You are leaving Australia for good. You have $8,000 in super accumulated during your working holiday. You file for DASP and receive... $2,800. The other $5,200 goes to the ATO. Welcome to the 65% DASP withholding tax.
DASP exists because super is meant for retirement, not as a savings account for temporary workers. The government allows you to access it when you leave (unlike Australian residents who must wait until preservation age), but taxes it punitively to discourage treating super as a short-term savings tool.
The rates
- Taxed element (tax-free component): 0%
- Taxed element (taxable component): 65% for WHMs (35% for non-WHMs)
- Untaxed element: 65% for everyone
In practice, almost all WHM super is "taxable component" = 65% withholding.
The process
- Leave Australia and let your visa expire/cancel
- Wait 28 days after departure
- Apply online via the ATO's DASP system (myGov if lodged return, or paper form)
- ATO verifies visa status with Immigration
- Payment issued within 28 business days (directly to your overseas bank)
Should you even bother?
On $8,000 super with 65% tax: you receive $2,800. On $3,000 super: you receive $1,050. For small balances, the $1,050 might not justify the hassle of forms and waiting. For larger balances ($15,000+), even at 65% tax you are recovering $5,250, worth the paperwork.
