Phone 1800 444 396
Web brightersuper.com.au
Email info@brightersuper.com.au
Post GPO Box 264, Brisbane QLD 4001


Lowering fees again, and again, and again.

We’re planning a bright 2025 for Brighter Super members, starting with a reduction in our percentage-based administration fee that will come into effect on 1 January 2025.

It will be the third year in a row we’ve lowered admin fees. Since the completion of the mergers in 2022, Brighter Super has reduced administration fees by a total of 40%1.

It’s a further step in our continuing commitment to being ‘brighter together’, ensuring all members benefit from our recent mergers while maximising their retirement savings potential.

The information below is only a summary of some of the changes which may impact you on 1 January 2025. Please refer to our November 2024 Significant Event Notice for full details of all the changes and to understand how these changes may affect you.

You can also view our short video featuring retirement advocate, David Koch, discussing the impact of lower fees on your retirement savings.

Video: David ‘Kochie’ Koch explains why it is important to check your fees as they can make a huge difference to your retirement savings.

What is changing on 1 January 2025?

We’re lowering the administration fee

Brighter Super works hard to keep fees and costs down. We are a not-for-profit industry fund and only charge our members what it costs to run the fund.

To provide members with greater value we are reducing:

  • the percentage-based administration fee from 0.18% to 0.14% per year2
  • the percentage-based administration fee cap from $900 to $650 per financial year.

Additionally, the costs paid from reserves are reducing from 0.03% to 0.01%. This reflects the costs paid from reserves in the 2024 financial year. It is not an additional cost to you; it is deducted from the Fund’s General Reserves and not from your account balance.

We’re bringing in a small account keeping fee

We are introducing an account keeping fee of $0.50 per account3, per week to cover the base costs of managing an account. This fee will be deducted directly from your account each month (pro-rated if you close your account during the month) and is not based on the account balance.

The new fee structure will enable us to continue to provide a high standard of service and shares the cost of providing administration services and products across all accounts.

We’re introducing partner linking

Brighter Super members will be able to link their partner’s eligible accounts to benefit from the reduced administration fee cap of $650. Partner linking allows the percentage-based administration fees to be calculated on the combined account balance, potentially reducing the percentage-based administration fees charged to both members.

We’re changing some investment fees and costs and transaction costs

Investment fees and costs and transaction costs will rise for five investment options due to changes we are making to the underlying investments. The investment fees and costs and transaction costs will increase by 0.01% for Diversified Fixed Interest, Growth and International Shares and by 0.02% for MySuper and Conservative Balanced options.

The Australian Shares option will decrease by 0.01% and all other options will remain unchanged.

We’re reducing the insurance administration fee for former Optimiser members

The Fund receives a tax deduction of 15% on insurance premiums paid by members. Currently, the Fund retains this tax refund on former Optimiser accounts as an insurance administration fee to cover the costs incurred in providing insurance to members.

From 1 January 2025, the 15% insurance administration fee will reduce to 8% of the insurance premiums paid, to align with how the tax deduction is applied to other Brighter Super accounts. The insurance administration fee is not deducted from your account, however going forward a tax refund of 7% of the insurance premiums will be credited to your account.

If applicable, this refund will be shown on your Annual Statement.

We’re improving the way death benefits are paid

We understand the loss of a loved one is a difficult time for members’ families, so we are amending our Trust Deed to provide clearer guidance and speed up decision making where we do not hold a valid beneficiary nomination. This will help to expedite claims decisions and minimise delays.

Where a member’s death occurs on or after 1 January 2025 and we do not have a valid beneficiary nomination, a new prescribed hierarchy will be used to determine the recipient of the death benefit, as follows: 

  • To a qualifying spouse (or one or more qualifying spouses, where more than one person meets the relevant definition of qualifying spouse).
  • If there is no qualifying spouse, then one or more qualifying children (this includes children under 18, as well as children over 18 with a financial dependency on the member, or in an interdependency relationship with the member, or with a prescribed disability). 
  • If there are no qualifying children, then the legal personal representative (executor of the member’s Will or person who has letters of administration of the member’s estate).
  • If no legal personal representative is identified, or the estate is insolvent, then to other dependants. 

