Rolling your super to a self-managed super fund (SMSF)

THINKING ABOUT MOVING YOUR SUPER TO YOUR OWN SMSF?

We’ll absolutely help you — but the process is a little different to transferring money between bank accounts.

The most important thing to know

Super isn’t held as cash.

Your super is invested.

Your account balance is the value of investments held for you inside the super fund. Before we can send your money to your SMSF, we first need to sell those investments and receive the proceeds.

That’s one reason why a rollover takes a few business days.

Why the amount you see isn’t the final payment

The balance you see in the app or member portal is an estimated value based on current market prices.

When you request a rollover we must:

Confirm your SMSF is a registered complying super fund
Stop contributions and cancel insurance cover
Calculate your account value
Sell your investments
Receive settlement from the investment markets
Transfer the final balance to your SMSF

Your final rollover amount is the value of your account after the investments have been sold and settled.

How long does it take?

Once we receive the correct SMSF details, the rollover usually takes about 8 business days to process if the ESA (Electronic Service Address) is active.

This timeframe exists because investment sales must settle through financial markets — it’s a regulated process and applies to all super funds.

Providing your SMSF details (this prevents delays)

We can only roll your super to a complying SMSF.

To protect your retirement savings, we must verify the fund before payment, and all the information you provide must match ATO records.

We also require a certified copy of proof of identity, such as a driver’s licence or passport. A certified copy is a photocopy of an original document, which has been signed by an authorised witness. Please read our fact sheet ‘Statutory declaration and certified copy’ for more information.

You will need to provide:

SMSF ABN
Electronic Service Address (ESA) – You must ensure your SMSF is registered with a valid, active ESA You can check if your ESA is valid through the ATO’s Register of SMSF messaging providers. If your ESA is inactive, any rollover requests will be rejected.
The legal name of the SMSF trustee(s) or corporate trustee
A bank account held in the name of the SMSF trustee(s)

Important

We cannot transfer your super to:

a personal bank account
a trustee’s personal account
a trading or investment platform account
an SMSF bank account that doesn’t match the trustee name
if your ESA is not current or inactive

If the details don’t match official records, we are required to pause the rollover until they do.

Protecting you from scams and identity fraud

Superannuation accounts are increasingly targeted by cyber criminals.

Scammers sometimes try to impersonate members and request rollovers to newly created SMSFs. Once money leaves the super system, it can be extremely difficult — and sometimes impossible — to recover.

A common tactic is a fake myGov email or text message asking you to urgently log in or confirm your identity. These phishing messages are designed to capture your personal details so criminals can access your super or open accounts in your name.

Because of this risk, we carefully verify rollover requests and SMSF details before making any payment.

You may notice we:

Check that the SMSF is registered and complying
Confirm trustee names match official records
Verify bank account ownership
Sometimes call you directly to confirm your request

These steps aren’t delays – they are safeguards to make sure only you can move your retirement savings.

How you can help protect yourself

Do not click login links in emails or SMS messages claiming to be from myGov
Always type my.gov.au directly into your browser
Never share verification or security codes with anyone
Contact us immediately if you receive unexpected messages about your super

If we ever have concerns about a rollover request, we may temporarily pause the payment and contact you. This is to protect you from potential fraud.

Insurance cover

When you roll your super out of Australian Food Super:

Your insurance cover will stop
Cover may not automatically continue in your SMSF
You may need to arrange replacement cover

We strongly recommend checking this with your adviser or SMSF administrator before submitting the rollover.

Need help?

Setting up an SMSF is a big financial decision and may not suit everyone.

If you’d like to talk it through, our team can help you understand:

What happens during a rollover
What you need to prepare
What to consider before moving your super

It’s also very important that you seek expert advice and clearly understand all the risks involved in setting up an SMSF. The Australian Taxation Office provides information on what to consider when deciding if a self-managed super fund is right for you. Visit the ATO website for more information.

Please contact us – we’re happy to guide you through it.

Download the Fact Sheet