Tasmania Police super
what you get, where it goes, what it's worth

Unlike Queensland or the AFP, Tasmania doesn't pay its police a higher employer contribution, and unlike South Australia there's no police-only scheme. Officers are treated like other Tasmanian public sector employees. The Public Sector Superannuation Reform Act 2016 includes police officers, trainees and junior constables in its definition of "employee".

That makes the decisions you control more important: which fund you're in, whether you add salary sacrifice, and what insurance you hold. The police award, Police Award No. 2 of 2026 (Consolidated), doesn't set a super rate, though it does require the employer to keep paying SG-rate super on unpaid parental leave in the first 12 months.

The police award still refers to the "Tasmanian Accumulation Scheme". That was the Retirement Benefits Fund's accumulation product, and it was transferred to Tasplan on 31 March 2017. If you joined before then and never chose a fund, your account will have followed that path through Tasplan, Spirit Super and now CareSuper.

The Public Sector Superannuation Reform Act 2016 requires agencies to pay employer contributions for employees who haven't chosen a fund into the default fund, calculated using the "charge percentage" in the federal Superannuation Guarantee legislation. For 2026-27 that's 12%. The same percentage applies when you choose your own fund.

What we couldn't confirm is whether DPFEM pays anything above that for police, or which allowances it treats as super salary. The award is silent on the rate. Our data file records the rate as unconfirmed for that reason, and you should treat your payslip as the final word.

From 1 July 2026, Payday Super requires the SG to be paid with each pay and calculated on "qualifying earnings". That makes it easier to check: your fund should receive a contribution within days of every payday.

1. 1

   RBF Tasmanian Accumulation Scheme

   Before 2017

   The state's own accumulation scheme, run by the Retirement Benefits Fund, until it was transferred out.

2. 2

   Tasplan

   31 March 2017

   Accumulation accounts moved to Tasplan Super on 31 March 2017, and Tasplan became the default fund for state service employees.

3. 3

   Spirit Super

   2021

   Tasplan merged with MTAA Super to form Spirit Super, headquartered in Tasmania.

4. 4

   CareSuper

   From 1 November 2024

   Spirit Super merged into CareSuper on 1 November 2024. Treasury's April 2026 guideline names CareSuper as the government's nominated default fund.

You don't have to stay in the default fund. You can nominate any complying fund on a choice form. If you never choose, the federal stapling rules mean contributions may go to a fund you already hold from a previous job rather than to CareSuper.

Constables and Sergeants on a 24-hour rotational roster receive a 28% shift and penalty allowance on top of base salary. Other rosters attract 15%, 21% or 26%. For a top-step Constable that's $30,078 a year on the 24-hour roster.

Under the ATO's ordinary time earnings rules, shift loadings are generally included, and Payday Super's "qualifying earnings" builds on that. But we couldn't find a DPFEM or award statement confirming how the allowance is treated, so we haven't assumed it. On our calculation, it would be worth about $133,000 in today's dollars by 60 for the Constable in our projections below.

Check one payslip: if your super contribution is 12% of base salary only, ask payroll why the shift allowance is excluded.

The calculator's method: contributions taxed 15% on the way in, a 6.5% return after fees, pay rising 3% a year and inflation of 2.5%, shown in today's dollars. Officers stay at the stated rank and no insurance premiums are deducted. These are illustrations, not forecasts.

Two levers stand out. An extra $100 a fortnight of salary sacrifice adds about $72,000 by 60 for the Constable starting at 35. And retiring at 55 instead of 60 costs the Sergeant about $184,000 of balance, before counting the five extra years the money has to last.

Sacrificed amounts are taxed at 15% in the fund instead of your marginal rate, which is 32% including Medicare for most constables and sergeants. Ask DPFEM payroll for the state service salary sacrifice form.

The extra 15% Division 293 tax applies when income plus concessional contributions exceeds $250,000. Tasmania's senior ranks sit below that on salary and employer super alone.

A Commander would need roughly $39,197 of extra income, such as investment returns or a rental property, before Division 293 applied. Contributory Scheme members who do cross the line have the tax deferred until their benefit is paid, as for other defined benefit interests.

The Contributory Scheme is a defined benefit scheme managed by the Superannuation Commission and administered through the RBF brand. Members contribute at least 5% of fortnightly salary and can choose up to 15%. The benefit is your final average salary over your last three years, FAS(3), multiplied by an accrued benefit multiple.

As an illustration, an officer with 28 years at the basic 5% rate builds a multiple of 5.6. On a top-step Sergeant's $125,625 as FAS(3), that's a gross lump sum of about $703,500 on our calculation. Had they contributed 15% throughout, the multiple would be 8.82, or about $1,108,013.

The lump sum can be converted to an RBF Life Pension. Police who were contributing before 1 April 1987 have invalidity benefits calculated with prospective service to age 60. Ask RBF for a benefit estimate before deciding when to retire, because FAS(3) rewards finishing on your highest salary.

The Police Service Act sets compulsory retirement at 65, and you can retire voluntarily from 55. For accumulation members, leaving the force doesn't release your super by itself: you generally need to reach your preservation age and retire, or turn 65.

If you resign to join another force, an accumulation balance simply stays in your fund and the new employer pays into it, unless you choose otherwise. Compare the new force's arrangements first. Our guides cover SA Police super, where police can claim from 50, AFP super at 15.4%, and NT Police super. The interstate transfer guide covers the rest of the move.

Under section 29 of the Police Service Act 2003, the Commissioner can decide an officer is unable to perform their duties because of illness, injury or unfitness, and can direct a medical examination. An officer may then retire with the Commissioner's written agreement. The money that follows comes from your super and insurance, not from the Act.

We didn't research the default insurance levels in CareSuper, so we can't tell you what cover you hold. Policing is a high-risk occupation for insurers, and default cover may be lower than you'd expect. Log in to your fund and look at your insurance summary today, not after an injury.

If you die, your super and any death cover go to the beneficiaries you've nominated, or as the trustee decides. Make a binding nomination if your fund offers one. If you're struggling with your health, Lifeline is on 13 11 14 and Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636.

Your pay drives everything here. Check where you sit on the Tasmania Police pay table, and how promotion would lift it in our Tasmania Police promotion guide. For Contributory Scheme members especially, a licensed adviser who understands defined benefit schemes is worth seeing before you set a retirement date.