If I Start an SMSF With My Partner, Do They Get My Super?

This is one of the most common questions we hear when people start thinking about setting up a self-managed super fund (SMSF) with their partner, family member, or friend:

“If we’re in the same SMSF, do they get my super?”

It’s a great question—and the short answer is no. Your super remains your own, just like it would in a retail or industry super fund. An SMSF is a shared structure, but within that structure, each person’s super is individually accounted for and legally protected. Let’s look at how that works.

Your Super Is Still Your Own

When you join an SMSF with one or more other members, such as a partner, you don’t give up ownership of your super. Each member has their own individual balance within the fund. Even though the SMSF might have a single bank account and a shared investment strategy, the fund is legally required to keep track of each member’s share.

That means all your contributions, earnings, fees, and tax are recorded against your name. No one else in the fund can access or use your super—even if you’re married or in a de facto relationship. The only time someone might receive your super is if you pass away and they are your nominated beneficiary, and even then, it would follow a formal process.

Balances Are Recalculated Every Year

Each year, the SMSF’s accountant or administrator will reassess the value of the fund’s total assets and liabilities. Then, they’ll divide the net result (after investment gains or losses, income, expenses, and tax) across the individual member balances based on what each person owns in the fund.

This process is called allocation or rebalancing. It's important because even though you share investments, like a property, your share of the fund reflects your actual entitlements. If you and your partner contribute different amounts or enter the fund at different times, your balances will differ—and that’s all tracked correctly.

Members Can’t Access Each Other’s Super

Even if you’re both trustees or directors of the SMSF, you can’t just take or transfer money from another member’s balance. Super is tightly regulated, and the rules are designed to protect individual entitlements. You can only access your super when you meet a condition of release (like retirement), and only from your own account.

Trustees also have a legal duty to act in the best interest of all members—not just themselves or each other. There’s no loophole that lets someone else in the fund dip into your balance.

So long story short...

Just because you’re in the same SMSF as someone else doesn’t mean they can access your super. Your super remains yours—individually recorded, legally protected, and only accessible by you when the time is right.

Think of an SMSF like a shared investment like plane travel. You might be travelling together, but your seat, luggage, and destination are your own.

If you're starting an SMSF with a partner or family member, knowing this can give you peace of mind and help set clear expectations from the start.