Compare what each fund offers, then choose investment options to put their published costs and returns side by side.
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.
Retail fund brand
Child Care Super keeps its brand through the September 2026 move into Smart Future Trust. The transfer changes investments and fees while preserving existing insurance cover and policy terms.
Check the current joining rules and transfer documents. Existing members remain Child Care Super members after the move.
Choose the actual investment pathway for each account. For lifecycle products, select the named stage relevant to you. No stage is selected automatically.
The costs and returns belong to the selected product, option or lifecycle stage.
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 | Australian Retirement Trust | Child Care Super |
|---|---|---|
| Membership and access | 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 | Check the current joining rules and transfer documents. Existing members remain Child Care Super members after the move. Sources12 |
| Accounts and products | 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 | Child Care Super accumulation and pension products. Sources12 |
| Investment choices | 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 | The new menu maps existing holdings to comparable investment options. Members should check the new option's allocation and risk description rather than relying on its predecessor's name. Sources12 |
| Insurance | 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 | Existing cover and policy terms stay the same under the notice. The insurance administration fee rises, increasing the total insurance cost. Sources12 |
| Retirement income | 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 | Pension payments continue under the transition arrangements. Some September payments are brought forward and some member-initiated transactions are temporarily unavailable. Sources12 |
| Advice and support | 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 | Use the current member support and disclosure documents to confirm advice availability, scope and charges. Sources12 |
| Fee details to check | 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 | The notice expects lower overall fees for most members, but the effect depends on balance and option. New contributions use Smart Future Trust ABN 68 964 712 340 and USI 68964712340022 from 5 September 2026. Sources12 |
| Comparing investment performance | 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 | Compare the post-transfer investment strategy with a genuinely similar alternative. Historical returns require an explanation of the predecessor option. Sources12 |
| Former names and account history | 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 | This detail has not been verified for this profile. Check the current product documents. |
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.
THE SUPERGURU VIEW
Relevant to child care workers and existing members who want to understand the changes before comparing another fund.
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 Australian Retirement Trust profile · Read the full Child Care Super 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.