NSW Police super
what you get, scheme by scheme

NSW has had three generations of police super. Officers who joined before 1 April 1988 are in the Police Superannuation Scheme (PSS), a defined benefit pension scheme. Officers who joined after that date were placed in the State Authorities Superannuation Scheme (SASS) until SASS closed to new members on 19 December 1992. Everyone since then has accumulation super, where your benefit is simply your balance.

Police Superannuation Scheme (PSS)

Who is in it

Officers who joined before 1 April 1988

Type

Defined benefit: pension or lump sum based on salary and service

Open?

Closed 1 April 1988

State Authorities Superannuation Scheme (SASS)

Who is in it

Officers who joined from April 1988 until SASS closed

Type

Defined benefit points system plus member accounts

Open?

Closed 19 December 1992

Aware Super accumulation

Who is in it

Officers who joined after SASS closed, including every new recruit

Type

Accumulation: balance depends on contributions and returns

Open?

Open (default fund)

Scheme	Who is in it	Type	Open?
Police Superannuation Scheme (PSS)	Officers who joined before 1 April 1988	Defined benefit: pension or lump sum based on salary and service	Closed 1 April 1988
State Authorities Superannuation Scheme (SASS)	Officers who joined from April 1988 until SASS closed	Defined benefit points system plus member accounts	Closed 19 December 1992
Aware Super accumulation	Officers who joined after SASS closed, including every new recruit	Accumulation: balance depends on contributions and returns	Open (default fund)

Aware Super is the former First State Super. The award lists it among the officers' schemes (cl 8.13.5 as varied). Whether officers can choose a different fund for employer contributions is not confirmed.

Your annual statement tells you which one you're in. A PSS or SASS statement comes from State Super, and an accumulation statement comes from Aware Super. If you've changed roles inside the NSW public sector, you may hold more than one.

If you joined in the last three decades, your retirement money is an accumulation balance with Aware Super. The NSW Police Force pays the Superannuation Guarantee into it each pay, currently 12% of your ordinary time earnings. Contributions are taxed 15% when they arrive, and the balance grows or falls with investment returns, net of fees and insurance premiums.

We could not find a higher employer rate for NSW police. The Police Association of NSW quotes salaries "plus 12% superannuation", which matches the legal minimum. That puts NSW behind Queensland, where officers receive 18% (see Queensland police super), and level with WA police super.

Does the 11.5% loading attract super?

The NSW award pays non-commissioned officers an 11.5% loading as part of salary. The sources we read don't say whether it counts as ordinary time earnings for super, so our examples use base salary only. If your payslip shows employer super on the loaded figure, your contributions are about 11.5% higher than the examples below. Your payslip settles it: divide the employer super amount by your base pay for the same period.

These are projections, not forecasts. They use the 12% employer rate on base salary from the pay table effective 1 July 2026, and assume your pay grows 3% a year, your fund returns 6.5% a year after fees and earnings tax, and inflation is 2.5%. Contributions are taxed 15% on the way in, and no allowance is made for insurance premiums.

Probationary Constable L1, age 25, $5,000 balance

Base salary now

$83,028

At 60, today's dollars

$677,000

At 60, future dollars

$1,606,000

Income at 4.5% a year

$30,459

With $100/fn sacrificed

$796,000

Senior Constable L5, age 35, $90,000 balance

Base salary now

$125,281

At 60, today's dollars

$790,000

At 60, future dollars

$1,465,000

Income at 4.5% a year

$35,562

With $100/fn sacrificed

$863,000

Sergeant L5, age 45, $250,000 balance

Base salary now

$140,989

At 60, today's dollars

$741,000

At 60, future dollars

$1,073,000

Income at 4.5% a year

$33,342

With $100/fn sacrificed

$779,000

Starting point	Base salary now	At 60, today's dollars	At 60, future dollars	Income at 4.5% a year	With $100/fn sacrificed
Probationary Constable L1, age 25, $5,000 balance	$83,028	$677,000	$1,606,000	$30,459	$796,000
Senior Constable L5, age 35, $90,000 balance	$125,281	$790,000	$1,465,000	$35,562	$863,000
Sergeant L5, age 45, $250,000 balance	$140,989	$741,000	$1,073,000	$33,342	$779,000

Calculated by us with the super calculator's method: contributions taxed 15%, returns credited annually with half a year's return on new contributions, then deflated to today's dollars. Promotion isn't modelled, so the Senior Constable and Sergeant stay at their current level plus 3% a year. Income at 4.5% is an illustration of a drawdown rate, not a recommendation.

The Senior Constable example shows how much time matters. Retiring at 55 instead of 60 cuts the projected balance from $790,000 to $589,000 in today's dollars, and you'd generally still have to wait until 60 to touch it. If the loading does attract super, the same officer's projection rises to about $854,000.

Free tool

Run your own NSW numbers

Enter your age, balance, salary and any salary sacrifice. The calculator uses the same method as the table above and shows the result in today's dollars.

