The Finance Algorithm

Preservation Age Calculator

Find out when you can access your superannuation based on your date of birth.

Updated October 2026Built and checked by MaverickHow it's calculatedReport an error

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How it works

Your preservation age is the youngest age at which you can take money out of your super because you have retired or started a transition to retirement income stream. It depends only on when you were born: 55 for anyone born before 1 July 1960, one year more for each later financial year of birth, and 60 for anyone born on or after 1 July 1964. Everyone born before then has already reached theirs, so for anyone still waiting it is 60. Reaching it doesn't release your super on its own. You also need to meet a condition of release: retiring, starting a transition to retirement income stream while you keep working, or turning 65, when you can withdraw whether or not you still work. Enter your date of birth to see your preservation age and whether you have reached it. Preservation age is not the Age Pension age, which is 67.

  1. 1Enter your date of birth as YYYY-MM-DD, for example 1971-08-23.
  2. 2Read your preservation age and whether you have already reached it.
  3. 3If you have reached it, check which condition of release fits: retirement, a transition to retirement income stream, or turning 65.
  4. 4Use the super balance projector to see what your balance could be by the time you get there.

Worked examples

Born August 1971

Still working full time and planning to stop at 62.

Date of birth
1971-08-23

Preservation age is 60, reached in August 2031. Retiring at 62 in August 2033 meets a condition of release. Working on past that would mean starting a transition to retirement income stream, or waiting until 65 in August 2036 for full access.

Born in 1962: the month matters

Two people born six months apart in 1962.

Date of birth
1962-03-15

The cut-off is 1 July, not 1 January. Born in March 1962, preservation age is 57, reached in March 2019. Born in September 1962 it is 58, reached in September 2020. Both have reached it, and both turn 65 in 2027, after which access no longer depends on retiring.

Questions people ask

What is my preservation age if I was born in 1964?
It depends on the month. Born before 1 July 1964, it is 59. Born on or after 1 July 1964, it is 60.
Can I access my super at 60 while I'm still working?
Through a transition to retirement income stream, yes: it pays between 4% and 10% of its balance each financial year while you keep working. Full access comes when you retire or turn 65.
Can I get my super before preservation age?
Only in the limited cases the ATO lists: medical, compassionate, hardship and incapacity grounds; your voluntary contributions through the First Home Super Saver scheme; leaving Australia as a temporary resident; and some balances under $200.
Is preservation age the same as Age Pension age?
No. Preservation age is when your own super can be released, 60 for anyone yet to reach it. Age Pension age is 67, and the pension also depends on an income test and an assets test.
Do I pay tax on super I withdraw after preservation age?
From 60, withdrawals from a taxed fund are tax-free, whether you take a lump sum or an income stream. Everyone now reaching preservation age is 60, so the two happen together.

The terms, in plain English

Preservation age
The age, between 55 and 60 depending on your date of birth, from which a condition of release such as retirement lets you withdraw your super.
Condition of release
An event that allows super to be paid out, such as retiring after preservation age, starting a transition to retirement income stream, or turning 65.
Transition to retirement income stream
An income stream you can start from preservation age while still working, paying between 4% and 10% of its balance each financial year until you retire or turn 65.
Retirement phase
Super paying a retirement income stream. Investment earnings in it are not taxed, up to your lifetime transfer balance cap.

Official sources

Transition to retirement

What drawing an income stream while you keep working does to your pay and balance.

Withdrawing your super

What a lump sum or income stream leaves you once you can access it.

Retirement income

How long your balance lasts at the income you want.

Project your balance

What your super might be worth by 60 or 67.