Compassionate grounds palliative care
If you are requesting early release of your superannuation to pay for palliative care expenses for yourself, please contact your superannuation fund so that they can arrange the release of your superannuation benefits.
You need to complete the Application for Palliative Care if you would like to apply for the early release of your superannuation for any of the following expenses:
- palliative care for your dependant
- payment of a dependant's funeral expenses.
Eligibility
To check whether you are eligible, ask yourself the following questions about possible early access to your superannuation on palliative care grounds:
- Do you or your dependant suffer from a terminal illness?
- Do you or your dependant require assistance in meeting costs of palliative care?
- Are you unable to pay for the expenses by any means other than accessing your superannuation?
If you answer ‘no’ to any of the above questions, it is unlikely that you are eligible for the early release of superannuation on specified compassionate grounds.
Supporting documents
The supporting documents you need to provide are dependent upon the type of expenses you are applying for.
You must get the required documentation before submitting your application to avoid delays in processing your application.
You should provide:
- A letter from a registered medical practitioner who has treated you or your dependant for your or his or her medical condition that states that:
- your or your dependant’s medical condition can be categorised as a terminal illness
- you or your dependant require palliative care.
The letter must:
- be on the doctor’s letterhead and signed
- clearly show the doctor’s qualifications
- be dated and not more than six months old.
- The quotes, invoices and/or receipts provided must:
- show any amounts claimable through private health insurance
- be dated and not more than 30 days old.
Note: it is important that all expenses are supported by quotes, invoices or receipts from the required service providers. Without these, we can’t process your application.
If you have borrowed money to pay expenses
If you have borrowed money to pay expenses and are claiming early release of superannuation on specified compassionate grounds to repay this loan, you must provide specified supporting documentation.
This information must be provided in addition to the information listed above.
If the money was borrowed from an individual, such as a family member or a friend, you must provide:
- a statutory declaration written by the person you borrowed the money from which confirms:
- the date on which he or she gave you the money
- how much he or she gave you
- his or her understanding of what the money was needed for
- how much you still owe
- the agreed date the loan was to be repaid by
- documented evidence that the loan took place (this could be demonstrated by bank statements, money-transfer receipts, cheque stubs, or credit-card / bank statements in the lender’s name showing the payment of your expenses)
- receipts showing how the borrowed funds were spent.
If the loan was provided by a financial institution, you must provide:
- a written statement from the institution which gave you the loan that states:
- the amount of the loan
- the date the loan was given
- the purpose of the loan (if known)
- the date by which repayment was required
- the amount still owing
- the repayment amount and frequency
- the amount of arrears owing (if any)
- receipts showing how the borrowed funds were spent.
If the expenses were paid using a credit card, you must provide:
- copies of your credit-card statements showing the payment of the claimed expenses
- receipts showing the payment of the claimed expenses
- a currently dated credit-card statement which details the:
- current balance owing
- minimum monthly repayment
- arrears owing (if any)
- total credit limit.