Additional changes have been introduced for the Trustee to exercise discretion on the payment of death benefits in some circumstances where there are indications of spousal abuse. 

You can easily add or change your binding non-lapsing nomination via Member Online at any time. It takes less than 10 minutes and there’s no need for anyone to witness your nomination.

What do you need to do?

You do not need to do anything; these changes will automatically take effect from 1 January 2025. 

For further information please refer to the Product Disclosure Statement, Target Market Determination and Investment and Fees Guide for your account available at brightersuper.com.au/pds from 1 January 2025.

For further information on your account, you can log in 24/7 to Member Online or access your account via the Brighter Super app.

Or if you have general questions about the changes, refer to our Frequently Asked Questions below or contact us.

1The fee reductions represent the overall reduction in administration fees charged across the membership of the Fund. This includes actual reductions over the past three years and the forecasted impact of fee changes from 1 January 2025. Individuals may see different levels of fee changes, and in some instances, fee increases, dependent on account balance, products, and investment options.

2This does not apply to members of the Suncorp Group Corporate Plan or Norfina Corporate Plan, who will continue to receive the administration fees negotiated by their employer.

3This does not apply to Kiwisaver Accumulation accounts or members of the Suncorp Group Corporate Plan or Norfina Corporate Plan.

Frequently asked questions

  • How is the fee cap applied for partner linking?

    When two Pension members link accounts, the percentage-based administration fee cap of $650 will apply once the combined balance across the linked accounts exceeds $464,286.

    Accumulation and Transition to Retirement (TTR) members already receive a tax refund of 15% of their administration fee, resulting in a lower net administration fee overall. From 1 January 2025, Accumulation and TTR members who link accounts will continue to benefit from the 15% tax refund. When two Accumulation or TTR members link accounts, the percentage-based administration fee cap of $650 will apply once the combined balance across the linked members exceeds $546,219.

    This fee cap will also apply when one partner has an Accumulation or TTR account and the other partner has a Pension account, and those accounts are linked.

    Any fees that have been charged in excess of the cap during the financial year will be credited back to your linked accounts proportionately in the following year.

  • How can I apply for partner linking?

    You will be able to take advantage of partner linking from early 2025. Simply complete the Account Linking Request form with your partner, which will be available at brightersuper.com.au/forms from early 2025. We’ll keep you up to date with this exciting new feature in our Member Update newsletter.

    If you’re already on an existing arrangement, there’s no need to complete a new form.

  • Is the weekly account keeping fee included in the partner link cap?

    No. Each member will still pay the $0.50 per week account keeping fee on their account, which is applied at the end of each month.

  • How can I make a binding non-lapsing nomination?

    The quickest and easiest way to make a binding non-lapsing nomination is via Member Online. It takes less than 10 minutes and there’s no need for anyone to witness your nomination.

    Simply log in to Member Online and select ‘Beneficiaries’, then:

    • If you don’t currently have a nominated beneficiary for your account, click ‘Add new beneficiary’ under ‘Binding nominations’.
    • If you currently have a ‘preferred’ beneficiary nomination, click on the ‘Add new beneficiary’ tab and your preferred beneficiary will appear with an ‘Expiry’ label of ‘Non-lapsing’ (you can remove this beneficiary if no longer valid).


    You can add up to eight ‘Binding non-lapsing’ beneficiary nominations, then tick that you have read the member declaration and save.

  • Where can I find more details of the revised fees and costs?

    From 1 January 2025, you can visit our Fees and Costs page or refer to the Investment and Fees Guide relevant to your account.

  • Will these administration fee changes impact my KiwiSaver account?

    For existing and new members who have transferred a KiwiSaver scheme to Brighter Super and a new account has been opened, this account will only be charged the percentage-based administration fee from 1 January 2025. The account keeping fee will not be charged on this account.

  • Where can I get financial advice?

    If you don’t already have a financial adviser, Brighter Super offers a range of advice services to help you plan, protect and grow your retirement savings.