Australian Retirement Trust: Complete Guide to Fees, Performance, and Investment Options (2025–26)

Millions of Australians have their superannuation sitting inside the Australian Retirement Trust without fully understanding how it works, whether the fees are competitive, or whether their investment option is right for their age and goals. If your employer has defaulted you into ART, or you are considering switching from another fund, this guide gives you the complete picture for the 2025–26 financial year.

What is the Australian Retirement Trust?

The Australian Retirement Trust (ART) is an Australian superannuation fund headquartered in Brisbane, Queensland. It is managed by The Trustee for Australian Retirement Trust and is Australia's second-largest super fund, managing more than $330 billion in retirement savings on behalf of approximately 2.4 million members as of 2025.

ART operates as a profit-to-member fund, meaning it does not pay dividends to shareholders. Any surplus generated by the fund is reinvested in member services, lower fees, and improved investment capabilities. This structure is common among industry super funds and is generally considered to benefit members over the long term.

How Was the Australian Retirement Trust Formed?

The Australian Retirement Trust was created on 28 February 2022 through the merger of two major Queensland-based super funds: QSuper and Sunsuper. At the time of the merger, QSuper held over $130 billion in assets with approximately 500,000 members, while Sunsuper managed roughly $97 billion with 1.4 million members. The combined entity immediately became Australia's second-largest super fund by assets, the largest superannuation fund merger in Australian history. Since its formation, ART has continued to grow through additional mergers:

Australian Retirement Trust Fees Explained (2025–26)

Understanding what you pay in super fees is essential to evaluating whether a fund is right for you. You can view a full breakdown of ART's fees and costs on their website. Fees compound over time, a difference of even 0.5% per year can amount to tens of thousands of dollars over a working lifetime.

Administration Fees

All ART members pay a flat administration fee of $1.20 per week ($62.40 per year) plus a percentage-based fee of 0.10% per annum on the first $500,000 of their account balance. The maximum percentage-based administration fee is $500 per year. See the full ART fees and costs page for a detailed breakdown by investment option.

Investment Fees and Costs

In addition to administration fees, ART charges investment fees and costs that vary depending on your chosen investment option. These fees cover the cost of managing the investments within each option, including performance fees for certain strategies. Investment fees include transaction costs such as brokerage, settlement, and clearing costs, as well as stamp duty.

Fee Cap for Low Balances

If your account balance falls below $6,000, the total of your administration fees, investment fees and costs is capped at 3% of your account balance. ART will refund any fees already charged above this cap. This is a regulatory requirement under Australian superannuation law. For more details on contribution caps and how fees interact with your super balance, see the ATO's key superannuation rates and thresholds.

Australian Retirement Trust Investment Performance (2025–26)

Past performance does not guarantee future returns, but it remains one of the most useful indicators when comparing super funds over a working lifetime. You can view ART's current investment performance figures on its website. Here is a summary of key options as of 31 December 2025.

Australian Retirement Trust Investment Options

ART offers a range of investment options: a default lifecycle strategy that automatically adjusts as you age, and a suite of ready-made and index options for members who want more control.

Default Option: Lifecycle Investment Strategy

When you join ART without nominating an investment option, your super is invested in the Lifecycle Investment Strategy. This strategy automatically adjusts the mix of growth and defensive assets based on your age. Younger members are more heavily invested in growth assets, such as international and Australian shares, while the strategy shifts toward more conservative assets as you approach retirement.

Note: The Lifecycle Investment Strategy was significantly updated on 1 July 2024, which is important context when reviewing 10-year performance figures. If you join ART today, your money will be invested differently from the historical performance period.

Ready-Made Investment Options

Insurance Inside Australian Retirement Trust

ART provides three types of insurance cover that can be held inside your super account, meaning premiums are paid from your super balance rather than your after-tax income.

