You could be eligible to receive a QLD death benefit if you are the beneficiary, which is normally the husband or wife, de facto partner or child of the person who has passed away. You won’t necessarily be informed of your entitlement to a death benefit so it’s important to seek legal advice and investigate your eligibility.

There are a few steps you must take in order to apply for a QLD death benefit. Including:

1. In order to make a family provision application in Queensland, you need to have been living with the deceased for a minimum of two years, domestically. You need to be able to prove that you lived together for this period
2. You must consider the superannuation’s fund’s trust deed (which governs superannuation funds). If there is no nomination of who the death benefit is to go to, for example, some trustees direct the payment to be made to the dependents of the deceased
3. If the superannuation fund trustee of the death benefit has improperly exercised its discretion, you can make a complaint to the Australian Financial Complaints Authority

There is a tax free component of a superannuation death benefit however, those who receive the benefit may have to pay tax on the taxable component.