to a switch between investment options will be the next determined unit price after the date the written election is received by Super SA. A signed and dated "Investment Choice" form requesting a switch needs to be received by Super SA by either 5pm on a Friday evening (or the previous day(s) in the event of a public holiday) or 5pm on a Tuesday evening (or the previous day(s) in the event of a public holiday) to be processed using the next determined unit price.

For example, if you switch from the Balanced option to the Growth option, your unit holding in the Balanced option will be sold at the next prevailing price. The resulting funds will then be used to purchase units in the Growth option, again at the next prevailing price.

Please note that any change in your investment option may not be reflected in any quotes performed in the secure member area of the Super SA website until Super SA confirms the completion of this change to you in writing.

The length of time needed to reach the minimum earning potential of your investment.

Your leaving service entitlement is calculated as the total of your:

• Employer Account.
• Member Account (if any).
• Rollover Account (if any).
• Co-contribution Account (if any).

If you cease employment due to temporary or permanent disability or die due to a pre-existing medical condition, the benefits you or your family receive may be limited.

You would have been advised in writing by the Board at the time you joined your Scheme of the nature of these limitations, but should you require clarification, please contact Super SA.

After you have contributed to the Pension Scheme at your Standard Contribution Rate for at least 30 years and been employed on a full time basis, and are aged at least 60, you don't need to make any further contributions. If you continue to work, you'll continue to accrue the Productivity Superannuation until your benefit percentage reaches 75% of your superannuation salary.

If you joined the Pension Scheme when you were aged under 30 and after 1 July 1974, your standard contribution rate is less than 6%.
Your standard contribution rate was reduced because you're still required to contribute up to age 60 and been employed on a full-time basis to be a matured member.

For members who joined the old "Unit Scheme" before 1974, you need to contribute at your standard rate to age 60, assuming that you've been employed on a full time basis. In some cases this may be less than 30 years.

Your Member Account includes:

• Regular, voluntary after-tax member contributions.
• One-off voluntary lump sum contributions of $50 or more.
• Investment earnings.

Your Member Account is subject to fluctuations in investment markets.

The secure member area of the Super SA website provides you with access to all your super information, including your personal details, annual statements, account balances and your contribution history. You need your Super ID to log in, found on your Annual Statement.

Your member contribution rate is the percentage of your superannuation salary that you have elected to contribute from your salary after tax into
Triple S.

In Australia a progressive scale of tax is applied to personal income. The marginal tax rate describes the highest tax scale relevant to your income.

A Non-active member is a member who has ceased employment or who does not meet the requirements of being an Active member. Non-active members also include preserved members, who are not active and have had no employer contributions for 12 months or more.

You are a Non-active member if you have reduced your member contribution rate to 0%. When you're a Non-active member, your employer makes Superannuation Guarantee (SG) contributions into Triple S on your behalf.

While you're a Non-active member, you are not entitled to special benefits from the Pension Scheme if you suffer permanent disablement or die. You are only entitled to the amount you have accrued to date. Because your SG contributions are being made to Triple S, you are entitled to Standard Insurance cover under Triple S, which means that you will receive one unit of Standard cover in the event that you are totally incapacitated for work, or die under age 60. To maintain your Total and Permanent Disablement or Death entitlements under the Pension Scheme you will need to maintain at least the minimum member contribution rate (3%).

This is a pension you can access once you reach preservation age, which allows you to access preserved money as an income stream even if you have not permanently retired from the workforce (conditions apply).
Until you reach a condition of release (eg reach age 65 or retire permanently) you cannot commute this pension to a lump sum payment, except to roll your whole pension back into a super account held in your name. You are, however, able to commute any unrestricted non-preserved amounts your may have into a lump sum payment.

Notaries Public are specialists who are legally recognised to witness the signing of documents. Their services are different from Justices of the Peace in that their services are recognised and accepted by foreign courts and authorities. They can attest witness, or certify, a large range of documents, including:

• The preparation of Wills
• Attestation of signatures
• Administration of oaths
• Affidavits/Statutory Declarations
• Authentication of true copies of documents 
• Powers of Attorney.

Your Notional Member Account is the amount you would have accrued had you contributed at the rate of 6% throughout your contributory membership.

This is the part of your super entitlement which must be retained in your account until you reach the age of 55 and are eligible to claim your entitlement, or become totally and permanently disabled, or you die.
See also Commonwealth preservation rules and Triple S preservation rules.

Some members of the Lump sum Scheme may also have a Public Sector Employee Superannuation Scheme (PSESS) entitlement, which forms part of their Employer Component.

The PSESS scheme was introduced by the then State Government on 1 January 1988 in lieu of a pay increase for SA public sector employees. It represented a payment equal to 3% of your salary, which was paid into your PSESS Account. PSESS closed on 30 June 1992.

Purchased leave is an initiative designed to enable employees to exchange an agreed reduction in salary for extra periods of leave each year. For the purposes of assessing super, an employee who purchases leave will be considered as a part-time employee for the duration of the agreement. To find out how this will affect your super see the Purchased Leave fact sheet for your Scheme..

