Super & pensions · Caloundra & the Sunshine Coast
Superannuation advice in Caloundra and on the Sunshine Coast
Superannuation advice helps you decide when you can access your super, how to turn it into income and how it fits with the Age Pension. Generally, you can access super at preservation age (60 if born from 1 July 1964) once you retire, or at 65. We work with people in Caloundra, Mooloolaba and across the Sunshine Coast.
Book a 30-minute Fit Check with Simon
Why does superannuation advice matter as you near retirement?
For most of your working life, super sits in the background. As retirement gets closer, it becomes the money you’ll live on. Superannuation advice helps you decide when you can access it, how to turn it into a regular income and how it fits with the Age Pension and your partner’s super.
Simon lives in Caloundra and works with people planning retirement across the Sunshine Coast. We work with people in Caloundra, Mooloolaba and across the Sunshine Coast.
“Simon reviewed our super and insurance which we had neglected for many years.”
Kellie, Sep 2026Selected reviews. Individual experiences vary.
When can you access your super?
Generally, you can access your super when you reach your preservation age and retire, or when you turn 65, even if you’re still working. [1]
- Born from 1 July 1964: preservation age is 60. [1]
- Born before 1 July 1964: preservation age is 55 to 59, depending on your birth date. [2]
Simon checks your dates and the conditions that apply to you, so you can plan your finish date with the facts in front of you.
How do you turn super into a retirement income?
Many retirees move some or all of their super into an account-based pension. Your money stays invested, and you choose regular payments, such as fortnightly or monthly, into your bank account. Minimum yearly payments apply, and the balance can rise and fall with markets.
Simon helps you work out how much to draw, how much to hold in cash, and how your payments fit with the Age Pension. See how we approach investment management and retirement income.
How is super taxed in retirement?
Generally, payments from a taxed super fund to someone aged 60 or over are tax-free. [2] Once your super is in the retirement phase, investment earnings are generally tax-free too. There’s a limit on how much you can move into the retirement phase: the general transfer balance cap is $2.1 million for 2026–27. [3] How these rules apply depends on your circumstances.
For more on contributions and tax, see our retirement tax page.
How does super affect the Age Pension?
Once you reach Age Pension age, your super counts in the Age Pension income and assets tests. If your partner is under Age Pension age, their super generally isn’t counted in the income and assets tests unless it’s paying them a super pension. [4] Simon looks at your super, your partner’s super and your other assets together, so you can see how different choices may change your entitlements.
Read Will downsizing affect my Age Pension? for one common example.
What does personal superannuation advice add?
Personal advice from Simon looks at your super as part of your whole picture: your home, your partner’s super, savings outside super, your health, family plans and what you actually spend. Questions we often work through:
- How much could we draw each year, and for how long?
- How do we coordinate both partners’ super?
- Should we downsize, and what would that mean for the Age Pension?
- How should our super be set up for our family later on?
It starts with a 30-minute Fit Check. It’s general information, not personal advice. If we’re a good match, Simon explains the next steps and what advice would cost on our Pricing page. See Our engagement process and our Path to Prosperity approach.
Common questions about super in retirement
When can I access my super?
Generally, you can access your super when you reach your preservation age and retire, or when you turn 65, even if you’re still working. Your preservation age is 60 if you were born from 1 July 1964. Other conditions of release can apply.
What is preservation age?
Preservation age is the age you must reach before you can access your super on retirement. It is 60 for anyone born from 1 July 1964, and between 55 and 59 for people born earlier. It isn’t the same as Age Pension age, which is 67.
Is super tax-free after 60?
Generally, payments from a taxed super fund to someone aged 60 or over are tax-free. Investment earnings in the retirement phase are also generally tax-free, but there’s a limit on how much you can move into the retirement phase. The general transfer balance cap is $2.1 million for 2026–27.
What does superannuation advice cover?
It looks at your super alongside your partner’s super, the Age Pension, tax and your other savings. Simon helps you decide when to retire, how to draw an income from super and how much to keep in cash, and explains the trade-offs in plain English.
Want to talk through your super?
Start with a 30-minute Fit Check with Simon, Founder and Lead Retirement Planner, by phone or video call.
Book a 30-minute Fit Check with Simon
Or call Simon on (07) 5327 3495
Sunlit Path Retirement Partners is a trading name of The Trustee for Mino Family Trust, ABN 16 788 964 101
Sources
- [1] ATO – When you can withdraw your super (conditions of release; preservation age 60 if born from 1 July 1964; page last updated 10 July 2026) – https://www.ato.gov.au/individuals-and-families/super-for-individuals-and-families/super/withdrawing-and-using-your-super/super-withdrawal-options – checked 17 October 2026.
- [2] ATO – Payments from super (preservation age table; super lump sum tax table, including death benefits paid to non-dependants, taxable component – taxed element, maximum 15% excluding Medicare levy; page last updated 16 September 2026) – https://www.ato.gov.au/tax-rates-and-codes/key-superannuation-rates-and-thresholds/payments-from-super – checked 17 October 2026.
- [3] ATO – Transfer balance cap (general transfer balance cap $2.1 million for 2026–27; page last updated 27 April 2026) – https://www.ato.gov.au/tax-rates-and-codes/key-superannuation-rates-and-thresholds/transfer-balance-cap – checked 17 October 2026.
- [4] Services Australia – Superannuation (Age Pension: while you’re under Age Pension age, your or your partner’s super isn’t counted in the income and assets tests if your fund isn’t paying you a superannuation pension; page last updated 3 February 2025) – https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/superannuation?context=22526 – checked 17 October 2026.
- Services Australia – Who can get Age Pension (Age Pension age is 67; page last updated 1 December 2025) – https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/who-can-get-age-pension – checked 17 October 2026.