Open the super calculator →

Salary sacrifice means asking payroll to send part of your pre-tax pay to super. It's taxed at 15% going in instead of your marginal rate, which for most constables and sergeants is 30% plus the 2% Medicare levy. Everything that goes in before tax, employer contributions included, counts towards the concessional cap of $32,500 for 2026-27.

Probationary Constable L1

Base salary

$83,028

Employer super at 12%

$9,963

Room left under the cap

$22,537

Room if the loading attracts super

$21,391

Constable L5

Base salary

$93,993

Employer super at 12%

$11,279

Room left under the cap

$21,221

Room if the loading attracts super

$19,924

Senior Constable L5

Base salary

$125,281

Employer super at 12%

$15,034

Room left under the cap

$17,466

Room if the loading attracts super

$15,737

Sergeant L5

Base salary

$140,989

Employer super at 12%

$16,919

Room left under the cap

$15,581

Room if the loading attracts super

$13,636

Senior Sergeant L3

Base salary

$148,703

Employer super at 12%

$17,844

Room left under the cap

$14,656

Room if the loading attracts super

$12,604

Inspector L1

Base salary

$178,719

Employer super at 12%

$21,446

Room left under the cap

$11,054

Room if the loading attracts super

no loading

Rank	Base salary	Employer super at 12%	Room left under the cap	Room if the loading attracts super
Probationary Constable L1	$83,028	$9,963	$22,537	$21,391
Constable L5	$93,993	$11,279	$21,221	$19,924
Senior Constable L5	$125,281	$15,034	$17,466	$15,737
Sergeant L5	$140,989	$16,919	$15,581	$13,636
Senior Sergeant L3	$148,703	$17,844	$14,656	$12,604
Inspector L1	$178,719	$21,446	$11,054	no loading

Calculated by us: $32,500 minus 12% of salary. Unused cap amounts from earlier years may be carried forward if your total super balance was under $500,000 on 30 June of the previous year; check your myGov carry-forward figure.

At 12% almost every NSW officer has plenty of room. Employer contributions alone only reach the cap at a salary of about $270,833. The constraint is your budget, not the cap.

What $100 a fortnight costs and buys

The take-home figure uses 2026-27 tax rates on the loaded Senior Constable L5 salary of $139,688. Before EPSS, Blue Ribbon income protection premiums were counted towards the cap and pushed some officers into excess contributions. The EPSS FAQ says income protection premiums no longer count towards your concessional cap, so that problem should not recur. A small death-cover premium is still paid through your super.

From 1 October 2024 the Enhanced Police Support Scheme (EPSS) replaced Police Blue Ribbon Insurance (PBRI). The change was part of the 2024 pay deal. EPSS is not a super fund: it's a set of benefits that sit beside your super, partly run by the NSW Police Force itself and partly insured by TAL.

1. 1

   Benefit period 1: 0 to 9 months

   On duty

   If you have an accepted workers compensation claim and can't work, EPSS supplementary payments top up your weekly compensation to up to 100% of salary.

2. 2

   Benefit period 2: up to 7 years

   On duty

   Supplementary payments continue at up to 75% of salary while you're still on workers compensation.

3. 3

   Benefit period 3: up to 3 more years

   On duty, by application

   A Catastrophic Exceptional Extension Payment (CEEP) can extend support at up to 75% for catastrophic injuries or exceptional cases. You apply at the 6.5-year mark of period 2, and an independent panel recommends to the Commissioner.

4. 4

   Off-duty income protection: up to 3 years

   Off duty

   Illness or injury that isn't work-related is covered by income protection through TAL, now for up to 3 years instead of 2.

5. 5

   Death cover, on and off duty

   Any time

   Death benefits continue through TAL, administered by Aware Super. A small premium is paid from your super.

Officers pay 1.8% of salary for this, or 0.88% for SASS and ABC officers. On a Senior Constable L5 base that's about $2,255 a year, and about $1,495 for a Probationary Constable. Periods back at work on your normal duties don't count towards the EPSS benefit periods, which helps if you try a return to work.

EPSS replaces a lump sum with up to ten years of income support. If you were counting on a TPD payout, check what cover you actually hold.

The PSS is a defined benefit scheme under the Police Regulation (Superannuation) Act 1906, run by State Super. It closed to new members on 1 April 1988, so every remaining contributor has at least 38 years of service. Members contribute 6% of their salary of office, and the benefit depends on service and salary, not on investment returns.

