Re-entering the Defence Force?

Who is a re-entrant?

A re-entrant is a former Member of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) who contributed to either the DFRDB Scheme or MilitarySuper, and who re-enters the ADF after discharge or retirement. Different options apply depending on whether you are a former DFRDB or MilitarySuper Member, and whether you are a re-entering Member or a re-entering recipient.

Former DFRDB Scheme Members

Former DFRDB Scheme Members are divided into:

re-entered Members - that is, those who originally contributed to the DFRDB Scheme and received a refund of their DFRDB contributions; and
re-entered recipients - that is, those who retired and received a DFRDB or DFRB pension, or elected to receive deferred DFRDB benefits.

Re-entered Recipients - DFRDB

If you are receiving DFRDB retirement pay or you have a deferred benefit, and you re-enter the ADF on continuous full-time service (CFTS), you must make a DFRDB or MilitarySuper election before re-entry.

Failure to lodge a scheme election before re-entry will result in automatic MilitarySuper membership. MilitarySuper membership is final and irreversible for your re-engagement and all future ADF engagements.

Please see DFRDB Retirement Pay and MilitarySuper Pension Recipients Re-entering the ADF (DM100) (PDF, 248KB) form.

Your Scheme Election

Your scheme election depends on the nature and length of your re-engagement.

Returning to the Reserve Forces for Less than 12 Months

If you are returning to the Reserve Forces for less than 12 months, you must elect before re-entry whether or not you want to join MilitarySuper. (Former MilitarySuper recipients or preserved benefit re-entrants don't get to make an election - you automatically join MilitarySuper.

If you choose not to join MilitarySuper, you continue to receive DFRDB retirement pay but you do not re-join the DFRDB Scheme as a contributor. You will also accrue a productivity benefit but you will not have death or invalidity cover.

Note: You must make a scheme election before each re-entry to the Reserve Forces for less than 12 months (unless you have joined MilitarySuper, which is final). Failure to make an election before any re-entry will result in automatic MilitarySuper membership.

If You Are Returning to either the Reserve Forces for 12 Months or More or the Permanent Forces

You must elect before re-entry whether you want to join MilitarySuper or re-join the DFRDB Scheme.

Contributions are due for the scheme you choose, and your retirement pay is not paid during the period of service. After discharge your retirement pay will be recalculated and recommence.

Note: If you choose the DFRDB scheme, your election continues to apply to all subsequent re-entries to the ADF of the same nature (ie in the Reserve Forces for 12 months or more or in the Permanent Forces again).

Joining MilitarySuper

If you join MilitarySuper, you must contribute to MilitarySuper and your DFRDB retirement pay will be suspended during your engagement.

After discharge your DFRDB retirement pay will recommence (including any CPI adjustments) and you will be entitled to MilitarySuper benefits. MilitarySuper benefits are generally not payable before preservation age.

The employer-financed benefit

If you transferred to MilitarySuper from the DFRDB, all of your DFRDB contributory service (including any prior service you had purchased) counts as MilitarySuper service when your Employer Benefit is calculated.

The Member Benefit:

When you changed schemes, your DFRDB Scheme contributions were transferred across to your MilitarySuper account. Interest was added to those contributions, at the long-term bond rate that applied during the term of transfer (such as for the purchase of prior service), they would have been deducted from your MilitarySuper account. As soon as you came over to MilitarySuper, your total contributions began earning interest at the credit rate of the Fund.

Former MilitarySuper Members

Re-entered Members

If you leave before you have reached your preservation age, you will be entitled to an employer-financed benefit which becomes payable on retirement from the workforce at or after you reach your preservation age. This is referred to as a preserved benefit. If you rejoin MilitarySuper with a preserved benefit, you will keep your entitlement to that benefit. It will continue to grow at CPI, except for the 3% component which will continue to grow according to the performance of the Fund's default investment strategy.

You will be entitled to an additional Employer Benefit for your second period of service. Your previous service is used to determine where your benefit will start for the second period of service on the Employer Benefit Growth Table below. For example, if you resigned after 12 years of service and then rejoined the ADF, your Employer Benefit would start growing at 23% of FAS for each year of service, instead of at 18%.

Employer Benefit Growth Table

Years of service	% of FAS per year
Enlistment to 7 years	18%
7 years to 20 years	23%
20 years onward	28%

For further information please refer to the fact sheet Rejoining the ADF (MB12) (PDF, 481KB).

Re-entered recipients

If you are a re-entered recipient who rejoins the ADF on continuous full-time duty, you will contribute to MilitarySuper and your pension will be suspended until you have completed your second period of service, when it will be reinstated, having been updated by CPI increases. Please refer to the fact sheet Rejoining the ADF (MB12) (PDF, 481KB) for more information.

More Information

Customer Service Centre

For information about your superannuation entitlement, the payment of your benefit or about any other superannuation related matter, see the Customer Service Centre.

Forms and Fact Sheets

Publications

MilitarySuper Book

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