Leave your super to the right people
Your super doesn’t automatically become part of your estate when you die, even if you leave instructions in your will. That’s why it’s important to nominate one or more beneficiaries to receive your super.
It’s important to nominate a beneficiary
If you die, Media Super will pay your super and any associated insurance benefits, in accordance with the Fund’s rules and superannuation law.
Taking steps to let Media Super know your wishes can make it easier for those loved ones you leave behind.
You can do this by making a binding death benefit nomination.
The benefits of making a binding death benefit nomination
It's legally binding
A valid binding death benefit nomination is legally binding. Media Super must pay your death benefit to the person or people you’ve nominated.
It saves time
A valid binding death benefit nomination ensures your death benefit is paid quickly and directly to your chosen beneficiaries, avoiding delays and disputes.
Support your loved ones
Rest assured your super will go to the people you’ve chosen without delay.
It doesn’t expire
Binding death benefit nominations are non-lapsing* so you don’t need to update them unless your life changes.
* As of 16 October 2026. Binding death benefit nominations made before this time lapse after 3 years, so if you want your nomination to continue after the expiry date, you’ll need to make a new non-lapsing nomination.
Binding death benefit nominations
Binding nominations can be made through your online account. This is the quickest and easiest way to make a nomination.
You can also download and complete a Binding death benefit nomination form which must be signed an adult witness who isn’t named as a beneficiary.
Binding nominations don’t expire but you might want to update them from time to time, like if you marry, divorce, or welcome a new child into your family.
- You can make a binding death benefit nomination through your online account.
- Or by completing the Binding death benefit nomination form (PDF).
- If you are already retired, find out about nominating beneficiaries for your pension account.
If you have not made a binding nomination
If we’re notified that you have died, and you haven’t made a binding death benefit nomination, your death benefit will be paid to either your spouse, your children or your estate in the following order of priority.
We’ll pay your entire benefit to your surviving current spouse (including same-sex, married or de-facto).
Your benefit will be divided equally among your surviving children (including any adopted children).
Your benefit will be paid to your estate.
In special circumstances, where we’re not able to pay your death benefit to your estate, your death benefit may be transferred to the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) as ‘unclaimed money’.
Note: Before 16 October 2026, members could make ‘non binding death benefit nominations’. This type of nomination wasn’t legally binding but we would have considered who you nominated. This type of nomination is no longer offered by the fund. To find out more about this change, please read the Significant Event Notice.
Who you can nominate
Not everyone can be nominated as a beneficiary, so it’s important to know who is eligible to receive your super. You can nominate:
A dependant, who must be:
- Your current spouse (including de-facto spouse and partners of the same sex)
- Your child/children of any age (including adopted, outside of marriage and step)
- Someone you’re in an interdependency relationship with (see FAQs below), or
- Someone who is financially dependent on you.
Any person you nominate must still be a dependant when you die to ensure Media Super must follow your nomination.
Your legal personal representative (LPR)
- This is the executor of your will, or the person who will administer your estate if you don’t have a will
- This option may suit you if you want your super to go to someone who doesn’t fit within the definition of a dependant, such as a parent, sibling or close friend. You can include them in your will and nominate your LPR as your beneficiary in your super account.
Case studies
Gwen
Gwen is in a de-facto relationship with David. She wants to ensure her super balance goes to her daughters so she makes a will leaving her superannuation to her children.
Scenario
Gwen didn’t make a binding death benefit nomination, but assumed that the super fund would follow the directions in her will.
Outcome
Instructions about super in a will are not binding on CBUS. CBUS must follow its Trust Deed rules and superannuation law in relation to the payment of a member’s super and any insurance benefits paid after their death (if applicable).
Gwen was in a de-facto relationship with David when she died, CBUS’ Trust Deed requires her super to be paid to her de-facto spouse. Had Gwen made a binding death benefit nomination leaving 100% of her death benefit to her legal personal representative (LPR), then her LPR could have paid the death benefit in accordance with the terms of Gwen’s will.
Key message
Consider making a binding death benefit nomination.
Judith
Judith is married to Daryl and makes a binding death benefit nomination leaving 100% of her super balance to Daryl.
Scenario
Judith and Daryl separate and then get divorced. Unfortunately Judith has a stroke and dies.
