Advice for your Cbus account.
If you got the Media Super or EISS Super merger letters and filed them unread, you’re not alone. We’ll work from the Cbus statement you already have — investments, insurance, contributions or the timing of an income stream. The first chat is free, and you’ll know any fees before you decide anything.
What happened to Media Super?
The fund moved into Cbus in April 2022. The Media Super name was kept, and it’s still used.
Media Super transferred to Cbus by successor fund transfer — where a whole fund moves its members into another fund — on April 2022, bringing 72,000 members and $7 billion (as at 31 December 2021) from print, media, entertainment and arts and the broader creative industries.
Cbus said then that both brands would be retained, and that the Media Super brand would keep operating for members in printing, media, entertainment and arts. That has held: Cbus still offers Media Super products, and mediasuper.com.au is still live. Pre-existing Media Super investment options were closed, and members were moved to equivalent Media Super branded options under United Super Pty Ltd.
The trustee on the account changed. What’s worth checking now is the option you actually sit in, the fee, the insurance and who you’ve nominated.
What happened to EISS Super?
Cbus completed the merger in May 2023. Former defined benefit members still have their own Cbus product documents.
Cbus welcomed 17,000 EISS Super members in May 2023, largely from the energy and electrical sector across metro and regional NSW, and said it had developed defined benefit products for them. Every EISS Super account was closed and automatically moved to a new Cbus account. Together with Media Super, Cbus said the two mergers brought in over $10 billion and 90,000 members.
If you held a defined benefit, Cbus still publishes a Defined Benefit Scheme PDS (1 December 2025) for certain NSW energy industry employees. The scheme is generally closed to new members. The benefit is usually a lifetime pension plus a lump sum, worked out from units, salary and service. The PDS also covers a spouse pension and a child’s pension. Unless NSW law allows it, you generally can’t leave the scheme while you remain an eligible employee of a scheduled employer until you turn 65.
A formula benefit is a different decision from a balance. The scheme's own rules set the windows for each election. See our defined benefit super guide for how that kind of account sits next to ordinary super.
What should I think about before I stop work?
These can be considered together or one at a time. If you’re happy with Cbus, there’s often no reason to move, and we’ll say so.
- Which account to open, and when
- Cbus runs a Transition to Retirement account for members aged 60 to 64 who are still working or looking for work, and a Fully Retired account for members 65 or over — or aged 60 to 64 who have stopped working since turning 60. A TTR account converts to Fully Retired once you turn 65 or otherwise gain full access. Only the Fully Retired option carries no tax on investment earnings. Order matters
- Getting from the last day of work to the Age Pension
- Cbus notes you could be eligible for the Age Pension from 67. If you plan to finish work before then, compare the income sources available during the gap. See our retirement planning guide.
- Lump sum against income
- Using a lump sum to repay debt may reduce interest costs, but it also reduces the balance available for retirement income. Both effects can be compared before you decide.
- If you came across from EISS Super
- Cbus took on the EISS defined benefit scheme and its lifetime, spouse and child pensions at the 2023 merger. A benefit set by formula is a different decision from a balance, and each election has its own timing windows under the scheme rules. Decision is permanent
- Insurance if you work on the tools
- Cbus default Industry cover is Death and TPD. Manual members can receive it from the first on-time employer payment, including under 25. Rolling the money out can cancel that cover.
- Beneficiary arrangements
- Review your beneficiary nomination and the way any retirement income is set to continue or be paid after your death.
- Other finances
- Include other super, savings, property, debt or household income where they are relevant to the decision.
Where are you up to?
Choose the option closest to where you’re now. You can change it at any time.
If you’re between stages, choose either one to begin. You can change your selection at any time.
The last few working years
The final working years can be used to review contributions, investment risk, insurance and the income available under different retirement dates.
If debt, other super accounts or household income are part of the plan, they can be included in the same projections.
At the decision point
Cbus runs two retirement accounts and which one you open isn’t a formality. TTR is the working-and-drawing option between 60 and 64. Fully Retired is the account for anyone 65 or over, or for people aged 60 to 64 who have finished work since turning 60 — and it’s the one where there’s no tax on investment earnings.
If you plan to finish work before Age Pension age, the available income sources can be compared for the years in between.
