Are you entitled to superannuation?

Are you a young person working in your first job and not sure if you should be receiving superannuation?

You are eligible to receive employer-paid super if:

• you are over age 18 and earn more than $450 in a calendar month; or

• you are under age 18, earn over $450 per month and work more than 30 hours per week.

If this is you, you should be getting an amount equivalent to 9.5% of your wage paid into your super fund by your employer at least every three months.

These superannuation entitlement rules apply if you are employed full time,part time or as a casual. They apply to domestic workers too, e.g., you are hired to provide in-home help

Check your pay slip if you aren't sure - details of your superannuation payments will appear on your pay slip or digital payment summary every time you get paid. Click here for more background.

If your employer isn't paying you super but you think they should, either ask them what's going on or contact the Australian Taxation Office on 13 10 20.

Employers that break the rules are liable to penalties:

• they will have to catch up your superannuation payments;

• they will have to pay a penalty that could be up to 75% of the shortfall; and

• they will have to pay an administration charge per employee per quarter.

This is what we technically mean when we talk about the Superannuation Guarantee Charge.

Employer-paid default superannuation contributions should be paid into a MySuper product.

If you want a second opinion, you should contact the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) on 13 10 20, your preferred super fund or a financial adviser. To find a professional financial adviser near you, please visit our sister service SelectAdviser: www.selectadviser.com.au