Outcome
Judith’s divorce from Daryl is a ‘life event’ under the terms of the Fund’s Trust Deed, resulting in Media Super following the order of payment rules as if no nomination exists. Because Judith had no spouse when she died and no children, Media Super paid her super to her deceased estate.
Key message
Regularly review your nomination. If you enter into a new spousal relationship (marriage or de-facto) or conceive a child, then you need to update your nomination otherwise Media Super isn’t required to follow your nomination due to the change in your circumstances. Media Super will apply the new order of payment as if no nomination existed.
Chris
Chris makes a binding death benefit nomination appointing five of his six children as beneficiaries. His reason for not including his sixth child as a beneficiary is that this child is going through a long and complex family law separation.
Scenario
Unfortunately, one of the five beneficiaries dies, but before Chris updates his nomination, he dies unexpectedly. Chris died without leaving a current spouse.
Outcome
The death of a beneficiary means that Media Super won’t follow Chris’ nomination as the proportions payable no longer equal 100%. Media Super is required to follow the order of payment as if no nomination exists, resulting in the benefit being paid equally to the remaining five children, one of whom was still going through a family law separation. As an aside, note that if Chris had died leaving a current spouse, then Media Super would have been required to pay the super to his spouse.
Key message
If a beneficiary dies, update your nomination, otherwise Media Super won’t have to follow it.
Jenny
Jenny has been in a long term, de-facto relationship with her partner. She made a binding death benefit nomination in January 2022 nominating only her son, to ensure he would live comfortably should she unexpectedly die.
Scenario
Jenny’s 2022 nomination expired 3 years later, in January 2025.
In late 2024 Jenny received a letter from Media Super letting her know that her nomination was due to expire soon, and reminding her to consider renewing it. Jenny was busy at work and forgot to renew the nomination and it lapsed.
In September 2026, Media Super sent Jenny another letter letting her know that due to changes to the Trust Deed effective from 16 October 2026, her lapsed nomination would be treated as if she had no nomination at all. The letter recommended that she considering making a new non-lapsing binding nomination through her online account. Once again, Jenny forgot to do this.
Jenny was involved in an accident at work and died.
Outcome
As Jenny has no valid death benefit nomination at the time of her death, Media Super is required to follow the new order of payment set out in the Trust Deed. This meant that because Jenny had a surviving current spouse, Media Super paid Jenny’s entire benefit to that spouse.
If Jenny had made a binding death benefit online and nominated her son, he would have received her death benefit instead.
Key message
Consider making a binding death nomination to ensure your super goes to the person(s) you want in the proportion(s) you choose.
Frequently asked questions
An interdependency relationship exists when two people (even if they are not related):
- have a close personal relationship, and
- live together, and
- one or both of them provides the other with financial support, and
- one or both of them provides the other with domestic support and personal care.
If two people, related or not, have a close personal relationship but don’t meet the other requirements, they may still be considered as ‘interdependent’ if the reason that they don’t meet the other requirements is because of the physical, intellectual or psychiatric disability of one of the people.
People who share accommodation, such as housemates, and people who provide domestic care under a contract for service are not considered interdependent.
If you don’t nominate a beneficiary, Media Super will pay your super in accordance with its Trust Deed and super law. Our Trust Deed provides that your death benefit will be paid to in the following order of priority:
- If you have a surviving current spouse – we’ll pay your entire benefit to your surviving current spouse (including same-sex, married or de-facto).
- If you don’t have a surviving current spouse – your benefit will be divided equally among your surviving children (including any adopted children).
- If you don’t have a surviving current spouse or any surviving children – your benefit will be paid to your estate.
In special circumstances, where we’re not able to pay your death benefit to your estate, your death benefit may be transferred to the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) as ‘unclaimed money’.
Yes. If a child under the age of 18 years is a beneficiary, the money will be paid into a trust fund for someone, usually their carer, to administer for the benefit of that child. Sometimes people set up trust funds in their will and prefer to nominate their legal personal representative as the beneficiary of their super, so that the super is paid to their estate, and is funnelled into the trust fund established in their will.
You can still nominate your legal personal representative who’ll distribute your super in accordance with your last will, or the rules of intestacy if you don’t have a will.