Already drawing on it
Three things stay adjustable once the income stream is running: how much you draw, how it’s invested, and whether you take anything as a lump sum along the way. What you set up at 61 is rarely still right at 70.
Review whether the yearly amount matches your spending and other income, then check the effect of any changes on Centrelink. It’s also worth reviewing your beneficiary nomination.
What members ask us
What are Cbus Super's fees?
Cbus's official MySuper dashboard lists $462 a year in fees and costs for a $50,000 balance in Growth (MySuper). That figure is built from a $1.00 a week account-keeping fee, a 0.19% a year administration fee capped at $1,000, an estimated 0.07% a year taken from fund reserves, investment fees and costs of 0.44% a year (including 0.04% performance fees) and transaction costs of 0.12% a year. Those investment and transaction figures are estimates based on expenses for the year to 30 June 2025; insurance premiums are extra and vary by age and occupation category.
Is Cbus a good super fund?
Cbus is an industry super fund, established in 1984, and anyone can join. Cbus’s media release of 3 July 2026 said Growth (MySuper) returned 9.25%* for the 2025/26 financial year, and sat in SuperRatings’ top quartile over 15 and 20 years on the FCRS SR Balanced (60–76) Index to 31 May 2026. High Growth returned 10.06%* for the same year, and was ranked first over 15 years on SuperRatings’ FCRS SR Growth (77–90) Index to 31 May 2026. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance. Whether the fund fits you still turns on the option you hold, the insurance on the account, and the fees on your balance.
What insurance does Cbus have for construction workers?
When you join Cbus Industry Super, Cbus says most members qualify for default Death and Total and Permanent Disablement (TPD) cover. Manual is the default occupation category for Industry members, and if you’re in Manual, default cover generally starts with the first on-time compulsory employer super payment, including if you’re under 25, using Cbus's dangerous occupation exemption. Electech, Non-manual and Professional members generally wait until they are 25 and have a $6,000 balance, unless they ask for cover earlier. Income protection is available to eligible Industry members by application rather than as default; premiums come out of the super account; the insurer is TAL Life Limited. Cover amounts and cost depend on age and occupation category.
When can I withdraw my Cbus super?
From 1 July 2024, preservation age is 60. Cbus says you can access preserved super when you’ve reached preservation age and permanently retired, when you start a transition to retirement income stream, when you’re 60 and have ceased a gainful employment arrangement, or when you turn 65 (whether or not you’ve retired). Earlier access is limited to cases Cbus lists, including severe financial hardship, compassionate grounds through the ATO, terminal medical condition, permanent incapacity, and a Departing Australia Super Payment for eligible temporary residents. Hardship under preservation age plus 39 weeks is capped at $10,000 (minimum $1,000) and one withdrawal in 12 months; from preservation age plus 39 weeks the amount isn’t capped, with its own support and work tests.
How do I compare Cbus with another fund?
Compare like with like. Cbus Growth (MySuper) is a different decision from High Growth or a Media Super branded option, and none of those maps one-for-one onto another fund’s default.
These are the Cbus figures to put beside the other fund’s. The official cost of product on a $50,000 balance in Growth (MySuper) is $462 a year. Default Industry insurance is Death and TPD, and the Manual pathway can start cover before age 25. As at 30 June 2026, Cbus reported more than 935,000 members and more than $115 billion.
If you’re happy with the account, there’s often no reason to move. If you’re not sure it still stacks up, we specialise in industry, government and corporate super funds and can benchmark Cbus against five leading comparable funds so you know where it stands. That includes what would happen to your insurance if the account closed in a full rollover. A partial rollover’s effect depends on the account and the policy conditions.
I was in Media Super. Does that change anything?
Media Super transferred to Cbus by successor fund transfer in April 2022, bringing 72,000 members and $7 billion (as at 31 December 2021) from print, media, entertainment and arts and the broader creative industries. Cbus said at the time that both brands would be retained, and the Media Super brand is still used: Cbus still offers Media Super products, and mediasuper.com.au remains live. Pre-existing Media Super investment options were closed and members were moved to equivalent Media Super branded options under United Super Pty Ltd. The transfer changed the trustee responsible for the account; you can review the current option, fees, insurance and beneficiary nomination.
