The ATO YourSuper comparison tool, explained

What YourSuper actually is

YourSuper is a comparison tool built by the Australian Taxation Office. You can reach it by logging into myGov, selecting the ATO service, then Super → Information → YourSuper comparison. Alternatively, the ATO publishes a public version that doesn't require a login — the logged-in version just prefills your existing accounts.

The tool was a 2021 federal policy response to the Productivity Commission's finding that Australians were losing billions a year sitting in underperforming funds. It ranks every MySuper product on annual fees and net investment return, then lets you sort by either. The underperforming products are flagged.

What it shows you

• Product name — e.g. "AustralianSuper Balanced (MySuper)"
• Annual fees on a $50,000 balance — fixed fees plus investment + indirect fees at that balance
• Net return over the past 6 years — after fees and tax, geometric mean
• Performance assessment — "Performing" or "Underperforming" based on APRA's annual performance test

What it doesn't show you (and why it matters)

YourSuper was deliberately kept narrow. It ranks MySuper products on two numbers, full stop. That's useful for spotting obvious dogs, but it quietly leaves out four things that usually matter more for your actual retirement outcome:

1. Asset allocation

Two funds can both be called "Balanced" and hold very different mixes. One might hold 65% in growth assets (shares, property, infrastructure), another 85%. Over a 30-year horizon that's the difference between one outcome and a completely different one — often bigger than any fee gap. YourSuper doesn't publish asset allocation, so two "Balanced" products that look identical on the tool might be taking wildly different levels of risk.

2. Insurance

Most MySuper products include default life and TPD cover (some include income protection). Premiums are deducted from your balance automatically. YourSuper doesn't tell you what cover is included, what it costs, or how the underwriting works. For younger members, cheap group insurance through super is often a legitimate reason to stay with a fund that isn't the absolute cheapest or highest-returning.

3. Choice products

YourSuper only ranks MySuper (the default). If you've ever actively picked an option — High Growth, Index, Ethical, Conservative, a self-directed option — you're in a Choice product and YourSuper doesn't evaluate your fund at all. Around 40% of Australians are in Choice. The APRA heatmap covers some of these, but the ATO tool doesn't surface it.

4. Fees scale differently at different balances

YourSuper shows fees on a $50,000 balance. If your balance is $15,000 or $450,000, the dollar fee is very different and the relative ranking of funds can flip — percentage-based fees hurt bigger balances, fixed fees hurt smaller ones. Our compare funds tool re-ranks at your actual balance.

How to use YourSuper properly

1. Log in via myGov. The logged-in version prefills your existing accounts and shows your own fees and returns, not the generic $50k figures.
2. Check the "Performance assessment" column. If any of your funds are flagged "Underperforming" two years in a row, APRA has formally written to the trustee. That's a genuine signal — don't ignore it.
3. Sort by fees, then by 6-year return. The top quartile on both is usually a better shortlist than the top five on either one alone.
4. Take the shortlist off the tool. Then check each fund's actual APRA heatmap entry for asset allocation and long-term returns, and the PDS for insurance and exit terms. That's the part YourSuper doesn't do for you.

The "underperforming" label isn't bulletproof

APRA's performance test is a benchmark comparison — your fund's net return is compared against a customised benchmark based on the fund's own stated strategic asset allocation. Fail by more than 0.5% p.a. over 8 years and you fail. It's a rigorous test, but it has two blind spots:

• A fund with conservative asset allocation might pass the test with low absolute returns. That's fine if you're 60+, but probably not what you want at 32.
• A fund that's quietly changed its strategy in the last few years might pass based on a benchmark that no longer reflects what it's actually doing.

The test is a floor, not a ceiling. Passing means "not obviously terrible." Outperforming is a different conversation.

Should you switch?

If YourSuper shows your fund as underperforming two years running and your fees are above the median and you don't have insurance cover you specifically want — switch. Use our consolidation calculator to see the dollar cost of staying. If any of those three don't apply, do more work before switching: check insurance implications, exit fees, and whether your employer contributions will re-route correctly.

Most people's super decision isn't "which fund on YourSuper's top of the list" — it's "is my current fund good enough, and am I in the right investment option inside it?" YourSuper helps with the first part. The second is usually the bigger lever.

The one-minute version

• YourSuper ranks MySuper products on fees and 6-year net return. That's it.
• It ignores asset allocation, insurance, and Choice products.
• Use it as a shortlist, not a decision.
• If your fund is flagged as underperforming twice, that's a genuine signal.
• Our compare funds tool adds the four things YourSuper leaves out.