Your super contributions invested with other Funds can be transferred to your particular Super SA Scheme. This is called “rolling over” your funds. If you have not rolled over funds from another account you will not have a Rollover Account.

Restricted non-preserved amounts are benefits that employees can be paid on their termination of employment. They can also be paid at the time that preserved benefits can be paid. The amount of your preserved and non-preserved benefits should be detailed on your fund’s Annual Statement.

If you require more information about preservation details please contact Super SA.

Personal before-tax salary contributions made from your salary before Pay As You Go tax is deducted. These amounts are classified by the Tax Office as employer payments and therefore reduce your annual salary for taxation purposes. Salary sacrifice contributions are credited to your Employer Account in Triple S.

Active Triple S members are able to create a Triple S account for their spouse/ putative spouse. Once established, a Spouse Account will accept contribution splits, personal after-tax member contributions, eligible spouse contributions, Commonwealth government co-contributions or rollovers from complying super funds. Employer contributions cannot be made into a Spouse Account.

Spouse/putative spouse (defined under State legislation):

For a person to be recognised as a putative spouse, they need to be declared a putative spouse under the Southern State Superannuation Act 1994 (Triple S, Flexible Rollover Product, Allocated Pension) or the Superannuation Act 1988 (Pension Scheme or Lump Sum Scheme). Conditions apply.

In general terms, the person must be living with the member and have:

• lived continuously with the member for the preceding three years, or
• lived with the member for an aggregate period of three out of the preceding four years, or
• a child born of the relationship of whom both partners are the natural parents .

A couple of the same sex living in a relationship that has the distinguishing characteristics of a married relationship, who have been living together continuously for the preceding three years, or living together for not less than an aggregate of three years out of the preceding four, are also putative spouses.

Spouse/putative spouse (defined under Commonwealth legislation)

The Superannuation Industry (Supervision) (SIS) Regulations 1994 stipulate that a spouse includes another person who, although not legally married to the person, lives with the person on a genuine domestic basis as the husband or wife of the person. This does not provide for a same sex partner to be deemed a putative spouse.

The Standard Contribution Rate in the Pension Scheme is between 5% and 7% of your Superannuation Salary. In order to receive the maximum Employer-financed benefit from your super, your Member Contributions over your total membership must average your Standard Contribution Rate or higher.

In the Lump Sum Scheme the Standard Contribution Rate is generally 6%.

One unit of Standard Insurance is provided to eligible Triple S members when they join the Fund. Members may also apply for additional units of Standard Insurance. Members may also switch to Fixed Insurance (conditions apply). Standard Insurance provides cover for death and total and permanent disablement up to age 65.

Your Super ID is your identification number. You should quote this number when you contact Super SA. You need your Super ID to gain access to the member ares of this website.

The superannuation tax offset (otherwise known as a Super Rebate) is generally 15% of the taxable pension income (ie total pension income less the deductible amount).

The Superannuation Guarantee (SG) is credited to your Employer Account in Triple S. This is the minimum level of super entitlement that must be provided to you by your employer and is currently set at 9% of your gross superannuation salary, which is the total you are paid for your normal hours of work, including leave loading and certain allowances. Contact your pay office to find out what allowances are included or excluded as part of your superannuation salary.

Your superannuation salary is determined in accordance with the Southern State Superannuation Act 1994 and the relevant enterprise agreement or award under which you are employed. It comprises:

• What you are paid for the hours you are normally required to work.
• Allowances (including leave loading) received which do not represent a payment for an expense you incurred.

This was the tax imposed by the Commonwealth Government on your surchargeable contributions once your income reaches certain levels. The surcharge was reduced to zero on 1 July 2005. Any surcharge liability accrued prior to 1 July 2005 will still be payable.

Your Tax File Number (TFN) is the identification number allocated to you by the Tax Office.

To ensure your entitlement is taxed at concessional rates, you must provide your Tax File Number (TFN) to Super SA. If you do not, you may pay tax at a higher rate.

To qualify for total and permanent disablement you must satisfy the Super SA Board that your incapacity for all kinds of work is 60% or more of total incapacity and likely to be permanent. Conditions apply.

An entitlement preserved in your Member and Employer Account cannot be paid in cash until you meet one of the following conditions:

• You reach the age of 55.
• You become totally and permanently disabled.
• You permanently leave Australia, within three months of finishing employment.
• You die.

See also Commonwealth preservation rules and Preserved entitlements.

There are two types of unit:

• For Triple S members, a measure of insurance cover. The more units of insurance you have the more cover you have.
• For all Fund members, super contributions are used to purchase investment units, which represent a share of the underlying investments.

Unrestricted non-preserved amounts are super monies that can be taken at any time because they meet all criteria for release.

The Triple S, Lump Sum and Pension Scheme rules only allow you to withdraw unrestricted non-preserved amounts when you leave employment with the SA public sector.