Salary sacrifice

For some members salary sacrifice can be a tax effective way of saving for retirement.

Salary sacrifice contributions are extra contributions your employer can make on your behalf before tax is calculated on your pay, therefore reducing your taxable income.

Does salary sacrifice work for you?

We offer a range of calculators to help you discover smart strategies to make the most of your financial future

Try our calculators

How salary sacrificing might affect your take-home pay

It may be possible for some members to increase their super using salary sacrifice without reducing their regular take-home pay. For others, the reduction in take-home pay is minimal when compared to the long-term benefits of salary sacrificing. Salary sacrifice is not effective for members earning less than $40,000 per year.

Important things to consider

Limits apply to super contributions and exceeding government contributions caps may have tax implications for you. Learn more about contributions caps on our Tax and super web page, or visit the ATO website at ato.gov.au

Salary sacrifice contributions may not be the best option for you. Make sure you are aware of all of your options, such as extra personal contributions or spouse contributions, before making any decisions.

Need some help? Find out about the advice and education we offer to help you learn more about your options, or contact us to speak with a Member Education Consultant before making any decisions.

How to start salary sacrificing

If you want to begin salary sacrifice, simply contact your Payroll department and ask them to set this up for you.

Make sure you are eligible

All state super members can salary sacrifice* to their super.

Only certain groups of emergency services members can salary sacrifice. The following groups are declared eligible salary sacrifice contributors under the Emergency Services Superannuation Act 1986:

Eligible salary sacrifice contributors
Officers governed by the Victorian Public Service Agreement 2006
Officers governed by Country Fire Authority/United Firefighters Union Managers Community Safety Enterprise Agreement 2005 (Accumulation Plan only), officers governed by Country Fire Authority Professional, Technical and Administrative Agreement 2007 and officers governed by the Country Fire Authority Operational Staff Agreement 2007.
Officers governed by the Metropolitan Fire and Emergency Services Board, United Firefighters Union of Australia, Operational Staff Agreement 2005
Officers governed by the Metropolitan Fire and Emergency Services Board Administrative and Operational Support Staff Agreement 2005
Executives employed under Part 3 of the Public Administration Act 2004 and executives employed by a public sector body who are members of ESSSuper
Officers governed by the Rural Ambulance Victoria (Management and Administrative Staff) Collective Agreement 2006
Officers governed by the Emergency Services Superannuation Board (ESSB) Enterprise Agreement 2006
Officers governed by the Metropolitan Ambulance Services Union (Management and Administrative Staff) Collective Agreement 2006
Officers governed by the District Mechanical Officers (DMO)/ Tower Overseers (TO) Agreement 2006
Officers governed by the Victoria Police Workplace Agreement 2007 and its successor industrial instruments and agreements (effective 1 November 2007).
Employees governed by the Parks Victoria Agreement 2008 and its successor industrial instruments and agreements (effective 11 December 2008).
Employees covered by the Ambulance Victoria Enterprise Agreement 2009 and its successor industrial instruments and agreements who are members of the Emergency Services Superannuation Scheme (effective 12 November 2009).

Get more information

Once you have used our calculator to work out how salary sacrificing will affect your take-home pay, you might want some further information.

  • Salary sacrifice contributions for Accumulation Plan members (FS011)
  • Salary sacrifice contributions for defined benefit members (FS012)

Our factsheets provide detail on popular topics of interest, to help you manage your super.

Read and download fact sheets on our Publications web page

 

Emergency Services Superannuation Board ABN 28 161 296 741 (ESSB), the Trustee of the Emergency Services Superannuation Scheme ABN 85 894 637 037 (ESSSuper). The information contained on this web page is of a general nature only. It should not be considered as a substitute for reading the relevant ESSSuper Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) that contains detailed information about ESSSuper products, services and features. Before making a decision about an ESSSuper product, you should consider the appropriateness of the product to your personal objectives, financial situation and needs. It may also be beneficial to seek professional advice from a licensed financial planner or adviser. An ESSSuper PDS is available on our PDS and handbooks page or by contacting us.

*You will need to check with your payroll department to ensure they are set up and able to process salary sacrifice deductions.