How Much Can I Withdraw from Super to Pay for Rehab? A 2026 Money Guide

Written by Holistic Recovery Bali. Medically reviewed by Nev Doidge, Clinical Director, NZ Level 7 AOD Practitioner & Social Worker.

An honest, numbers-based guide to how much of your superannuation you can actually access for private rehab. Uses ATO median balances, real HRB Tailored Retreat pricing, and worked examples across three programme lengths.

One of the most common questions we get from Australians considering treatment at Holistic Recovery Bali is deceptively simple: how much can I actually pull out of my super? The answer is more useful than most people expect, but it requires walking through the actual numbers rather than the general principle. This guide does that. It covers the ATO's rules on how much can be released, what our Tailored Retreat programme actually costs, what the average Australian's super balance looks like at different ages, and how much cash ends up in your bank account after tax across three worked scenarios.

The ATO rule, no fixed cap for medical treatment

Compassionate release of superannuation has no hard-coded dollar limit for medical treatment. The amount released is based on the actual treatment cost as itemised in the quote you submit with your application. There's no rule saying "maximum $30,000" or "maximum 50% of your balance". What matters is that the treatment quote is itemised, on official letterhead, and for treatment that has not yet been paid.

The practical constraint is your own balance. The ATO can approve release of up to your available super, but obviously can't release money you don't have. For Australians with balances below the treatment cost, the process still works. The ATO releases what's available and the client tops up the difference. We cover that scenario below.

What our Tailored Retreat actually costs

HRB's Tailored Retreat is a single all-inclusive rate regardless of programme length. This is deliberate. The programme length is chosen based on your clinical need, not on price. Full pricing is discussed transparently during the initial consultation. The current published rate:

• Tailored Retreat: IDR 346,000,000, or USD $19,500, at current exchange rates roughly AUD $30,000 to $31,000

• This is the flat all-inclusive rate for 28, 60, or 90-day programmes

• Per stay, not per week. The rate covers the full programme regardless of length

• Excludes flights, which clients arrange themselves

What this covers: the residential programme, the clinical team on-site daily, medically supervised detox where required, psychiatric care on call at all times, meals prepared by our nutritionist, private villa accommodation, tailored physical activity, family-centred care and support, and airport transfers. Optional add-ons (extended aftercare, external psychiatric consultations, additional specialist input) are quoted separately and clearly listed on the ATO-compliant quote we prepare as part of your application.

For Australians using compassionate release of super to fund treatment, the Tailored Retreat is the qualifying pathway. Shorter reset-style retreats aren't fundable through the super process because they don't meet the ATO's medical treatment threshold.

The average Australian super balance, where most people actually sit

For context, here's where the average Australian's super balance sits by age (ATO data, most recent release). These are median figures. Half of Australians in each age bracket have more, half have less:

• Ages 25 to 29: approximately AUD $28,000

• Ages 30 to 34: approximately AUD $54,000

• Ages 40 to 44: approximately AUD $134,000 (average), AUD $100,000 (median)

• Ages 50 to 54: approximately AUD $239,000

• Ages 60 to 64: approximately AUD $371,000 (average), AUD $160,000 (median)

What this means in practice: for most working-age Australians the balance is enough to fully fund the Tailored Retreat, with meaningful money left over for later contributions. For clients in their late 20s, super may cover the majority of the programme with a small personal top-up for the balance. Either way, the answer is rarely "nothing", even when it feels that way.

Three worked scenarios

Below are three scenarios showing how the money moves, from the gross super amount released to the final cash in your bank account after ATO tax is withheld. All figures are AUD, using the ATO's standard withholding on early-released super for people under age 60 (marginal rate with a 15% offset applied, which for most working-age Australians works out around 22% effective).

Notice that the programme cost is the same across all three. The Tailored Retreat is a flat rate. What varies between scenarios is the client's age (which affects super balance and available tax bracket) and the programme length chosen (which the client and clinical team decide based on clinical need, not cost).

Scenario A: 32-year-old professional, 28-day Tailored Retreat

• Programme cost quoted: USD $19,500, approx AUD $30,000

• Super balance before withdrawal: AUD $60,000

• Gross super released: AUD $38,500

• ATO tax withheld (approx 22%): AUD $8,470

• Net to bank account: AUD $30,030

• Shortfall for programme: nil

• Super balance remaining: AUD $21,500

A 32-year-old accessing early super for the Tailored Retreat gives up meaningful retirement compounding, but has 30-plus years of working life in which to rebuild the balance through ongoing employer and personal contributions.

Scenario B: 45-year-old with median balance, 60-day Tailored Retreat

• Programme cost quoted: USD $19,500, approx AUD $30,000 (same flat rate as the 28-day)

• Super balance before withdrawal: AUD $100,000

• Gross super released: AUD $38,500

• ATO tax withheld: AUD $8,470

• Net to bank account: AUD $30,030

• Shortfall: nil

• Super balance remaining: AUD $61,500

This client accesses double the treatment duration of Scenario A, at the same programme cost. The 60-day length is the right clinical fit for many mid-life clients, particularly those managing complex trauma, long-term substance dependency, or dual-diagnosis presentations that benefit from a longer stabilisation window.

