Splitting your super: Sweet or strategic?
27 October 2025Section Heading
Most of us think of super as a solo journey – your employer pays in, you might top it up, and one day it becomes your retirement nest egg. But what if your super could do more than just support you? What if it could support your partner too and even help you both retire smarter?
Welcome to the world of contribution splitting. It’s not just a sweet or kind gesture, it can be a strategic move.
What is contribution splitting?
Contribution splitting is when you transfer some of your concessional contributions (that’s your employer contributions or salary sacrifice amounts), from your super account into your spouse’s account. It’s available to Triple S members through Super SA, and it’s designed to help couples balance their retirement savings.
You can split up to the concessional contributions cap, which is $30,000 for the 2025-26 financial year. The split doesn’t count toward your own Triple S lifetime cap ($1.865m for 2025-26), but it does count toward your spouse’s. And here’s a bonus: there’s no fee to do it.
Why would you split your super?
There are a few reasons why splitting your super might be a smart move:-
Boost your partner’s balance: If your spouse earns less, works part-time, or has taken time off (hello, unpaid parental leave), their super might be lagging. Splitting helps even things out.
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Tax planning: Strategic splitting could help reduce the tax you pay in retirement by spreading your super across two accounts.
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Access to super: If your spouse is older and closer to retirement age, splitting could help you access super earlier as a couple.
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Centrelink benefits: In some cases, balancing super between partners can improve eligibility for government benefits.
Who can split?
To split contributions, you need to be an active Triple S member, and your spouse must be under 65. You can only split once per financial year, and it must be done in the year after the contributions were made (unless you’re closing your account, in which case you can split for the current year).
If your spouse isn’t a Triple S member, you can open a spouse account for them. It’s easy to set up with a minimum contribution of just $50.
Spouse contributions is another option
Beyond splitting, there’s another way to grow your partner’s super: spouse contributions. These are personal, after-tax payments you make directly into your spouse’s account. If your partner earns less than $40,000 a year, you might be eligible for a tax offset of up to $540.
Even small contributions can make a big difference over time, especially when you consider compound interest and long-term growth.
How to get started
To split your contributions, you’ll need to complete Super SA’s Application to Split Eligible Contributions form. You’ll also need to provide details for both you and your spouse, including tax file numbers and investment preferences.
If you’re opening a new spouse account, there’s a separate form for that too. Once the account is set up, you’ll receive BPAY details to make contributions easily.
Explore more
Whether you’re helping your partner catch up, planning for tax efficiency, or simply building a stronger financial future together, super splitting can be a powerful tool.
Consider speaking with a licensed financial planner who can help you determine if splitting your contributions is the right move for you and your partner.
To learn more, visit our Growing super for two page, it’s full of helpful info for you and your partner.