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  Death cover (life insurance): Pays a lump sum to your nominated beneficiaries if you die. Most ART members receive default death cover when they join, subject to age and eligibility conditions.
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  Total and Permanent Disablement (TPD): Pays a lump sum if you become permanently unable to work due to illness or injury. Default TPD cover is provided alongside death cover for most members.
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  Income protection: Replaces a portion of your income if you are temporarily unable to work. Members can apply for income protection separately.

Before making changes to your insurance inside super, consider how any change might affect your overall cover. Cancelling default cover may leave gaps that are difficult to fill if your health changes. Consolidating super accounts can also result in loss of insurance entitlements.

How to Join or Rollover to the Australian Retirement Trust

Joining ART as a New Member

Step 1: Visit the Australian Retirement Trust website and complete the online membership application. You will need your Tax File Number, date of birth, and contact details.

Step 2: Select your investment option. If you do not choose, ART defaults you into the Lifecycle Investment Strategy. Review all investment options before deciding.

Step 3: Nominate your beneficiaries. Without a binding nomination, the trustee has discretion over who receives your superannuation on death.

Step 4: Provide your employer with ART's USI. You can find ART's USI and ABN details here. The Super Savings USI is 60 905 115 063 003.

Rolling Over an Existing Super Balance

If you have an existing super balance with another fund, you can request a rollover through ART's Member Online portal or through the ATO's myGov platform. Before rolling over, consider:

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  Whether you will lose any insurance cover from your existing fund.
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  Any exit fees charged by your current fund.
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  Tax implications, most standard rollovers between accumulation accounts are tax-free, but seek advice for complex situations.
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  Whether your existing fund holds a defined benefit component that cannot be replicated in an accumulation fund.

The Superannuation Guarantee rate is 12% from 1 July 2025 the final scheduled increase under current legislation. See the ATO's super guarantee rates page for the full rate schedule.

Is Australian Retirement Trust a Good Super Fund?

Australian Retirement Trust is generally regarded as one of Australia's strongest super funds. It holds a 5-star Canstar rating for outstanding value, SuperRatings' Platinum rating for 20 consecutive years, and has outperformed the industry median over 3, 5, 7, and 10 year periods. You can read the full performance comparison on the ART website.

Australian Retirement Trust and Your Tax Return

Your ART super account does not appear directly on your individual tax return in most circumstances. The ATO's super guarantee rates and thresholds page covers how contributions, caps, and taxes interact. Earnings inside super are taxed at 15% within the funds, not at your marginal rate. However, there are super-related tax issues that do appear on your annual return.

Personal Concessional Contributions

If you make personal contributions to your ART account and intend to claim them as a tax deduction, you must lodge a Notice of Intent to Claim a Deduction with ART before you lodge your tax return. The concessional contribution cap for 2025–26 is $30,000 per year (including employer contributions). See the ATO's contribution caps page for full details.

Non-Concessional Contributions

Non-concessional contributions are personal contributions from after-tax income where no deduction is claimed. The cap for 2025–26 is $120,000 per year. Contributions above this cap are subject to excess contributions tax. See the super contributions guide for a plain-language overview of both caps.

Division 293 Tax for High-Income Earners

If your income plus concessional super contributions exceeds $250,000 in a financial year, you may be liable for Division 293 tax and an additional 15% tax on concessional contributions, effectively doubling the contributions tax from 15% to 30% on the relevant portion. The Division 293 definition explains this clearly, and the ATO's key superannuation rates page has the official threshold and calculation rules.

Conclusion

The Australian Retirement Trust is one of Australia's strongest superannuation options for the 2025–26 financial year. Its High Growth option has returned 9.83% per annum over the past 10 years, fees are below the industry average, and the fund offers a broad range of investment options to suit members at every life stage.

For most employed Australians, ART represents a solid, well-governed choice backed by the scale and investment capabilities that only Australia's second-largest super fund can offer.

If you manage your own super through a self-managed super fund (SMSF), or you are considering whether an SMSF might offer more flexibility for your circumstances, speaking with a qualified accountant who specialises in superannuation is the right starting point. The Kalculators' wealth management and financial planning team can help you evaluate whether your current super strategy is optimised for your situation.