Super & Pension - Fees & costs
The fees and costs involved with being a legalsuper member, as an Employer-sponsored, Personal (self-employed), TTR or Pension member.
legalsuper works hard to keep fees and costs low. Our sole purpose is to maximise the retirement savings of our members.
Run to benefit our members
We're an industry super fund. We don’t pay dividends to shareholders, and aside from the costs of managing the Fund, profits are shared with members through net investment returns.
Competitive fees and costs
Our fee structure is designed to provide value, but not at the expense of personalised service, tailored products and competitive returns on your super balance. We cap our fees, so you are only charged what it costs us to manage your account.
Administration fee
Our Administration fee is made up of two parts: fees deducted directly from your account and fees deducted from your investments. The Administration fee is capped, to make sure we're only charging you to cover our operating costs.
| Direct Administration fee | Indirect Administration fee |
| $1.30 per week ($67.60 p.a.) | 0.29% p.a. of your (average) account balance |
Admin fees explained. Expand for more information.
Direct Administration fee
- What does it cover? - Administration fees and costs are related to the administration and operation of the Fund.
- How is it paid? - The Administration fee is a flat, dollar fee, deducted directly from your account balance on a monthly basis, through the sale of units. You can see these transactions in MemberAccess.
Indirect Administration fee
- What does it cover? - Administration fees are charged to cover the general cost of managing your super account. These cover expenses like our call centre and the cost of issuing annual statements.
- How is it paid? - This is an asset-based fee, deducted indirectly from your account, through the calculation of the daily unit price. You can't see the Indirect fee in your transactions, but you can see this amount in your annual statement. The fee is based on your average account balance during the year.
If you have insurance cover, invest in Direct Investments or take other actions, additional fees may be deducted directly from your account. See details for other fees which may apply below.
Investment fees
These fees are deducted from your investment and cover the cost of managing investments, including performance fees (estimated between 0.00% and 0.06%). The fees charged depend on the option/s you're invested in.
If you're unsure where you're super is invested, log in to MemberAccess or call us to find out.
As of 1 July 2023:
| Investment option | Investment fees (% p.a.) | Transaction costs (% p.a.) | Buy spread (% p.a.) | Sell spread (% p.a.) |
| Cash | 0.05 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Conservative | 0.36 | 0.09 | 0.03 | 0.05 |
| Conservative Balanced | 0.40 | 0.11 | 0.05 | 0.05 |
| Balanced Index | 0.14 | 0.00 | 0.07 | 0.06 |
| MySuper Balanced | 0.52 | 0.15 | 0.06 | 0.08 |
| Balanced | 0.52 | 0.15 | 0.06 | 0.08 |
| Balanced Socially Responsible | 0.49 | 0.10 | 0.12 | 0.13 |
| Growth | 0.51 | 0.15 | 0.06 | 0.08 |
| High Growth | 0.49 | 0.14 | 0.07 | 0.08 |
| Australian Shares | 0.45 | 0.13 | 0.10 | 0.10 |
| Overseas Shares | 0.32 | 0.08 | 0.08 | 0.07 |
Investment fees explained. Expand for more information.
Investment fees:
What does it cover?
Investment fees and costs include investment expenses relating to the investment management of legalsuper’s assets, such as base and performance-related fees paid to investment managers and advisers, management fees charged in investment vehicles, asset consulting fees (if applicable), bank fees, custodian fees and internal legalsuper costs related to the management of the Fund’s assets.
How is it paid?
Investment fees are deducted proportionately from the assets of each investment option and are reflected in the calculations of the daily unit prices of each option.
Your investment balance is net of Investment fees; these have been deducted before we declare your balance.
Transaction costs:
What does it cover?
Transaction costs include explicit transaction costs such as brokerage, settlement costs, or stamp duty, undertaken by the Fund in the management of any particular investment option. Transaction costs in respect of all investment options are an estimate based on the explicit transaction costs incurred by the Fund and underlying investment vehicles.
How is it paid?
Transaction costs are a percentage of each option’s assets per year, depending on the Investment option. This accrues (usually) daily and is not deducted directly from your account balance, rather it is deducted from the underlying asset value via the unit pricing process.
Your investment balance is net of Transaction costs; these have been deducted before we declare your balance.
Buy-sell spread:
What does it cover?
A buy-sell spread is an activity fee, which applies when you transact in an investment option (such as making a contribution to super, switching an investment option, or withdrawing money), this triggers a process to trade (buy or sell) underlying assets in a particular investment choice. The cost of this trade is incurred by the member who makes the transaction and is then repaid to the assets of the investment option - thereby repaying other members invested in that option for costs incurred.
How is it paid?