I was in EISS Super. What happened to my defined benefit?
Cbus completed its merger with EISS Super in May 2023, welcoming 17,000 members, largely from the energy and electrical sector in metro and regional NSW, and said it had developed defined benefit products for those members. All EISS Super accounts were closed and automatically transferred to a new Cbus account. Cbus still publishes a Defined Benefit Scheme PDS (1 December 2025) for certain NSW energy industry employees; the scheme is generally closed to new members. The benefit is usually a lifetime pension plus a lump sum, worked out from units, salary and service, and the PDS also provides for a spouse pension and a child's pension (to age 18, or 25 if studying full-time at an approved institution). A formula benefit and an ordinary super account behave differently and are taxed differently, and the scheme's own rules set the windows for each election.
When can I open a Cbus retirement account?
There are two Super Income Stream accounts. A Transition to Retirement account is for members aged 60 to 64 who are still working or looking for work. A Fully Retired account is for members 65 or over, or aged 60 to 64 who have stopped working since turning 60. A TTR account converts to a Fully Retired Super Income Stream once you turn 65, or when you tell Cbus you meet another condition giving unrestricted access. Investment earnings in TTR are taxed at up to 15%; in the Fully Retired option there’s no tax on investment earnings. TTR withdrawals are generally limited to 4% to 10% of the balance a year with no lump sums; Fully Retired has a government minimum and no maximum.
What is Cbus's USI?
Cbus Industry Super, Sole Trader Super, Personal Super and Corporate Super use the USI CBU0100AU. The Super Income Stream USI is 75493363262001. The Cbus Defined Benefit Scheme and Cbus Retirement Scheme USI is 75493363262003. The fund ABN is 75 493 363 262, and the trustee ABN for United Super Pty Ltd is 46 006 261 623. Your employer or another fund needs the accumulation USI to pay or roll money into an ordinary Cbus super account; the other identifiers are for the income-stream and defined-benefit products.
How can I plan for the years before Age Pension age?
Cbus notes that you could be eligible for the Age Pension from 67. The income in those gap years can come from super, savings, investments, household income or continued work. We can compare different combinations and how long each may last, and how the order you use assets can affect Centrelink once you become eligible.
How would using super to repay debt affect my retirement income?
A lump-sum withdrawal reduces debt but also leaves less in super to support future income. It can also affect tax and Centrelink. We can compare the interest saved with the effect on future income before you decide.
What does a first conversation cost?
Nothing. It's a free half hour. Tell us what you'd like to discuss and we’ll explain if and how we can help, including any fees, before you decide to go ahead.
We’re not owned by a bank, super fund or insurer.
Guideway is a separately licensed advice firm outside Cbus. We use the Cbus name so you can find advice for the account you actually hold.
Your fund’s rules
We begin with the options, costs and rules that apply to your account, then include other parts of your finances as needed.
Help with the details
If you don’t have every statement or product detail to hand, we can help gather the information needed for advice.
A team you can talk to
Your adviser can explain the work, answer questions and keep you updated as the advice progresses.
What happens next
Booking a chat isn’t a commitment to paid advice.
- 1. Book a free half hour
- Pick a time that suits. Video, phone, or in person in Melbourne. You don’t need every document first.
- 2. We listen
- You tell us what’s on the statement and what’s worrying you. We’ll say honestly if and how we can help.
- 3. You decide
- There’s no obligation. If you go further, you’ll know any fees before work starts.
Ready to talk?
You’ll speak with Nareena Aracas or one of her team. The half hour is free. If we take it further, you’ll see the fee before you agree to anything.
About our adviser team
Nareena Aracas leads the Guideway Wealth advice practice, supported by a broader team of advisers.
- Nareena AracasSenior Financial Planner · Authorised Representative no. 398311
- Scott NanfroSenior Financial Planner in the broader adviser team · Authorised Representative no. 1255832
Authorised Representatives of Guideway Financial Services Pty Ltd ABN 46 156 498 538, AFSL & ACL 420367. Ask us for a Financial Services Guide at any time.
Looking for Cbus’s login or contact details?
Guideway Wealth is a separate financial advice service. For your balance, login, forms or account administration, go directly to the official Cbus Super website.