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

Fees and Costs

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Working hard to keep our fees low, for the benefit of all members

Profit for member

Profit for members

We are 100% member-owned. We don’t have any shareholders which means we are a not-for-profit fund and our members come first in everything we do.

Low fees

Low fees

High fees can eat away at retirement savings, but at Brighter Super we work hard to keep our fees and costs as low as possible.

David ‘Kochie’ Koch explains how fees can affect your super on an episode of Your Money Your Life

How our MySuper fees compare

The amount of fees charged to your account will have an impact on the money available to you and your retirement.

When comparing superannuation funds, you should consider overall performance, fees and costs.

* Fee comparisons for the Average Super funds and Average industry funds shown in this table is based on the latest SuperRatings Fee report at the time of publishing (August 2025) – SR50 MySuper Index accessed 23 September 2025. Fees may change in the future which may affect the outcomes of this comparison. Analysis compares the Brighter Super MySuper Total Fee, based on a $50,000 super balance as at 1 October 2025, and considers SuperRatings SR50 MySuper Index. Average industry fund considers industry funds with no joining restrictions.

The fees we charge

The total amount of fees you will be charged is made up of administration fees, investment fees and costs and transaction costs. The investment fees and costs also include performance fees, where applicable. Together this equals the ‘cost of product’.

Administration fees and costs
+
Investment fees and costs
(including performance fees)
+
Transaction costs
=
Cost of Product

Administration fees and costs

Regardless of how your super is invested, Brighter Super charges administration fees to cover the costs of running the fund. Since 2022, we have reduced total administration fees by 40%1.

Account keeping Fee2
$0.50
per week
+
Percentage-based administration fee3
0.14% p.a.
Capped at $650 per year
+
From reserves^
0.01% p.a.
Costs met from reserves
1The fee reductions represent the overall reduction in administration fees charged to members across the whole fund, including actuals over three years and forecast of impact of fee changes on 1 January 2025. Individuals may see different levels of fee reductions, and in some instances, fee increases depending on their balance (FUM), products and investment options.
2This fee is charged per account (excluding KiwiSaver accounts, Suncorp Group SESP Corporate Plan members, Norfina Corporate Plan members and Insurance Only accounts). Calculated daily and deducted from your account at the end of each month or when you exit the Fund. Due to rounding, the total account keeping fee may be different and up to $26.10 in some years.
3Excludes Suncorp Group SESP and Norfina Corporate Plan members. Please refer to the relevant Corporate Plan Summary for additional information.
^Deducted from the Fund's General Reserve, not from your account. This percentage is an estimate based on the costs from the previous financial year and may change. We estimated this amount as 0.01% based on the costs from the year ending 30 June 2025.

Investment fees and costs and transaction costs

Investment fees and costs refer to the expenses associated with managing each investment option. Transaction costs are costs associated with the sale and purchase of assets of the superannuation entity. These fees vary depending on the investment option you are invested in.

The investment fees and costs, transaction fees and the ‘cost of product’ for each investment option offered by Brighter Super are outlined in our Investment and Fees Guides.

Investment and Fees Guide

Pension Investment and Fees Guide

Administration fee rebate

The administration fee of 0.14% is subject to a limit of $650 in a financial year. Any administration fee charged above $650 across all eligible accounts, will be rebated to your account in the following financial year. The fee cap amount of $650 per financial year is applied after the effect of any tax rebates on administration fees. Accumulation and Transition to Retirement accounts receive a tax rebate of 15% on their administration fee, resulting in a lower net administration fee overall. All your accounts are eligible except for the Defined Benefit portion of a Defined Benefit account. If you hold more than one Brighter Super account at the time the administration rebate is applied, it will be paid in direct proportion to the account balance at that time.

