What Super Fees Really Cost: 0.5% vs 1.6% Over a Working Life
One 30-year-old's super at 67 under four fee levels, the gap in dollars, and how to check and compare your fund's fees.
By the MoneyBackKit AU team · Updated 28 October 2026 · 2 min read
Super fees look tiny as a percentage, but they come out of your balance every year for decades, and they also cost you the growth that money would have earned. A gap of under one percentage point can mean hundreds of thousands of dollars by retirement.
Same person, different fees
| Total fees a year | Balance at 67 | In today's dollars | Less than the 0.5% fund |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.5% | $2,269,601 | $910,262 | $0 |
| 0.8% | $2,112,643 | $847,312 | $156,958 |
| 1.2% | $1,922,452 | $771,032 | $347,150 |
| 1.6% | $1,751,908 | $702,633 | $517,693 |
Checking your own fees
- Find your fund's total fees (admin fees plus investment fees and costs) on its product disclosure statement or the fees section of its website.
- Compare MySuper funds with the ATO's YourSuper comparison tool, which shows fees and past returns.
- If you have more than one account, combining them (in myGov, under Super) stops you paying two sets of fees and insurance; check what insurance you'd lose first.