WA police super
GESB, the closed schemes and your options

The WA Police Force recruiting site says the force contributes 12% as part of the Superannuation Guarantee, on top of base salary and on some allowances. We found no police-specific top-up in the 2024 agreement or official pages. That puts WA level with NSW and well behind Queensland's 18%.

Contributions go to an accumulation account, so your retirement benefit is your balance: contributions, less 15% tax, plus investment returns, less fees and insurance premiums. There's no formula and no guarantee, which makes your fund choice, investment option and any extra contributions more important than they are for a Victorian officer in a defined benefit fund.

Since 30 March 2012 most State public sector employees can choose the fund their employer's Superannuation Guarantee goes to, using the ATO's Standard choice form. You should be given the form within 28 days of starting. If you do nothing, contributions go to GESB Super, or to West State Super if you already have it.

Choice of fund is a right, not an obligation. Check the insurance you would lose before you move.

This is where WA is more generous than the federal minimum. Under State rules, contributions to GESB Super, West State Super and choice funds are worked out on a broader set of payments than the Commonwealth's "ordinary time earnings". WA Treasury's guide sets out the treatment for State workers.

The night shift allowance is a flat $126.56 per 8-hour shift from 1 July 2026. If it attracts super like other shift loadings, an officer working four nights a fortnight earns about $13,162 a year in night allowances and about $1,579 a year in extra employer super. Details of every allowance are in WA police salary.

These use 12% of base salary from the pay table effective 1 July 2026, 3% pay growth, a 6.5% return after fees and earnings tax, and 2.5% inflation. Contributions are taxed 15% going in, and insurance premiums aren't deducted, so real balances will be a little lower.

Two things stand out. Shift allowances that attract super add up over a career, so it's worth knowing whether yours do. And the gap to Queensland is large: the same officer on 18% would retire with about $276,000 more in today's dollars. If you're weighing a move, our Queensland police super guide and the interstate transfer guide cover the details.

At 12% employer super, most WA officers have plenty of room under the $32,500 concessional cap. Employer contributions alone only reach it at a salary of about $270,833. Salary sacrifice can go to GESB Super or any eligible fund; you arrange it through WA Police HR.

For a Senior Constable on Increment V, sacrificing $100 a fortnight reduces take-home pay by about $1,768 a year and $200 a fortnight by about $3,536, using 2026-27 tax rates. Our projection puts the extra at 60 at about $72,000 and $145,000 in today's dollars respectively.

GESB Super offers three types of insurance: Death, Total and Permanent Disablement (TPD), and Salary Continuance Insurance (SCI). According to GESB's site, cover is available for hazardous occupations such as police and prison officers, and default cover applies if you're eligible when you join or later.

We couldn't confirm the exact default cover a new WA police officer receives, or whether the police alternative SCI benefit is automatic. That's the first thing to check on your GESB account, because it determines what you'd receive if you couldn't work. If you choose another fund, make sure its cover accepts police as an occupation before you move.

WA police officers have historically sat outside the ordinary workers' compensation scheme. Injured officers rely on paid illness and injury leave (up to 168 days a year, extendable), employer-paid work-related medical expenses, and since 2021 a dedicated compensation scheme on medical retirement.

1. 1

   Illness and injury leave

   While serving

   Up to 168 days a year of paid leave, with further periods possible on the divisional superintendent's recommendation (agreement cl 38.5).

2. 2

   Medical retirement

   Leaving

   An officer can be medically retired under the Police Act. GESB's police alternative SCI benefit applies to discharges under s 33ZE from 1 October 2019.

3. 3

   Compensation scheme lump sum

   Police Amendment (Compensation Scheme) Act 2021

   For a work-related injury or illness: an impairment payment plus up to 12 months' salary, capped at $239,179 in 2021 ($418,563 enhanced cap in some cases), plus $16,743 for vocational support and retraining. Amounts are indexed each year.

4. 4

   Super

   GESB

   Your GESB balance, any TPD payout, and SCI income if you qualify. Permanent incapacity can release your balance before 60.

Medical retirement is one of the most consequential financial events in a police career. Get union and independent advice before you agree a date, and see our guide to police associations for what they can do.

If you resign before 60, your leave balances may matter more than your super in the short term. See WA police leave for long service leave and what's paid out. Make sure your beneficiary nomination is current: a lapsed or missing nomination leaves the decision to the trustee.

Preservation age is 60 for anyone born after 30 June 1964. You can generally access your balance once you've reached 60 and retired or left an employment arrangement, or at 65 regardless. Earlier access is limited to conditions such as permanent incapacity or a terminal medical condition.

We could not verify whether WA police have a compulsory retirement age. If you're planning an exit date, check it with WA Police HR. GESB offers retirement income products for members who want to turn their balance into regular payments.

This page is general information, not financial advice. GESB, the WA Police Union and a licensed financial adviser can help with your own circumstances. Compare WA's arrangements with NSW police super and Victoria Police super.