Link up and save

If your partner is also a Brighter Super member, you can link your accounts to take advantage of the fee cap and potentially reduce your percentage-based administration fees. For more information, refer to the Investment and Fees Guide. The MySuper option is excluded from the calculation for the purposes of applying the fee cap to linked accounts. The rebate will only be paid back into the account the fee was originally taken from. If an eligible account is closed prior to the rebate being paid in the following financial year, the impacted partner will not be entitled to that portion of the rebate.

To take advantage of the fee cap, complete the Partner Linking form available at brightersuper.com.au/forms.

Let’s break this down

Example cost of product

A Brighter Super member who has an account balance of $50,000 invested in MySuper can expect to pay.

Administration fees and costs (Account keeping fee + percentage-based admin fee + costs met from reserves)
$26^ + $75 ($0.50 per week^ + 0.14% + 0.01% p.a.*)
+
Investment fees and costs (including performance fees)
$250 (0.50% p.a.)
+
Transaction costs
$35 (0.07% p.a.)
=
Cost of Product (per year fees and costs)
$386

^The account keeping fee is per account and is calculated based on 52 weeks per year. Charged monthly and on exit. Due to rounding, the total account keeping fee may be different and up to $26.10 in some years.
*The 0.01% p.a. is not deducted from your account balance/investment returns but is deducted from the Fund’s General Reserve, this is not an additional cost to you.

Additional explanation of fees and costs

For more information, please refer to the relevant Product Disclosure Statement and Investment and Fees Guide for your account.

  • Administration fees and costs

    An administration fee and cost are fees and costs that relate to the administration or operation of the superannuation entity and includes costs incurred by the trustee of the entity that:

    1. relate to the administration or operation of the entity; and
    2. are not otherwise charged as an investment fee and cost, a buy-sell spread, a switching fee, an activity fee, an advice fee or an insurance fee.

  • Investment fees and costs and transaction costs

    An investment fee is a fee that relates to the investment of the assets of a superannuation entity and includes:

    1. fees in payment for the exercise of care and expertise in the investment of those assets (including performance fees); and
    2. costs incurred by the trustee of the entity that:
      1. relate to the investment of assets of the entity, and
      2. are not otherwise charged as an administration fee and cost, a buy-sell spread, a switching fee, an activity fee, an advice fee or an insurance fee.

    Transaction costs are amounts incurred in buying and selling assets (for example, stamp duty, brokerage and settlement costs) that are not otherwise included in the buy-sell spread of an investment option.

    Investment option
    Investment fees and costs p.a.1 Transaction costs p.a.2
    MySuper 0.50% 0.07%
    Ready-made Multi-manager options
    Growth 0.57% 0.07%
    Balanced 0.57% 0.08%
    Conservative Balanced 0.51% 0.07%
    Indexed Balanced 0.11% 0.00%
    Stable 0.47% 0.06%
    Secure 0.43% 0.04%
    Single Asset Class options
    International Shares 0.30% 0.04%
    Australian Shares 0.25% 0.04%
    Property 0.56% 0.17%
    Diversified Fixed Interest 0.16% 0.01%
    Cash 0.02% 0.00%

    1These amounts are estimates only. Investment fees are based on actual costs incurred in the previous financial year for our investment managers. Investment fees also include an amount for performance fees. The performance fees have been estimated by taking the average of the last five financial years. The actual amount you will be charged in each financial year will depend on the actual fees and costs incurred by the Trustee in managing the investment option/s for that financial year.

    2These amounts are estimates only and are based on historical costs as at last financial year. The actual amount you will be charged in each financial year will depend on the actual fees and costs incurred by the Trustee in managing the investment option/s for that financial year.

  • Performance fees

    Performance fees are included in the calculation of investment fees and costs and are paid to investment managers when their performance exceeds an agreed target. Different performance fees apply to different investment managers and if an investment manager underperforms, they don’t earn a performance fee.

