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MLC vs Super Retirement Fund

Compare what each fund offers, then choose investment options to put their published costs and returns side by side.

By SuperGuru Group · Research checked 11 September 2026 · Historical APRA figures to 30 June 2026

MLC

Retail fund

MLC's MasterKey range includes employer, personal and Super & Pension Fundamentals accounts. The investment and insurance terms depend on which product you hold.

Membership

MasterKey Super Fundamentals is designed for individual members. Business Super is arranged through employers, and employer discounts or insurance subsidies can affect the comparison.

Super Retirement Fund

Transferred legacy fund

Super Retirement Fund members moved to National Mutual Retirement Fund on 1 July 2026. The older name still appears in statements and historical data.

Membership

This is a former fund arrangement. Continuing contributions now use the receiving fund's details and the correct product USI. Registration of the old entity does not mean members can remain in it.

Compare fees and investment returns

Choose the actual investment pathway for each account. For lifecycle products, select the named stage relevant to you. No stage is selected automatically.

Choose an investment option to see the figures

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.

How the products differ

MLC and Super Retirement Fund: product features and conditions
What to compareMLCSuper Retirement Fund
Membership and access

MasterKey Super Fundamentals is designed for individual members. Business Super is arranged through employers, and employer discounts or insurance subsidies can affect the comparison.

Sources24

This is a former fund arrangement. Continuing contributions now use the receiving fund's details and the correct product USI. Registration of the old entity does not mean members can remain in it.

Sources123
Accounts and products

MLC MasterKey products in MLC Super Fund. Expand, Plum and NAB-specific plans are separate product propositions.

MLC MasterKey Business Super

MLC MasterKey Personal Super

MLC MasterKey Super and Pension Fundamentals

MLC MySuper

Sources17

Historical Super Retirement Fund accounts. Members transferred to a dedicated section of National Mutual Retirement Fund immediately after 30 June 2026.

Personal Super and SuperSelect

PensionSelect

SuperWise and SuperLink

SuperCARE and Retirement Saver

Select Personal Super and pension policies

Whole-of-life and endowment super policies

Sources123
Investment choices

MLC MySuper for eligible MasterKey Business and Personal Super members; check the selected investment in Fundamentals.

MasterKey Super Fundamentals offers ready-made choices, lower-cost and socially responsible portfolios, plus asset-class options for a member-built portfolio. MLC MySuper invests across mainstream asset classes with some private and alternative assets and uses active and passive managers.

Sources23

Investment choices and policy benefits were tied to the individual contract. A June 2026 option return remains historical information about that option; it does not describe all transferred accounts.

Sources123
Insurance

The insurance offer differs between Business, Personal and Fundamentals accounts. Business and Personal Super can include both an insurer premium and an insurance administration fee; Fundamentals insurance charges consist of the insurer premium. Check the applicable guide rather than assuming all MLC insurance is priced the same way.

Sources47

Insurance held in an account at the transfer date moved with it. Members should use the current policy records when checking cover or making a claim.

Sources123
Retirement income

MasterKey Pension Fundamentals provides account-based and transition-to-retirement pension pathways. A member can assess the pension menu as part of planning a move into retirement, but the pension fee schedule must be checked separately.

Sources67

Existing pension payments continue through the receiving fund under their agreed schedules. The transfer itself is different from voluntarily cashing out or surrendering a policy.

Sources123
Advice and support

Members can use MLC without a financial adviser. If they engage an adviser, fees for super-related advice may be deducted with consent and subject to product rules. Advice fees should be included in the overall cost of an advised arrangement.

Sources4

This detail has not been verified for this profile. Check the current product documents.

Fee details to check

An employer may have negotiated reduced fees, shown in the plan's Features At A Glance document. Changes from 1 April 2026 removed the insurance-fee cap for affected Business and Personal Super members and reduced the cap on the percentage administration fee. These are distinct changes: lower administration fees do not necessarily mean a lower total cost for an insured member.

Sources45

This detail has not been verified for this profile. Check the current product documents.

Comparing investment performance

Compare the exact MySuper portfolio or chosen MasterKey investment. Age and product matter, and a return from one underlying fund is not the return from an entire member account after every administration, insurance and advice charge.

Show the MasterKey product name and employer discount assumptions.

Separate insurance premium, insurance administration charge and adviser fee where relevant.

Sources1234567

Keep June 2026 historical data under its original fund identity and link members to National Mutual Retirement Fund for current account context.

Do not offer Super Retirement Fund as a fund to join.

Sources123

THE SUPERGURU VIEW

Our take on MLC

Editorial assessment

MLC deserves an account-level review rather than a verdict based on the brand. The breadth of investments can help someone with a deliberate portfolio, while a workplace subsidy may change the price materially. For current members, the 2026 insurance-fee-cap change is a practical reason to check the statement.

Who might put it on their shortlist

  • Employees assessing negotiated MasterKey plan benefits.
  • People who want access to multiple investment managers through a super product.
  • Members using an adviser and willing to compare the full product-plus-advice cost.

What deserves a closer look

  • The removal of an insurance-fee cap can increase charges for affected members even where the administration cap falls.
  • A large investment menu is useful only if there is a reason for the investments selected.
  • MLC MasterKey, Plum and Expand must not inherit one another's fees, test outcomes or insurance terms.

Sources5

Based on the cited product features. These are general reasons to investigate the fund, not a personal recommendation. Supporting sources.

THE SUPERGURU VIEW

Our take on Super Retirement Fund

Editorial assessment

The most useful job of this page is to connect an old statement to the current account. Check the receiving fund and product identifiers first. Then assess fees, investments and policy benefits using documents for the transferred section.

Who this profile is for

  • Former Super Retirement Fund members checking where their account moved.
  • Employers and family members resolving an old fund name or rejected contribution.

What deserves a closer look

  • The old fund remained on APRA's September register after member transfer; legal registration and operating account status are different.
  • Employers need the new product USI for contributions from 1 July 2026.
  • Historical costs should not be treated as a current quote for a transferred policy.

Sources123

Based on the cited product features. These are general reasons to investigate the fund, not a personal recommendation. Supporting sources.

Before choosing between MLC and Super Retirement Fund

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 MLC profile · Read the full Super Retirement Fund profile · Choose another comparison