Maximum pension at 60+

Rule

72.75% of salary of office after 30 years

Illustration on Sergeant L5 base

$102,569 a year, indexed

Maximum lump sum

Rule

7.95 x salary of office

Illustration on Sergeant L5 base

$1,120,863

Early retirement at 55, pension

Rule

Up to 58.20% of salary

Illustration on Sergeant L5 base

$82,056 a year

Early retirement at 55, lump sum

Rule

Up to 7.58 x salary

Illustration on Sergeant L5 base

$1,068,697

Hurt-on-duty invalidity pension

Rule

72.75% of salary regardless of service (may be increased)

Illustration on Sergeant L5 base

$102,569 a year

Benefit (State Super PSS Fact Sheet 1)	Rule	Illustration on Sergeant L5 base
Maximum pension at 60+	72.75% of salary of office after 30 years	$102,569 a year, indexed
Maximum lump sum	7.95 x salary of office	$1,120,863
Early retirement at 55, pension	Up to 58.20% of salary	$82,056 a year
Early retirement at 55, lump sum	Up to 7.58 x salary	$1,068,697
Hurt-on-duty invalidity pension	72.75% of salary regardless of service (may be increased)	$102,569 a year

Illustration calculated by us on the Sergeant Level 5 base salary of $140,989 from 1 July 2026. Whether "salary of office" equals award base salary, and whether it includes any part of the loading, is defined in PSS Fact Sheet 2; confirm your own figure on your State Super statement.

Because all current PSS members are past the 30-year mark, most are entitled to the maximum. The big decisions are when to go and how much of the pension to commute. A pension is indexed and paid for life, and a lump sum gives flexibility but ends the guarantee. Those trade-offs depend on your health, your partner and your other assets, so this is a decision to make with State Super's information and, ideally, a licensed adviser.

Officers who joined between April 1988 and the end of 1992 may be in SASS. It started on 1 April 1988 and closed to new members on 19 December 1992. According to State Super's SASS fact sheet, members contribute between 1% and 9% of salary, earning roughly one benefit point for each 1%. Each point is worth 2.5% of final salary or final average salary, depending on how you leave, up to an average of 6 points a year and an overall maximum of 180 points.

We read the SASS figures through search extracts because State Super's site blocks automated access, so treat them as a guide and confirm them with State Super directly. SASS members often have the most complicated position of any NSW officer: part defined benefit, part accumulation, with different tax treatment for each.

Resign

Accumulation (Aware Super)

Your balance stays yours and keeps growing. It is preserved until 60 unless you meet another condition of release. You can usually keep the account or roll it over.

PSS (pre-1988)

Benefit depends on age and service; ask State Super for an exit estimate before resigning.

Medically retired after an on-duty injury

Accumulation (Aware Super)

Your balance, plus EPSS supplementary payments while on workers compensation (up to 10 years). No EPSS TPD lump sum for injuries from 1 October 2024. Permanent incapacity can release your super early.

PSS (pre-1988)

Hurt-on-duty invalidity pension of 72.75% of salary regardless of service.

Medically retired, not work-related

Accumulation (Aware Super)

Your balance, plus EPSS off-duty income protection through TAL for up to 3 years. Check for any TPD cover held in your super.

PSS (pre-1988)

Invalidity benefit under the PSS rules (State Super Fact Sheet 5).

Death

Accumulation (Aware Super)

Your balance plus EPSS death cover (TAL, administered by Aware Super), paid to your beneficiaries.

PSS (pre-1988)

Spouse and children's benefits under the PSS rules.

Event	Accumulation (Aware Super)	PSS (pre-1988)
Resign	Your balance stays yours and keeps growing. It is preserved until 60 unless you meet another condition of release. You can usually keep the account or roll it over.	Benefit depends on age and service; ask State Super for an exit estimate before resigning.
Medically retired after an on-duty injury	Your balance, plus EPSS supplementary payments while on workers compensation (up to 10 years). No EPSS TPD lump sum for injuries from 1 October 2024. Permanent incapacity can release your super early.	Hurt-on-duty invalidity pension of 72.75% of salary regardless of service.
Medically retired, not work-related	Your balance, plus EPSS off-duty income protection through TAL for up to 3 years. Check for any TPD cover held in your super.	Invalidity benefit under the PSS rules (State Super Fact Sheet 5).
Death	Your balance plus EPSS death cover (TAL, administered by Aware Super), paid to your beneficiaries.	Spouse and children's benefits under the PSS rules.

Student police officers are not covered by EPSS. They remain under ordinary workers compensation and can take optional death cover with Aware Super. Under s 216AA of the Police Act 1990, a student of policing hurt during police education and certified as totally and permanently incapacitated can receive a special risk benefit.

If you are moving interstate rather than leaving policing, your Aware Super balance simply comes with you, but the new force's insurance and employer rate will differ. Our interstate transfer guide covers what else changes.

The preservation age is 60 for anyone born after 30 June 1964, which now covers almost every serving NSW officer. Before 60 your accumulation balance generally stays locked unless you're permanently incapacitated, terminally ill or meet another narrow condition of release. From 60 you can access it once you retire or leave an employment arrangement, and from 65 regardless.

We found no current compulsory retirement age for NSW police in the Police Act 1990. The historic rule was retirement at 60, but we could not confirm it from an official statement. If you're planning to leave early, read NSW police leave first: extended leave you have built up is paid out on exit and can bridge the gap to 60.

This page is general information, not financial advice. For a decision about leaving, commuting a pension or making large contributions, speak to your fund and consider a licensed financial adviser. The Police Association of NSW can help with EPSS and workers compensation disputes. For the bigger picture of your pay and deal, see the NSW police pay deal, and compare schemes in other states on our Victoria Police super guide.