You've worked hard for your super, so it makes sense that you'll want access to your super as soon as you retire. 

Your super is a long-term investment, so there are preservation rules to ensure that super is only used to fund your retirement, which is generally when you reach preservation age and retire or if other conditions are met.

Your preservation age depends on the year you were born:

How to access your super

You can choose from a number of ways to access your retirement income. The options include starting an allocated pension from your super savings, taking a lump sum super pay-out, making withdrawals directly from your super account or a combination of these options.

If you have  a GESB Super or West State Super account, generally you'll be able to access your super once you have reached the preservation age (see table above) and are no longer gainfully employed.

If you have a  Gold State Super account, generally you can retire from work and access your super when you're over 55 and no longer working for the WA public sector.

If you're nearing retirement but would like to continue working part-time before you fully retire, Transition to Retirement may be the best option for you.

There are also other circumstances which may allow you to access your super.