Question
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Question of the week

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02 August 2019

Broken hearts break the bank

Family Law
Federal

Asked

Property settlement – Consent orders for superannuation split 

I act for a de facto partner. By consent, the couple wish to resolve their financial separation by way of a single order under which she will pay an amount from her superannuation account to his superannuation account. There is insufficient free cash for the settlement otherwise and no desire to sell a property.

What wording should the consent order include?

Answered

Thank you for the question.

The By Lawyers Family Law – Property Settlement Guide includes appropriate precedent orders for superannuation splitting. Whether it is a defined benefit or an accumulation fund does not matter; what matters is whether it is a monetary split or a percentage split.

Mentor suggests the key points to cover in monetary split orders include:

  1. binding the trustees of the superannuation fund;
  2. stating the base amount allocated from one member to another;
  3. dealing with s 90XT(1)(a) of the Family Law Act 1975 and Part 6 of the Family Law (Superannuation) Regulations 2001;
  4. the operative time of the order and steps to be taken to implement it; and
  5. completion of the necessary forms.

Regards

Mentor