Supporting you through a death benefit claim
Losing a loved one is never easy.
Here you’ll find guidance on claiming a member’s super balance and any insurance they held following their passing.
Your dedicated Case Manager will be there to support you through each step, helping with forms, gathering documents, and working with the insurer to ensure any insurance entitlements are paid.
Steps to make a death benefit claim
1. Notify CareSuper
The first step is to let us know that a member has passed away. This can be done by calling us on 1800 005 166 or emailing [email protected].
When you notify us, we’ll ask for some details about the member, including:
- full name
- CareSuper membership number (if known)
- last known residential address
- date of birth and date of death
- your relationship to the member
- your contact details and
- details of any other important relationships the member had
2. Receive your claim pack
A claim pack will be sent to you and any other potential beneficiaries. This will include a claim form for you and any other person that may want to be considered as a claimant to complete. The pack also outlines the information we might need to assess the claim. For a full list of the required information, please see our fact sheet.
A Case Manager will be assigned to the claim and will guide you through the process.
3. Lodge your claim
You don’t need to have everything ready at once. Send us the information you have so that we can begin the assessment and guide you through the rest. If more than one person is making a claim, each person will need to complete and return their own documents.
Your Case Manager will stay in touch with all claimants, making sure everyone is supported and kept informed.
4. Claim assessment
As we receive your documents, and information from any other claimants, we’ll review everything to ensure we have what is needed to reach a decision of who is eligible for the benefit payment. If more information is needed, we’ll let you know and explain why.
If the member had insurance within their super, we’ll provide the relevant information to the insurer for their assessment. Insured benefits are paid back into the member’s superannuation account once received from the insurer. If the insurer declines the insurance claim, we’ll review their decision carefully so nothing is overlooked and will explain what it means for you.
5. Claim decision
Once we have all the required information, we’ll determine who is eligible to receive the death benefit and notify all claimants of the outcome.
We follow superannuation law and fund rules to make this decision with care and respect. The benefit is generally paid to a dependant or the member’s legal personal representative. If neither applies, it may go to a nominated beneficiary on the member’s CareSuper account.
6. Notification of the outcome
Once the decision is reached, we’ll write to all claimants to share the outcome and seek payment instructions from the beneficiary/ies.
Where there is more than one claimant, usually everyone will have 28-days to agree with the decision, raise concerns, or provide additional information if needed. This is called an objection and if received, we’ll work through the issues raised with all claimants and guide you through the next steps. The benefit will not be paid out to any party until all issues are resolved.
Following a review of an objection, if claimants cannot agree with the Trustee’s decision, a complaint can be raised with Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA). AFCA is an independent body who will work with all claimants and the Trustee to resolve the dispute and reach a payment decision.
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FAQs
We know this can be a difficult time, and we’re committed to finalising every claim as quickly and carefully as possible.
Processing times can vary depending on each person’s situation - for example, whether there’s a valid beneficiary nomination, whether insurance is involved, and how quickly we receive all required documents.
Recent research by the regulator (ASIC) found that while some funds finalise around half of their death benefit claims within three months, others can take longer - especially when extra information or assessment is required.
A few important things that can help:
- Having a valid binding nomination. When the member’s nomination is valid and up to date, claims are usually processed faster. However, around one in four binding nominations in the industry are found to be invalid, which can delay payment.
- Insurance assessments. If the claim involves an insurance component, there may be additional steps needed, which can take more time.
- Missing information. We can start processing as soon as we have all required documents - things like the death certificate, proof of identity, and relationship details.
- Complex family circumstances. If there are multiple possible beneficiaries, we need to make sure the payment is in line with super law.
Our goal is to keep you updated and supported throughout the process so you always know what’s happening and what to expect.
- A binding nomination (valid and current) tells us exactly who to pay and gives you more certainty.
- A non-binding nomination indicates your preference, but the trustee still has discretion.
Without a valid binding nomination, payments may take longer because additional verification or discretionary processes apply.
Find out more about binding and non-binding nominations.