    Performance fees cannot be known precisely in any given year, as the level of any outperformance by investment managers is not known in advance. Performance fees have been estimated by taking the average of the last five financial years. The actual amount you will be charged in each financial year will depend on the actual fees and costs incurred by the Trustee in managing the investment option/s for that financial year.

    The below table outlines the performance fee for each investment option and are included in the investment fees and costs shown above.

    Investment option
    Performance fee p.a.1
    MySuper 0.13%
    Ready-made Multi-manager options
    Growth * 0.18%
    Balanced * 0.15%
    Conservative Balanced * 0.14%
    Indexed Balanced 0.00%
    Stable * 0.12%
     Secure 0.13%
    Single Asset Class options
    International Shares * 0.02%
    Australian Shares 0.03%
    Property 0.09%
    Diversified Fixed Interest 0.00%
    Cash 0.00%

     

    * Prior to 31 May 2024, this Option did not have any assets to which a performance fee applied. On 31 May 2024, a former Brighter Super Option was closed, and its assets were transferred to this Option. Performance fee disclosed here has been estimated based on the historical performance fees paid by the closed Brighter Super Option over the last five years.

    1 These amounts are estimates only. The performance fees have been estimated by taking the average of the last five financial years. The actual amount you will be charged in each financial year will depend on the actual fees and costs incurred by the Trustee in managing the investment option/s for that financial year.

  • Fee changes

    Administration and Investment fees cover the actual costs of administration and investment management paid out of Brighter Super and, as such, may vary from year to year. The actual investment fees deducted from investment earnings each financial year are reported to you in the Annual Report to members.

    Before the start of each financial year Brighter Super estimates the Investment fees and costs and transaction costs for the year ahead and these estimates only change where necessary to ensure costs are covered.

    Brighter Super reserves the right to make changes to the fees and costs charged without your prior consent. We will notify you at least 30 days in advance if a change results in an increase in the fees and costs charged directly to your account.

  • Insurance Costs

    If you hold insurance cover with Brighter Super, the cost of this cover (called premiums or insurance fees) varies based on a number of factors including: age, cover type, gender, amount and occupation category. We calculate premiums daily and deduct them from your account at the end of each month. If your cover changes during the month, a pro-rata premium may apply. Unpaid premiums and fees are deducted before you exit the fund.

    Refer to the relevant Insurance Guide for further information, including whether an insurance administration fee rebate applies.

  • Financial advice fee

    Super Advice

    You can access advice about your Brighter Super account at no extra cost – it’s included in your membership. Our financial advisers can help you understand your investment options, how to grow your super balance tax effectively and understand your insurance options.

    Advice fees

    A fee is an advice fee if:

    1. the fee relates directly to costs incurred by the trustee of the superannuation entity because of the provision of financial product advice to a member by:
      1. a trustee of the entity; or
      2. another person acting as an employee of, or under an arrangement with, the trustee of the entity;
      and
    2. those costs are not otherwise charged as an administration fee and cost, an investment fee and cost, a switching fee, an activity fee or an insurance fee.

    In your Brighter Super account, you can authorise us to pay a personal advice fee to your financial Adviser.

    A Brighter Super financial adviser can also help keep you on the path to financial success, by providing you with the advice and support you need over the long term. Brighter Super also offers a range of advice services to help you plan, protect and grow your retirement savings.

    If you engage with a financial adviser and receive personal advice, the cost of this advice may be deducted from your account. Personal advice is where one or more of your personal objectives, financial situation and needs are considered when providing the advice. The financial adviser must also disclose the details of any advice fees in the Statement of Advice they provide to you. Brighter Super may at its discretion reduce or refuse to deduct a personal advice fee. Any personal advice fee may include GST.

    For more details on our financial advice services, please refer to our Financial Services Guide or our advice page.

Defined Benefits and Classic Pension

Different fee arrangements apply if you have a Defined Benefit Fund, Defined Benefit Account or a Classic Pension account. For full details of these fees and costs, see the relevant guide on our Product Disclosure Statements and guides page.