--- title: Lost Super Has Hit $21 Billion. Here's How to Check Yours description: The average lost super account holds around $41,000. Learn how super goes missing, how to search for free, and the insurance check to make first. image: https://trekkadvisory.com.au/hubfs/lost-super-Oct-blog.png --- [!["Trekk Advisory" logo: bold black "Trekk" in modern font with smaller red "ADVISORY" below on a white background.](https://trekkadvisory.com.au/hs-fs/hubfs/Logos/trekk-advisory-logo-black%201.png?width=150&height=75&name=trekk-advisory-logo-black%201.png "\"Trekk Advisory\" logo: bold black \"Trekk\" in modern font with smaller red \"ADVISORY\" below on a white background.")](https://trekkadvisory.com.au) - [Featured services](https://trekkadvisory.com.au/how-we-help) - [Business accounting](https://trekkadvisory.com.au/small-business-accountants) - [Clarity Bookkeeping](https://trekkadvisory.com.au/clarity-bookkeeping) - [Xero cloud accounting](https://trekkadvisory.com.au/xero-cloud-accounting) - [Advice + business advisory](https://trekkadvisory.com.au/business-advisory-services) - [Tax minimisation + planning](https://trekkadvisory.com.au/tax-minimisation-and-planning) - [Self-managed super funds](https://trekkadvisory.com.au/self-managed-super-funds) - [Business Valuations](https://trekkadvisory.com.au/business-valuations) - [How we help](https://trekkadvisory.com.au/how-we-help) - [Understand your numbers](https://trekkadvisory.com.au/how-we-help/understanding) - [Grow your numbers](https://trekkadvisory.com.au/how-we-help/growth) - [Leverage your numbers](https://trekkadvisory.com.au/how-we-help/leverage) - [Who we are](https://trekkadvisory.com.au/our-team) - [Resources](https://trekkadvisory.com.au/information-centre) - [Get in touch](https://trekkadvisory.com.au/contact) - QLD - [Brisbane](https://trekkadvisory.com.au/brisbane) - [Gympie](https://trekkadvisory.com.au/gympie) - [North Queensland](https://trekkadvisory.com.au/north-queensland) - [Rockhampton](https://trekkadvisory.com.au/rockhampton) - NSW - [Northern Rivers](https://trekkadvisory.com.au/northern-rivers) [Download: Success Checklist](https://trekkadvisory.com.au/business-success-checklist) ![Trekk Advisory team member wearing a headset and taking handwritten notes at her desk beside a computer monitor, accountant office](https://trekkadvisory.com.au/hubfs/lost-super-Oct-blog.png) October 12, 2026 By Anna Averianova # Lost Super Has Hit $21 Billion. Here's How to Check Yours ##### Share: - - - More than $21 billion in lost and unclaimed super is sitting idle across Australia, according to the latest ATO figures. The average lost account holds around $41,000, and last year alone the ATO reunited more than $1.1 billion with members. That's real money that could be working harder for your retirement. And for a lot of people, some of it is theirs without them knowing. ### How super goes missing Super generally becomes lost when an account goes inactive and the fund can no longer contact the member. It's rarely dramatic. The usual triggers are everyday ones: - Changing jobs and leaving an old account behind - Moving house or changing your phone number without telling the fund - Changing your name When a fund can't reach you, the account may be classified as lost. In some cases the balance is eventually transferred to the ATO, which holds it until the rightful owner claims it. > The money doesn't disappear. It sits with the fund or the ATO, waiting to be reunited with its owner. ### A five-minute check Finding lost super is free and straightforward. The quickest way is through ATO online services in myGov: 1. Log in to myGov and open the ATO section. 2. Select Super, then Fund details. 3. Review any active accounts, plus any lost or ATO-held super linked to your tax file number. If you'd rather not use myGov, you can also search through the ATO app, call the automated lost super search line on 13 28 65, or use a paper form. The ATO has more detail on its [lost super search page](https://www.ato.gov.au/forms-and-instructions/superannuation-searching-for-lost-superannuation). Many people are surprised by what turns up. It might be an account from an early job, a small balance that has quietly grown, or a larger amount they'd completely forgotten about. ### Why it matters more as retirement gets closer For someone decades from retirement, finding lost super is a nice win. For someone at or approaching retirement age, it can be far more meaningful. An extra $20,000 or $40,000 (or more) can make a noticeable