Super gap calculator (career breaks)

Australian women retire with ~25% less super, mostly because of unpaid care years. Model your own break and part-time period — and what catch-up contributions would close the gap.

Built on 2025-26 ATO rates · Last reviewed April 2026

Current age

yrs

Retirement age

yrs

Current super balance

Full-time salary

Career break (years out of work)

yrs

Maternity, caring, study

Part-time % when you return

Years at part-time before full-time again

yrs

Catch-up extra concessional / yr

Salary sacrifice once you're earning again

Return assumption

No break

$1,518,718

If you stayed full-time the whole way

With break + part-time

$1,042,731

Realistic path for most women

With catch-up contributions

$1,042,731

+$0/yr extra concessional

The gap a career break creates

$475,987

Compounding does the damage — money missed early loses 30+ years of growth. Catch-up contributions claw back $0 of that gap in this scenario.

Levers worth knowing. (1) Spouse contribution offset — partner contributes $3k, gets $540 tax offset if you earn under $40k. (2) Government co-contribution — $500 free if you contribute $1k after-tax and earn under $47.5k. (3) Carry-forward catch-up cap — if your TSB is under $500k, 5 years of unused cap rolls forward.

Opens straight into Excel, Numbers or Google Sheets

Where these numbers come from

Keep reading

Catch-up contributions guide →

General information only — not financial advice. Super decisions are long-term; verify with a licensed adviser.