For many people working in healthcare, demanding jobs leave little time to consider your financial future. However, to maintain a comfortable standard of living and financial security in retirement, now might be the time to think about growing your super.  

If you can afford it, you can make extra contributions to your super on top of what your employer already pays.  

You can contribute to your super before and/or after tax, but consider: 

• There are limits to how much you can contribute

• There’s a deadline if you want your contributions to count under this financial year’s contributions caps. 

Here are three ways to get you boosting:  

Before-tax (concessional) contributions 

Before-tax or concessional contributions suit those with a higher income who can afford to reduce their take home pay, such as through salary sacrifice. 

The main advantage of concessional contributions is you might end up paying less tax because the 15% tax on those contributions is often lower than the tax rate you’d normally pay on your wages. 

There is a cap of $30,000 for the 2025-26 financial year on the amount for concessional contributions you can make. This cap includes the combined contributions made by your employer and yourself.  

You may be eligible to carry forward unused caps from the previous five financial years. You can check for any available unused caps using the ATO services in your myGov account.  

Learn more about before-tax contributions.  

After-tax or non-concessional contributions 

This type of voluntary contribution may suit those who’d prefer to combine their assets into super as they head towards retirement. 

The main benefit of this is that once you turn 60 and you move your assets into super, you generally don’t have to pay tax on your super. 

Most people can make non-concessional contributions at a cap of $120,000 for the 2025-26 financial year. 

If eligible you could ‘bring forward’ two future years contribution caps and make a larger contribution. Eligibility will depend on your age and total super balance. Visit  ato.gov.au/super to check these conditions. 

Learn more about after-tax contributions.  

Government co-contributions 

If you’re eligible, the government can pay up to $500 per financial year into your super if you make an after-tax contribution. 

The superannuation co-contribution scheme is a government initiative to help those in a lower to middle income bracket (including those working part time) boost their super savings.  

Find out how government co-contributions work.  

Are extra super contributions right for everyone? 

Before you contribute extra to your super, you should consider your current financial situation and how much additional money you can afford to put away, given you generally won’t be able to access the money until you retire. 

Issued by H.E.S.T. Australia Ltd ABN 66 006 818 695 AFSL No. 235249, the Trustee of HESTA ABN 64 971 749 321. 

This information is of a general nature. It does not take into account your objectives, financial situation or specific needs so you should look at your own financial position and requirements before making a decision. You may wish to consult an adviser when doing this. For more information, free call 1800 813 327 or visit hesta.com.au/pds for a copy of a Product Disclosure Statement which should be considered when making a decision about HESTA products and consider any relevant risks (hesta.com.au/understandingrisk). The target market determination for HESTA products can be found at hesta.com.au/tmd.