Making extra contributions is one of the most effective ways to grow your super. You can make extra contributions to your super at any time at no cost, and they will be added to your existing super account.

Before-tax (concessional) contributions

Making extra contributions from your pre-tax income is referred to as salary sacrificing. The money you 'sacrifice' is paid directly from your salary into your super account before you pay income tax.

In addition to growing your super, salary sacrificing results in a reduction of your taxable income and therefore reduces the amount of income tax you pay.

You can easily start, stop or change the amount you salary sacrifice as your situation changes. To elect to salary sacrifice you will need to check that your workplace has a salary sacrifice arrangement in place, complete the Payroll deduction form and return it to your employer. Alternatively, you can salary sacrifice through a salary sacrifice packaging provider.

Depending on what type of GESB account you have, different rules apply:

• GESB Super: contributions are taxed at 15%. This means that you have more money to invest compared with investing after-tax, as your income may be taxed at up to 46.5% (depending on your marginal tax rate). Limits apply to how much you can contribute to your GESB Super each year and only be taxed at 15% - see contribution limits below. For more information refer to the GESB Super salary sacrifice fact sheet.
• West State Super: contributions to West State Super are untaxed, however tax is paid when you access your benefit. There are no limits on salary sacrifice contributions to West State Super but a lifetime limit on the amount that is concessionally taxed does apply. For more information refer to the West State Super salary sacrifice fact sheet.

After-tax (non-concessional) contributions

You can make extra contributions using your after-tax income. This is of particular advantage if you earn under $61,920pa, as you may be eligible for a government super co-contribution, up to the value of $1,000.

There are several ways to make an after-tax contribution:

• Complete the Payroll deduction form and submit it to your employer
• Make payments over $20 via BPAY® - reference number available in Member Online
• By cheque or money order with a completed Super contributions form

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Contribution limits

There are limits that apply to contributions. They vary depending on what type of account you have:

• GESB Super: limits apply to both concessional and non-concessional contributions.
• West State Super and Gold State Super: no limits on concessional contributions; limits apply to non-concessional contributions - see table below.

  You can read more about these caps in the 'Tax and super' fact sheet.

Spouse contributions

Spouse contributions allow you to contribute money to your spouse's super account. These contributions assist in growing your joint retirement savings and you may receive a number of tax benefits. If your spouse has an annual income of less than $10,800, the first $3,000 of spouse contributions entitles you to an 18% tax rebate (up to a maximum of $540 per year). Your spouse can earn up to $13,800 per year for you to receive a partial rebate. For more information, refer to the Spouse contributions fact sheet.