Scenario C: 55-year-old with a complex clinical picture, 90-day Tailored Retreat

• Programme cost quoted: USD $19,500, approx AUD $30,000 (same flat rate)

• Super balance before withdrawal: AUD $250,000

• Gross super released: AUD $38,500

• ATO tax withheld: AUD $8,470

• Net to bank account: AUD $30,030

• Shortfall: nil

• Super balance remaining: AUD $211,500

At this life stage the impact on the retirement trajectory is proportionally small. The balance remaining still tracks close to the ASFA "comfortable retirement" pathway with continued contributions over the following decade. The 90-day length gives the longest possible reset window, appropriate for clients presenting with the most complex or chronic patterns.

Important: these scenarios use approximate tax figures for illustration. Your actual withholding depends on your specific tax bracket, other income in the release year, and how your super fund calculates the taxable and tax-free components of your balance. Speak with your accountant before submitting. A 30-minute conversation can save you thousands.

The tax, and why the offset exists

Super released on compassionate grounds is treated as income in the year of withdrawal. For most Australians under age 60, the taxable component is taxed at your marginal rate but with a 15% tax offset applied. The offset exists because your employer already paid 15% tax on the contributions when they went in. Charging the full marginal rate on the way out would be double taxation.

For Australians age 60 and above, most withdrawals from super are entirely tax-free, though the exact treatment depends on the tax-free vs taxable proportions in your account. This is one of the reasons some clients choose to wait until 60 if they can. For treatment that's medically necessary now, waiting is not the right calculation to make.

What about my future retirement?

This is the most important question to ask, and it deserves a serious answer rather than an easy one. Drawing down super early does have a compounding effect. AUD $30,000 taken out at age 35 has a larger long-term impact than AUD $30,000 taken out at age 55, because of the years of compounding foregone.

The counter-calculation is what the untreated condition costs across the same years. Undiagnosed and untreated addiction typically costs the individual, over a decade, substantially more than the amount required to fund private rehabilitation. Lost wages, medical costs, relationship costs, and the compounding downstream of decisions made while unwell. The right frame isn't "super vs no super". It's "super plus recovery vs no super touched, and no recovery".

This is a legitimate conversation to have with your accountant or financial adviser. It isn't a conversation the marketing team of a rehab centre should be having with you, so we don't. What we can say is that in the case of Australian clients we've worked with, super released for treatment has consistently been the smaller of the two costs at stake.

When super isn't enough

For clients whose super doesn't cover the full programme, common top-up sources include:

• Personal savings for the shortfall

• Family contribution, often a parent or sibling offering to fund the difference

• Personal loan or line of credit, drawn down for the specific shortfall

• International private health insurance out-of-network mental health cover

If super plus top-up still doesn't reach the required amount, we work with you honestly on what is possible. Cost is one of the honest constraints of private treatment, and pretending otherwise wastes everybody's time.

Frequently asked questions

• Can I withdraw more than the quoted treatment cost?

Not exactly. The ATO approves amounts based on the itemised quote. If you apply for more than the quote supports, the excess is typically not approved. What you can do is request enough gross super to cover the after-tax net you actually need. This is a legitimate calculation and should be worked out with your accountant before submitting.

• What if my super is in more than one account?

You nominate which account (or accounts) the release comes from as part of the application. If you have multiple small accounts, this can be a good moment to consolidate. That's a separate decision from the release itself, though.

• Does drawing on super affect my Centrelink or other benefits?

The released amount is treated as income in the year of withdrawal, which can affect income-tested benefits in that tax year. Another good reason to speak with your accountant or Centrelink before submitting. In most cases the effect is temporary and limited to the release year.

• Can I recontribute to super later to rebuild the balance?

Yes. Personal after-tax contributions (up to the annual cap) can be made in subsequent years. Some clients, once recovered and working, actively rebuild their super over the following 5 to 10 years. Speak with your financial adviser about the most tax-efficient way to do this.

• How long until the money is actually in my account?

From ATO approval to funds in your bank account is typically 3 to 5 business days, once your super fund processes the release notice.

In summary

For most working-age Australians, super is enough, with or without a modest top-up, to fund the Tailored Retreat at HRB. The programme cost stays fixed regardless of length, so length is chosen based on the clinical picture rather than the budget. The ATO tax is real and worth calculating in advance. The impact on future retirement is real and worth taking seriously, but tends to be smaller than the impact of leaving the underlying condition untreated. If you'd like a personalised treatment quote and an indicative net-cost calculation for your specific scenario, get in touch and we can walk through it with you.

Reach us through our website contact form, on WhatsApp at +62 811 388 04006, or on our Australia toll-free line: 1800 329 014.

About Holistic Recovery Bali

Holistic Recovery Bali is a private rehab and mental health centre in Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia. We work one client at a time, with an internationally qualified clinical team across counselling, addiction, and trauma. Our Tailored Retreat programmes are fully personalised and run 28, 60, or 90 days.

This article was medically reviewed by Nev Doidge, Clinical Director at Holistic Recovery Bali. Nev is a Qualified New Zealand Level 7 AOD Practitioner and Social Worker, accredited counsellor, DBT practitioner, and addiction specialist with two decades of clinical experience.

Super balance figures cited are ATO median balances by age from the most recent public release. Programme cost is quoted in IDR and USD; AUD equivalents assume typical exchange rates. Tax figures are illustrative only. This article is general information, not financial or tax advice. Speak with a licensed accountant or financial adviser before applying.