difference to the nest egg available to draw on. Even smaller amounts help. Once they're consolidated into a single active account, they continue to earn returns and can attract any future contributions, rather than sitting idle and potentially being eroded by fees. ### Check your insurance before you consolidate This is the step people most often skip. If you decide to roll several accounts into one preferred fund, look at the insurance attached to each account first. > Death, total and permanent disability, or income protection cover that comes with a super account can sometimes end when the balance is rolled over. Losing that cover without realising it can leave a gap in your protection at the exact time you may need it most. Before you consolidate, speak with your fund or adviser so you understand what will transfer and what won't. ### The practical upside of tidying up Beyond finding forgotten money, bringing your super into one active account usually has a few practical benefits. It can reduce the fees you're paying across multiple accounts, give you better investment choice, and make it far easier to keep track of your overall position. It also helps to keep your details current with your fund. A changed address, phone number or surname is exactly how accounts go quiet in the first place, and it's a small habit that matters more now that contributions are moving faster under [Payday Super](https://trekkadvisory.com.au/information-centre/payday-super-is-here-what-employers-need-to-know-now). If you're weighing up where your consolidated balance should sit, including whether an [SMSF](https://trekkadvisory.com.au) makes sense for your situation, or how your super fits into a broader [tax planning](https://trekkadvisory.com.au) strategy, it's worth talking it through before you make any moves. ### A small task with a potentially big return With more than $21 billion waiting to be claimed, the odds that some of it belongs to you are higher than many people expect. The search takes a few minutes and costs nothing, and the worst case is that you confirm everything is where it should be. If you'd like help making sense of what you find, or whether consolidating is the right call once the insurance check is done, [contact Trekk Advisory](https://trekkadvisory.com.au/contact) for a conversation. A short chat now could put money back into your retirement savings that might otherwise stay forgotten. *Disclaimer: This article is general information only and does not take into account your personal circumstances. Please speak with a qualified adviser, or contact Trekk Advisory, to discuss how this applies to your situation.* #### About Author [Anna Averianova](https://trekkadvisory.com.au/information-centre/author/anna-averianova) #### Related Posts [![Trekk Advisory team member wearing a headset and taking handwritten notes at her desk beside a computer monitor, accountant office](https://trekkadvisory.com.au/hubfs/lost-super-Oct-blog.png)](https://trekkadvisory.com.au/information-centre/lost-super-has-hit-21-billion.-heres-how-to-check-yours) October 12, 2026 #### [Lost Super Has Hit $21 Billion. Here's...](https://trekkadvisory.com.au/information-centre/lost-super-has-hit-21-billion.-heres-how-to-check-yours) More than $21 billion in lost and unclaimed super is sitting idle across Australia, according to... [Read More](https://trekkadvisory.com.au/information-centre/lost-super-has-hit-21-billion.-heres-how-to-check-yours) [![](https://trekkadvisory.com.au/hubfs/smsf-property-borrowing.png)](https://trekkadvisory.com.au/information-centre/smsf-property-borrowing-has-changed-the-key-rules-explained) August 21, 2026 #### [SMSF Property Borrowing Has Changed:...](https://trekkadvisory.com.au/information-centre/smsf-property-borrowing-has-changed-the-key-rules-explained) Changes to the rules around self-managed super fund borrowing became law on 26 June 2026, and there... [Read More](https://trekkadvisory.com.au/information-centre/smsf-property-borrowing-has-changed-the-key-rules-explained) [![](https://trekkadvisory.com.au/hubfs/payday-super-july-blog.png)](https://trekkadvisory.com.au/information-centre/payday-super-is-here-what-employers-need-to-know-now) July 12, 2026 #### [Payday Super Is Here: What Employers...](https://trekkadvisory.com.au/information-centre/payday-super-is-here-what-employers-need-to-know-now) One of the most significant changes to Australia's superannuation system in decades has just taken... 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