How do I boost my super before I retire? The levers, and the limits

Once you've worked out roughly where your super stands — and perhaps decided you'd like it to be higher — the natural next question is: what can I actually do about it? The good news is that the years leading up to retirement are the best time to grow your super. Your balance is at its largest, so compounding does the most work, and the extra contributions you make attract the biggest tax breaks of your life. There's a whole menu of levers to pull, most people know about only one or two of them, and there are a couple of limits you must respect or the strategy backfires. Here's the full picture. This article is general information only, not personal advice.

Why is super the place to do it?

Before the levers, the reason they work: super is the most tax-effective place to save for retirement. Money going in as a concessional (pre-tax) contribution is taxed at just 15% rather than your marginal tax rate, the earnings inside super are lightly taxed and become tax-free once you're in retirement phase, and the whole point of the levers below is to move more of your money into that low-tax environment while you still can (ATO, https://www.ato.gov.au/individuals-and-families/super-for-individuals-and-families/super/growing-and-keeping-track-of-your-super/caps-limits-and-tax-on-super-contributions). That tax advantage is why boosting super usually beats saving the same money outside it.

What are the levers?

Salary sacrifice is the workhorse for employees: you arrange for some of your pre-tax salary to go straight into super, where it's taxed at 15% instead of your marginal rate. Personal deductible contributions achieve the same thing a different way — you make a contribution from your own pocket and then claim a tax deduction for it, which suits the self-employed or anyone whose employer doesn't offer salary sacrifice. Both count towards your concessional cap, which is $32,500 in 2026-27 (ATO, https://www.ato.gov.au/individuals-and-families/super-for-individuals-and-families/super/growing-and-keeping-track-of-your-super/caps-limits-and-tax-on-super-contributions). Here's a powerful extra: if your total super balance was under $500,000 at the previous 30 June, you can carry forward unused concessional cap from the previous five years, letting you contribute well above the annual limit in a single catch-up year.

Then there are after-tax (non-concessional) contributions — money you put in that's already been taxed. You can contribute up to $130,000 a year this way (2026-27), or, using the bring-forward rule, up to three years' worth — around $390,000 — at once, ideal for a lump sum like an inheritance or the proceeds of a sale, subject to your total super balance (ATO, https://www.ato.gov.au/individuals-and-families/super-for-individuals-and-families/super/growing-and-keeping-track-of-your-super/caps-limits-and-tax-on-super-contributions). If you're a lower-income earner and make an after-tax contribution, the government co-contribution may add up to $500 on top — you get the full $500 by contributing $1,000 of your own money if your income is at or below the lower threshold, tapering off above it, provided you're under 71 (ATO, https://www.ato.gov.au/individuals-and-families/super-for-individuals-and-families/super/growing-and-keeping-track-of-your-super/how-to-save-more-in-your-super/government-super-contributions/super-co-contribution). Couples have their own levers: you can make a spouse contribution to a lower-earning partner's super (potentially earning a tax offset), or split your concessional contributions across to them — both of which help even up your balances, which can pay off later for the Age Pension and the transfer balance cap.

One of the biggest one-off levers is the downsizer contribution: from age 55, if you sell a home you've owned for at least 10 years, you can put up to $300,000 each into super outside the usual contribution caps (ATO, https://www.ato.gov.au/individuals-and-families/super-for-individuals-and-families/super/growing-and-keeping-track-of-your-super/how-to-save-more-in-your-super/downsizer-super-contributions). And finally, a lever that isn't a contribution at all but still lifts your final balance: consolidate and tidy up. Use myGov to track down any lost super, combine multiple accounts into one — checking first that you're not giving up insurance you need — keep your fees low, and make sure your investment option actually suits your timeframe (ASIC MoneySmart, https://moneysmart.gov.au/how-super-works/consolidating-super-funds). Each of these has its own detailed article.

What limits must you respect?

Powerful as the levers are, three limits turn a good strategy into a costly mistake if you ignore them. The first is the contribution caps: there are annual limits on both concessional and non-concessional contributions, and going over them has tax consequences — so the caps aren't a suggestion, they're a ceiling to plan against (ATO, https://www.ato.gov.au/individuals-and-families/super-for-individuals-and-families/super/growing-and-keeping-track-of-your-super/caps-limits-and-tax-on-super-contributions). The second is preservation: money you put into super is locked away until you can access it — generally age 60 plus a condition of release — so don't tip in cash you're going to need before then, a trap especially worth watching if you're thinking of retiring early. The third is timing: a contribution only counts for a financial year if the fund receives it by 30 June, so leaving it to the last week is risky. And if you're a higher earner, be aware of Division 293, which adds an extra 15% tax on concessional contributions once your income plus those contributions exceeds $250,000 (ATO, https://www.ato.gov.au/tax-rates-and-codes/key-superannuation-rates-and-thresholds/division-293-tax).

What do the worked examples show?

These show two of the main lever families at work — the employee catch-up and the downsizing lump sum. They are illustrative only, not personal advice, and the figures are illustrative.

Consider David, 58, an employee on a good income with $190,000 in super and several years of unused concessional cap because he hadn't contributed extra before. On these facts he has real room to catch up: as his total super balance is under $500,000, he can use carry-forward to contribute more than the $32,500 annual concessional cap in a single strong income year, all taxed at 15% going in rather than his higher marginal rate — though as a higher earner he should check whether Division 293 applies once his income plus contributions passes $250,000 (ATO, https://www.ato.gov.au/individuals-and-families/super-for-individuals-and-families/super/growing-and-keeping-track-of-your-super/caps-limits-and-tax-on-super-contributions). On these facts it is generally rational for someone in David's position to use salary sacrifice plus carry-forward in his peak earning years, while respecting the caps and the 30 June deadline.

Now consider Susan and Robert, both 66, who are selling the family home they've owned for 30 years to move somewhere smaller. On these facts the downsizer contribution is a powerful one-off lever: each of them can put up to $300,000 of the sale proceeds into super — up to $600,000 between them — and it doesn't count towards the usual contribution caps, moving a large sum into the low-tax super environment in one step (ATO, https://www.ato.gov.au/individuals-and-families/super-for-individuals-and-families/super/growing-and-keeping-track-of-your-super/how-to-save-more-in-your-super/downsizer-super-contributions). On these facts it is generally rational for a couple in their position to take advice first, because turning an exempt home into assessable super can affect their Age Pension — a trade-off worth weighing deliberately rather than by accident.

How does it all come together?

So the path is clear enough. Start by working out your gap — our article on how much super you should have at your age helps with that. Then pick the levers that fit your situation: salary sacrifice as the everyday workhorse, carry-forward to make the most of a good income year, after-tax contributions or the downsizer for a lump sum, and the co-contribution or spouse contributions if you're a lower earner or a couple with uneven balances. Respect the caps, the preservation rules, and the 30 June deadline throughout. Because contribution strategy is genuinely high-value but also cap- and eligibility-sensitive — and mistakes carry tax consequences — this is an area where personal advice reliably pays for itself. The final years before retirement are a real opportunity; used well, they can add far more to your super than you might expect.

Sources

• ASIC MoneySmart — Grow your super
• ATO — Caps, limits and tax on super contributions
• ATO — Downsizer super contributions
• ATO — Super co-contribution
• ATO — Division 293 tax
• ASIC MoneySmart — Consolidating super funds