How much super should I have by age?

“Am I behind on super?” is one of the most-searched money questions in Australia, and the honest answer is: it depends far more on your income, your retirement age and your investment returns than on any single number for your age. Still, benchmarks are useful for a gut check. This guide explains how your balance builds and how to think about whether you’re on track.

How your balance grows

Three forces build your super:

1. Employer contributions. The super guarantee (SG) is 12% of your ordinary earnings from 1 July 2025 (its legislated maximum, with no further increases scheduled). On a $90,000 salary that’s $10,800 a year going into your fund on top of your pay.
2. Contributions tax. Concessional (before-tax) contributions (your employer’s SG and any salary sacrifice) are generally taxed at 15% when they enter the fund. So of that $10,800, about $9,180 is invested after tax.
3. Compounding returns. The invested money earns a return each year, and those earnings themselves earn returns. Over 30–40 years, compounding does more of the heavy lifting than your contributions, which is why starting early matters so much.

The superannuation calculator models all three, projecting your balance year by year to your chosen retirement age.

Rules of thumb by age

A widely used way to sanity-check your super is as a multiple of your salary. As a rough guide, some planners suggest aiming for something like:

• 1× your annual salary by around 30
• 2–3× by 40
• 4–5× by 50
• 6–8× by 60

Treat these as very loose targets, not rules. Someone who bought a home late, took career breaks, or started on a low income will sit below them and still be fine; someone with a high income needs a bigger multiple to maintain their lifestyle. The multiples are a conversation starter, not a verdict.

The ASFA Retirement Standard

The more grounded benchmark is the ASFA Retirement Standard, published by the Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia. Rather than a balance-by-age table, it estimates the annual spending a “modest” or “comfortable” retirement requires for singles and couples, and the lump sum needed to fund it alongside the Age Pension. It’s updated regularly, so check the current figures directly at ASFA or the government’s Moneysmart site rather than relying on a number quoted second-hand.

The specific dollar figures in the ASFA standard and the salary multiples above change over time and vary by source. This guide gives the approach, not confirmed current figures; check ASFA and Moneysmart for the latest numbers before you use them for planning.

What your balance could reach by age

The most useful “by age” number isn’t a benchmark: it’s your own trajectory. Here’s what our superannuation calculator projects for one illustrative worker: starting at age 30 with a $30,000 balance, on a $90,000 salary, 12% employer super, a 7% net return, retiring at 67. The right-hand column adds $5,000 a year of salary sacrifice.

Age	Projected balance	With +$5,000/yr salary sacrifice
40	~$186,000	~$245,000
50	~$492,000	~$667,000
60	~$1,096,000	~$1,497,000
67 (retirement)	~$1,839,000	~$2,520,000

Two things stand out. First, compounding accelerates: the jump from 60 to 67 is far larger than 30 to 40, because the balance doing the growing is much bigger. Second, a modest $5,000/yr salary sacrifice adds roughly $680,000 by 67, far more than the $185,000 you actually put in over 37 years, because it compounds for decades and is taxed at just 15% going in rather than your marginal rate.

These are nominal figures (future dollars, not adjusted for inflation) from a simplified projection with the assumptions above, not a prediction. Change any input in the calculator to model your own situation.

Why the projection beats the benchmark

A balance-by-age number tells you where you are; it doesn’t tell you where you’ll end up. Two people with the same balance at 40 can retire with very different amounts depending on their contribution rate and returns over the next 25 years. That’s why the most useful exercise isn’t comparing yourself to a benchmark: it’s projecting your own balance forward and seeing what changes move the needle.

When you run the superannuation calculator, try adjusting three levers:

• Salary sacrifice. Even a small extra concessional contribution, taxed at 15% instead of your marginal rate, compounds hard over decades.
• Retirement age. Working a few years longer adds contributions and extra years of compounding, often a surprisingly large effect.
• Expected return. A balanced option behaves very differently from a conservative one over 30 years; test a range so you’re not relying on one optimistic figure.

A reality check

The projected balance is nominal (future dollars, not adjusted for inflation), so its real purchasing power will be lower than the headline number suggests. And the calculator holds your salary and the rules constant, which real life won’t. Use it to compare scenarios and understand the levers, not as a promise.

Run your own numbers

Open the superannuation calculator, enter your age, balance, salary and expected return, and watch the projection. For the tax side of your pay that funds those contributions, the income tax and take-home pay calculators complete the picture.

This is general information, not personal financial advice. Super decisions have long-term consequences; consider speaking to a licensed financial adviser about your own situation.