Australian Retirement Trust — superannuation fund performance
Pensions: all tracked plans · Australian super in numbers · Private market performance · the PE statistics · what plans disclose · where they diverge
Australian Retirement Trust reported A$363.6bn of total assets for 2,446,993 member accounts (average balance A$136k) in APRA's fund-level statistics for the year to 30 June 2025, with a one-year rate of return of 10.1%.
| Total assets | A$363.6bn |
| Member accounts | 2,446,993 |
| Average member balance | A$136k |
| 1-year rate of return | 10.1% |
| 5-year rate of return (annualised) | 6.2% |
| 10-year rate of return (annualised) | 5.7% |
| Investment options offered | — |
What running the fund costs
For its reporting year ended 30 June 2025, Australian Retirement Trust ran on an operating expense ratio of 0.2% — the running cost per dollar of savings (0.5% is 50 cents per A$100 a year). Payments to related parties — companies connected to the fund's own trustee or owner group — came to A$862.5m, equal to roughly 124.6% of its administration bill (a related-party payment is disclosed, not improper — but it is worth knowing who the fund pays).
| Operating expense ratio | 0.2% |
| Investment expense ratio | 0.2% |
| Administration and operating expenses | A$692.4m |
| Marketing spend | A$48.9m (about A$20 per member account) |
| Executive remuneration (expensed to the fund) | A$7.9m |
| Director remuneration | A$1.5m |
| Payments to related parties | A$862.5m |
| Payments to industrial bodies | A$348k |
The annual performance test
Every year the regulator tests most super products against a benchmark portfolio — fail twice and the product must close to new members. As at 30 June 2025, 23 of this fund's products and options were tested, and every one of them passed:
| Product / option | Type | Test result | 10-yr return | Admin fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lifecycle Investment Strategy | MySuper | Pass | — | 0.2% |
| QSuper Lifetime | MySuper | Pass | — | 0.2% |
| Accumulation Choice — High Growth | Choice | Pass | 9.4% | 0.2% |
| Accumulation Choice — Balanced | Choice | Pass | 8.2% | 0.2% |
| QSuper Accumulation account — Balanced Risk-Adjusted | Choice | Pass | 6.4% | 0.2% |
| QSuper Accumulation account — High Growth | Choice | Pass | 9.4% | 0.2% |
| Accumulation Choice — Conservative-Balanced | Choice | Pass | 6.4% | 0.2% |
| Accumulation Choice — Conservative | Choice | Pass | 4.8% | 0.2% |
| QSuper Accumulation account — Conservative | Choice | Pass | 4.8% | 0.2% |
| Accumulation Choice — Balanced Index | Choice | Pass | 7.4% | 0.2% |
| QSuper Accumulation account — Balanced | Choice | Pass | 8.2% | 0.2% |
| Accumulation Choice — Bonds Index | Choice | Pass | 1.9% | 0.2% |
Showing 12 of 23 tested products/options for this fund (largest first).
Does the insurance pay out?
Most super accounts carry insurance, paid from your balance. The admittance rate is the share of finalised claims the insurer accepted in the year to 30 June 2025 — the single best number for "does this cover actually pay". Over the year it collected A$1.2bn in premiums and paid out A$879.9m in claims (claims paid in a year often relate to earlier years' cover, so this is a cash-flow picture, not a loss ratio). This fund places some cover with an associated insurer — an insurance company connected to its own trustee or owner group (disclosed by APRA, worth knowing when comparing premiums).
| Cover type | Claims accepted (1-yr) | Claims paid | Premiums collected | Insurer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Life insurance (death cover) | 97.2% | A$203.9m | A$268.8m | AIA, ART Life Insurance Limited, METLIFE, MLC, ZURICH |
| Total & permanent disability (TPD) | 91.6% | A$430.3m | A$536.8m | AIA, ART Life Insurance Limited, METLIFE, MLC, ZURICH |
| Income protection | 97.2% | A$245.8m | A$422.6m | AIA, ART Life Insurance Limited, METLIFE, MLC, ZURICH |
The gender gap in this fund
In Australian Retirement Trust, women's average balance was 7.6% lower than men's — from the fund-level member demographics APRA last published for the year to 30 June 2022:
| Average balance — female members | A$98k |
| Average balance — male members | A$106k |
| Member accounts (female / male) | 1,105,663 / 1,095,154 |
Compare Australian Retirement Trust with similar funds
The funds closest to Australian Retirement Trust in size, side by side — each with its own page for the fees, insurance and performance-test detail:
| Fund | Assets | 1-yr return | 10-yr return | Why comparable |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AustralianSuper | A$412.3bn | 9.5% | 7.5% | Similar size |
| Aware Super | A$207.8bn | 10.5% | 6.8% | Similar size |
| Unisuper | A$162.3bn | 10.8% | 7.4% | Similar size |
| HOSTPLUS Superannuation Fund | A$139.8bn | 11.0% | 7.9% | Similar size |
| Public Sector Superannuation Scheme | A$123.8bn | 2.1% | 2.4% | Similar size |
| Colonial First State FirstChoice Superannuation Trust | A$107.6bn | 10.6% | 5.8% | Similar size |
Questions this page answers
How big is Australian Retirement Trust?
Australian Retirement Trust held A$363.6bn in total assets for 2,446,993 member accounts in the APRA fund-level statistics for the year to 30 June 2025.
What return has Australian Retirement Trust delivered?
Australian Retirement Trust reported a 10.1% one-year rate of return, and 5.7% a year over the past ten years, at whole-of-fund level in the APRA fund-level statistics.
What does Australian Retirement Trust charge in fees?
Australian Retirement Trust reported an operating expense ratio of 0.2% and an investment expense ratio of 0.2% for its reporting year ended 30 June 2025 — the running cost per dollar of savings (APRA fund-level statistics).
Did Australian Retirement Trust's products pass the performance test?
23 of Australian Retirement Trust's products and options were tested against the regulator's annual performance test as at 30 June 2025, and every one passed.
Does Australian Retirement Trust's insurance pay out?
In its latest reported year Australian Retirement Trust's default cover collected A$1.2bn in premiums and paid A$879.9m in claims, per the APRA fund-level statistics.
See also: Australian super in numbers — marketing spend, expenses, the gender gap and two decades of consolidation across all APRA-regulated funds · all tracked plans.