A buy-sell spread is the difference between the entry and exit price of an investment option and is reflected in the valuation of the unit price. it's not deducted directly from your account or from your investment returns.
Your investment balance is net of any buy-sell spreads; these have been deducted before we declare your balance.
For additional information about fees and costs, what they cover, and how they are applied to your account, please refer to the relevant PDS.
Refunds & rebates of fees and costs
The fees we charge are capped to ensure that no matter your balance, you are only paying to recover operating costs. All our profits are returned to our members.
Administration fees and costs refund - for balances under $6,000
If your account balance is less than $6,000 at the end of the income year, fee capping rules will apply. Certain fees and costs will be capped at 3% of your balance, and any amounts charged in excess of those caps will be refunded.*
Administration fees and costs rebate - for balances over $496,022.72 for the 2022/23 financial year
If your average account balance at the end of a financial year exceeds the Administration fees and costs rebate threshold of $496,022.72 for the 2022/23 financial year, excess fees will be rebated to you.*(Your account must be open on 30 June of that financial year and you cannot be in receipt of the under $6,000 Administration and costs refund.)
*Eligibility conditions apply
For more information on the Administration fees and costs refund and the Administration fees and costs rebate, please refer to the PDS.
How much will I be charged in a year?
The amount you're charged through the year varies for everyone. It will depend on your balance, your investment option, insurances, and any transactions or activity in your account (such as contributions, withdrawals, and investment switches).
The following calculations are examples across our various investment options, using some assumptions.
These are designed to demonstrate the cost of a product and help you compare superannuation products within legalsuper and to other super funds.
Cost of product
The cost of product information assumes a balance of $50,000 at the beginning of the year, which is invested in a single investment option.
As of 1 July 2023:
| Investment options | Cost of product |
| MySuper Balanced* | $546.92 |
| Cash | $237.88 |
| Enhanced Cash | $268.85 |
| Conservative | $437.39 |
| Conservative Balanced | $467.76 |
| Balanced Indexed | $282.29 |
| Balanced | $546.92 |
| Growth | $541.46 |
| High Growth | $525.85 |
| Australian Shares | $502.69 |
| Overseas Shares | $407.76 |
| Balanced Socially Responsible | $509.05 |
*Default investment option, only available to Employer-sponsored members
Other fees and costs
There are some other fees which legalsuper charges when we provide additional services. We charge these separately from the general Administration fee.
They are charged in the instance that we provide you with a particular service or product, such as insurance or particular account activity happens. for example, a family law split fee, where you're charged to split your super following a separation and family law court order.
An investment option that invests in property may incur associated property operating costs and borrowing costs, which are an additional cost, but are not an additional charge as they are reflected in the unit price for the relevant investment option.
Activity fees and other costs. Expand for more information.
An Activity fee is a type of fee which is only charged in the instance that we provide you with a particular service, or particular account activity happens. for example, a family law split fee, where you're charged to split your super following a separation and family law court order.
Activity fees include:
Insurance fee
If applicable your account will be debited with any insurance fee payable by you for Death and TPD, Death and/or Salary Continuance cover.
Advice fee
legalsuper enables you to pay an adviser an agreed fee from your superannuation account. Only fees that relate to advice given to you about your superannuation investment may be paid from your account. legalsuper reserves the right to reject an application and request further information. A fee is an advice fee if: 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: a trustee of the entity; or another person acting as an employee of, or under an arrangement with, the trustee of the entity; and those costs are not otherwise charged as an administration fee, an investment fee, a switching fee, an exit fee, an activity fee or an insurance fee.
Family law
The Trustee does not currently charge for information provided to members in relation to Family Law matters.
Buy-sell spreads
A buy-sell spread is a fee to recover transaction costs incurred by the trustee of the superannuation entity in relation to the sale and purchase of assets of the entity. These are listed in the investment costs section above.
Contribution splitting fee
When you transfer contributions into you spouse's super account, a fee of $50 will be charged to your account.
Direct Investments
There are additional costs for the flexibility of investing directly in a selection of ASX listed shares, ETFs & LICs & term deposits through our Direct Investment option. Find the details about all fees charged to Direct Investment members here.
Insurance fees. Expand for more information.
These fees are your insurance premiums. You are charged these if you have insurance with us; the amount you are charged is dependent on the level or amount and type of cover you have, and your age. You can log in to your account to view your premiums, use our insurance calculator, or refer to our Product Disclosure Statement.
Employer Sponsored Super & Personal Super Additional Information (964.19 KB)Refer to the legalsuper Product Disclosure Statement and supporting Additional Information document or legalsuper Pension PDS for further details in relation to all fees and charges.
