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Back to Claims

Death cover

What is a super death benefit?
Can I claim a super death benefit?
How does it work?
What do I need to make a Death claim?
What happens next?

It’s hard not to feel overwhelmed when someone close to you dies. Especially if you’re taking care of their important paperwork too. But you don’t need to do it alone - we’re right here to help.

What is a super death benefit?

As part of their super admin, Rest Members usually tell us who they’d like their super savings and any insurance death cover to go to when they die. This payment is called a death benefit. The person (or people) they decide to give their money to is called a beneficiary.  

A death benefit can be made up of:

  • some, or all, of the late Member’s account balance, minus any fees and taxes
  • any eligible insurance benefits 

In most cases, it’ll be paid as a lump sum, but it can also be paid as a pension.  

Learn more about death benefits
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Here to help you

When you feel up to it, call our specialised Rest claims team on 1300 300 778 to help you make a claim. We’ll help you to:

  • Lodge a claim when you speak to one of our staff in our dedicated team
  • Explain what is needed further to progress the claim.

It’s normal to have questions, so don’t be afraid to ask. 

Get in touch

Can I claim a superannuation death benefit?

Being able to claim a super death benefit depends on a few things:

  1. Superannuation law states that Rest can only pay a death benefit to dependants (for example, a spouse, children or someone financially dependant on a member) of the Member or their Legal Personal Representative (executor of their estate). Rest can only pay someone else if there isn’t a dependant or Legal Personal Representative.
  2. If you have specifically named a person in a valid binding nomination, Rest will only pay the nominated person/people. There are a number of options, including making non-binding beneficiary nomination or a reversionary nomination ( if you have a pension).
  3. If there isn’t a valid binding nomination Rest will make a decision on who to pay in-line with Superannuation Law. In general, Rest will make a decision by looking at who relied on a member for financial support, any non-binding nominations and next of kin relationships.

To find out more about nominating a beneficiary, visit our nominating a beneficiary page.

How does it work?

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Case Study - How Sue was able to help her family, after she was gone

Sue and Tim were at a party. As they were leaving, Sue was involved in an accident and passed away.

While mourning the awful loss of his partner, Tim must also deal with the stress and anxiety of the mortgage payments, car loan and, most importantly, providing for their kids.

When Sue started her new job, she got automatic default insurance through her super. This insurance provides Sue’s beneficiaries with a lump sum payment if she passes away.

Sue had nominated Tim as her binding beneficiary, or the person who will receive her insurance and super, if she died.

Tim calls Rest Super and lets Rest know about Sue’s passing. Rest asks Tim to provide some documentation (for example a death certificate, marriage certificate and proof of ID) to confirm Sue’s passing and Tim’s relationship to Sue.

As Sue has a valid binding nomination to Tim, no one else needs to be contacted as part of the claim. Tim’s claim will include the death insurance and Sue’s super account balance.

Having a valid binding-nomination in place, can make a superannuation death benefit claim quicker and easier. 

What do I need to do to make a Death claim?

If your loved one was a Rest Member, let us know they’ve passed away as soon as you feel ready. Then we can start the claims process together, step by step.

Step 1:

To help us check if we can start a claim, please have some basic information about your loved one on hand:

  • their Rest Member number
  • the date they died
  • details of their dependants or their Legal Personal Representative (LPR)

Step 2:

Talk to us on 1300 300 778 to start the conversation. We’re here to help you.

Step 3:

Fill out and submit your claim and provide the requested information.

Call us and start your claim

What happens next?

Rest will ask for the relevant information and let you know if we need anything else.

Typically, we need information to evidence the claim such as proof of death, proof of a relationship and certified ID . We ask for this information to make sure we’re paying the right person.

If there isn’t a binding nomination, we may need to write to other potential claimants to confirm whether they want to claim.

There will also be other requirements if a child under the age of 18 is entitled to receive a benefit. 

More information

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Helpful support services

We’ve put together information about some independent services that may be helpful to you in difficult times.

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Unexpected events

What happens to your super when you die?

Learn about super death benefits, the different types of beneficiary nominations, and what could happen to your super when you die.

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Nominating a beneficiary

When you apply for a Rest product we'll ask you to nominate a beneficiary. Read on for more about beneficiaries.

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