Super stapling has been in effect since November 2021. It is a rule that "staples" your existing superannuation fund to you when you change jobs, rather than defaulting you into your new employer's chosen fund. The goal was to reduce the proliferation of multiple super accounts Australians were unknowingly accumulating across jobs. The mechanics matter for anyone starting a new job.
When you start a new job and do not nominate a super fund, your employer is required to check whether you have an existing "stapled" fund with the Australian Tax Office (ATO) before defaulting you into their standard fund. The ATO maintains a record of your existing super accounts, and if you have one, the employer must direct contributions to that fund rather than their own default.
If the ATO's system shows no stapled fund (for example, if you are entering the workforce for the first time), the employer proceeds with their default fund as before.
If you do nominate a fund — which you are always free to do — your nomination takes precedence over both stapling and the employer's default. The stapling rules only apply when you do not make an active choice.
Employers use the ATO's online employer portal to request stapled fund information. They submit your tax file number and other identifying details, and the ATO returns the stapled fund details within days. The employer is then required to use that fund for contributions unless you provide your own nomination.
If the employer fails to check for a stapled fund and defaults you into their fund incorrectly, the ATO can require them to correct the contributions.
If you do nothing when you start a new job, your super follows you to your existing fund. If you want to go somewhere different, you need to nominate actively. The system defaults to your history, not to your new employer's preference.
Stapling is beneficial if your existing super fund is a good one — competitive fees, strong long-term returns, and adequate insurance cover for your circumstances. In that case, staying with your fund avoids the cost and administrative overhead of consolidating later, and your insurance cover (which often resets or has waiting periods when you switch) continues without interruption.
It also eliminates the previous default mechanism where serial job changers would accumulate multiple small super accounts, each eating management fees, sometimes with overlapping insurance premiums, gradually eroding balances.
Stapling defaults you to your existing fund, but it does not mean you should stay there. If your existing fund underperforms, charges high fees, or is not appropriate for your age and risk profile, changing jobs is a useful prompt to actively choose a better fund.
APRA publishes annual performance test results for MySuper (default) investment options. In the 2025 test, all 52 MySuper products passed, but fee differences between funds remain large. A 0.5 percentage point fee difference on a $100,000 balance compounds to roughly $25,000 over 20 years. Being stapled to a fund with above-average fees quietly costs real money.
Your new employer's default fund might also be better than your existing fund. Under stapling, you are no longer automatically placed in it, so you need to actively compare. If you start a new job, check whether the employer's default is a high-performing, low-fee option and compare it against your stapled fund before accepting the default outcome.
Most super funds provide default life insurance, total and permanent disability (TPD) cover, and sometimes income protection cover as part of membership. When you change super funds, this cover can lapse, restart with waiting periods, or change in terms.
If you are considering switching away from your stapled fund, check what insurance cover you currently hold and whether it would be duplicated, reduced, or subject to new waiting periods in the new fund. For people with health conditions, the existing insurance cover in their current fund may be difficult to replicate in a new fund at the same terms.
If you have multiple existing super accounts, the ATO applies a set of rules to determine which one becomes your stapled fund. Generally it uses the fund receiving the most recent contributions. You can consolidate multiple accounts into one through myGov (using the ATO's "manage your super" service) to avoid having multiple accounts and insurance premiums eating your balance. Consolidating before you change jobs also clarifies which fund will be used as your stapled fund.
Log in to myGov and link to the ATO service. Under "super," you can see all funds associated with your TFN and which one the ATO would use as your stapled fund. You can consolidate accounts, update your preferred fund, and check balance and contribution history in the same place.
Check whether your super fund is performing well and whether your current fund is the right one for your situation.
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