Compare what each fund offers, then choose investment options to put their published costs and returns side by side.
Restricted public sector fund
ADF Super holds retirement savings for eligible current and former Australian Defence Force members.
Entry is tied to ADF service. Members who meet the continuous-service rules can keep contributing after leaving Defence.
Industry fund
Australian Retirement Trust's Super Savings product offers an age-based default, actively managed and indexed investments, and both flexible retirement income and a lifetime pension pathway.
Super Savings is ART's public offer product. Business, Corporate and QSuper accounts have their own conditions; identify your exact account before comparing prices or cover.
Choose the actual investment pathway for each account. For lifecycle products, select the named stage relevant to you. No stage is selected automatically.
| Measure | ADF MySuper | Choose an investment option |
|---|---|---|
| Return basis | MySuper net return after administration costs, $50,000 representative member | Choose an option |
| 3-year return, per year | 9.65% | Choose an option |
| 5-year return, per year | 6.68% | Choose an option |
| 7-year return, per year | 6.99% | Choose an option |
| 10-year return, per year | Not reported | Choose an option |
| APRA strategic growth allocation | 69.06% | Choose an option |
| Reported total fees, net of tax, at $50,000 | $455 a year (0.91%) | Choose an option |
| Administration and advice costs, net of tax (included in total) | $75 a year | Choose an option |
| 2026 performance test | Pass | Choose an option |
| New-member status at reporting date | Check the current product eligibility rules | Check the current product eligibility rules |
Source: APRA Comprehensive Product Performance Package 2026, published 28 August 2026. Fees reflect the reporting year to 30 June 2026, are net of tax, use standard arrangements and exclude member-activity fees. Dollar figures are rounded. They are not a current quote. Check the latest PDS for changes, insurance premiums and any separately charged advice.
Returns are annualised historical results. Different return bases, risk levels and periods cannot be treated as interchangeable. MySuper net returns use a $50,000 representative balance even when you change the fee balance. A lifecycle stage return does not track a person moving between stages. Missing figures mean not reported, not zero. Past returns do not predict future returns. Read our method and APRA's definitions.
| What to compare | ADF Super | Australian Retirement Trust |
|---|---|---|
| Membership and access | Entry is tied to ADF service. Members who meet the continuous-service rules can keep contributing after leaving Defence. Sources123 | Super Savings is ART's public offer product. Business, Corporate and QSuper accounts have their own conditions; identify your exact account before comparing prices or cover. Sources3 |
| Accounts and products | Accumulation super for eligible Defence personnel; ADF Cover is a separate death and invalidity arrangement. ADF Super ADF Cover lifePLUS Protect after service Sources123 | Super Savings public offer product. QSuper and employer-specific arrangements need separate comparison. Super Savings Accumulation Super Savings Retirement Income Transition to Retirement Income Lifetime Pension through QSuper Sources46 |
| Investment choices | MySuper Balanced The four options are MySuper Balanced, Cash, Income Focused and Aggressive. Sources123 | Super Savings Lifecycle Investment Strategy The default Lifecycle strategy changes the investment mix with age. Members can instead select diversified active portfolios, diversified index portfolios, asset-class index options or an Unlisted Assets option. The index menu includes Australian shares and hedged and unhedged international shares, so the currency choice is explicit. Sources12 |
| Insurance | Eligible serving personnel receive ADF Cover death and invalidity benefits at no extra cost. Eligible former members may obtain lifePLUS Protect, including automatic death and TPD cover or cover applied for separately. Sources123 | Super Savings has an insurance guide and quotation tools. ART explicitly cautions that standard Super Savings insurance information may not apply to its Business or Corporate accounts. An employer plan's terms can therefore matter more than a generic fund description. Sources3 |
| Comparing investment performance | Compare the selected investment option separately from ADF Cover and any civilian insurance premiums. Sources123 | ART's accumulation option returns are net of investment fees, transaction costs and investment tax. Lifecycle is a strategy spread across age-dependent pools, not one return applicable to all ages. Pension returns and Super Savings versus QSuper returns require separate labels. Select the same age or age cohort when comparing Lifecycle options. Separate Super Savings from QSuper rather than counting them as unrelated funds or treating them as identical products. Sources2 |
| Retirement income | This detail has not been verified for this profile. Check the current product documents. | A Retirement Income account lets eligible members set payments and make withdrawals. Lifetime Pension is a separate product offered through QSuper and pays income for life, with payments adjusted each year. The purchase becomes permanent after the cooling-off period, so it requires a different comparison from an ordinary account-based pension. Sources45 |
| Advice and support | This detail has not been verified for this profile. Check the current product documents. | Use ART's product-specific support when comparing a Super Savings, QSuper or employer account, and ask for the scope and cost of any personal advice before engaging an adviser. This research does not verify a universal advice entitlement across all ART account types. Sources123456 |
| Fee details to check | This detail has not been verified for this profile. Check the current product documents. | Investment fees vary substantially between active portfolios, index options and Unlisted Assets. ART describes investment and transaction costs as estimates that can change each year. Add the administration charges for the exact account and any insurance rather than treating an investment-fee percentage as the total cost. Sources1 |
| Former names and account history | This detail has not been verified for this profile. Check the current product documents. | Sunsuper: Merged with QSuper to form Australian Retirement Trust on 28 February 2022. QSuper: Merged with Sunsuper in February 2022; QSuper remains a distinct account and investment offering within ART. Qantas Super: Qantas Group Superannuation Plan completed its transfer to ART on 29 March 2025; heritage plan divisions remain relevant. Sources78 |
THE SUPERGURU VIEW
A useful comparison for Defence members starts with service status. The retirement account, serving-member cover and insurance after discharge have different rules. Treating them as one ordinary retail insurance package can obscure what changes when you leave.
Based on the cited product features. These are general reasons to investigate the fund, not a personal recommendation. Supporting sources.
THE SUPERGURU VIEW
The strongest reason to examine Super Savings is the range of ways to invest without leaving the fund. It suits a comparison between an automatic age-based strategy and a deliberate index portfolio. Retirement choice is also useful, but the flexibility of an income account and the commitment involved in Lifetime Pension solve different problems.
Based on the cited product features. These are general reasons to investigate the fund, not a personal recommendation. Supporting sources.
Use the membership rules to establish which accounts are available to you. Then compare the total price of the investment option and cover you need. A lower fee or higher historical return alone does not tell you which fund is suitable.
Ask both funds to confirm insurance acceptance, exclusions, waiting periods and whether cover would change when you leave your employer. Obtain advice before giving up a defined benefit or an insurance policy you may not be able to replace. ASIC Moneysmart explains the comparison checks.
Read the full ADF Super profile · Read the full Australian Retirement Trust profile · Choose another comparison
Checked 2026-09-11. Documents and product terms can change after this date.
Checked 2026-09-11. Documents and product terms can change after this date.