- The SuperRatings SR Balanced (60-76) Index returned 9.4% for the year to 30 June 2026 (final release, 17 July 2026; the early-July estimate was 9.1%).
- Of the 14 funds SuperFind covers, 13 have published their default-option result; only First Super is still to report.
- Hostplus Balanced (10.8%) leads the published results, followed by UniSuper Balanced (10.4%) and legalsuper MySuper Balanced (10.1%) — ranked 7th in SuperRatings' national top-10 balanced options.
- The spread across published defaults is 3.1 percentage points, from Hostplus at 10.8% down to CareSuper Balanced at 7.73% — a genuinely more defensive option mix, not simply a weaker year.
- Growth assets did the work: international shares — particularly AI-exposed listed equities — plus private markets drove returns despite periods of market volatility during the year.
Published FY2025-26 default-option returns
The table below shows the return each fund has reported for its MySuper default option for the 2025-26 financial year (12 months to 30 June 2026). Figures are net of investment fees and taxes, before administration fees — the standard MySuper reporting basis.
| Fund | Default option | FY2025-26 return |
|---|---|---|
| Hostplus | Balanced | 10.8% |
| UniSuper | Balanced | 10.4% |
| legalsuper | MySuper Balanced | 10.1%† |
| Rest | Growth | 9.81% |
| Vision Super | Balanced Growth | 9.8%† |
| AustralianSuper | Balanced | 9.77% |
| Brighter Super | MySuper | 9.56% |
| HESTA | Balanced Growth | 9.46% |
| Equip Super | MySuper | 9.37% |
| Cbus | Growth (MySuper) | 9.25% |
| Australian Retirement Trust | High Growth (lifecycle default)* | 9.21% |
| Aware Super | High Growth (lifecycle default)* | 8.54% |
| CareSuper | Balanced | 7.73% |
*ART and Aware Super run lifecycle MySuper defaults: younger members sit in the High Growth pool (to age 50 at ART; under 55 at Aware), so the High Growth figure is the one most default members actually received. Lifecycle and single-strategy options carry different risk levels, so a direct ranking against Balanced options isn't strictly like-for-like. ART's Balanced choice pool returned 7.9%.
†legalsuper and Vision Super figures are from SuperRatings' 17 July 2026 top-10 release, published to one decimal place; the funds' own precise figures were not yet on their websites at the time of writing.
Still to report
One SuperFind-covered fund had not published its FY2025-26 default-option result as of 20 July 2026: First Super. Its site still shows the 2024-25 crediting rate for the Balanced (default) option (9.00%) plus monthly returns only to 31 May 2026. Smaller funds typically publish once their unlisted-asset valuations are finalised, usually by late July. This page will be updated when that result lands.
The year-by-year returns tables on each fund review page now run to FY2025-26 for the 13 funds that have reported. First Super's table ends at FY2024-25 and will be extended when it publishes — we would rather show a shorter table than a blank cell that reads like a zero.
What drove the year
FY2025-26 was the fourth consecutive positive financial year for balanced super options. SuperRatings' early-July estimate put the median balanced option at 9.1% (median growth 10.6%, capital stable 5.9%), and its final 17 July release put the SR Balanced (60-76) Index at 9.4% for the year — against 7.7% a year over the past decade. Funds credited international listed equities — particularly companies benefiting from artificial-intelligence investment — along with private equity and private credit, for carrying returns through a year that included periods of genuine market volatility.
Pension (retirement-phase) options generally did better than accumulation options because their earnings are untaxed: the median balanced pension option returned 10.2%, and Hostplus reported 11.80% for its pension Balanced option.
What it means for you
One good year — or one soft year — tells you very little about a fund. The gap between the best and worst published default option this year (10.8% vs 7.73%) largely reflects risk-profile differences rather than skill — Hostplus runs a growth-heavy Balanced option, while CareSuper's Balanced holds a more defensive mix that gives up upside in strong equity years in exchange for smaller drawdowns in bad ones. What matters is the pattern over 10+ years, net of fees, which is exactly what our best super funds guide ranks and what the year-by-year tables on each fund review show. If your fund consistently trails the median over long periods, that is a reason to investigate — start with our fund comparison pages or the interactive comparison tool.
Related
- Best Super Funds Australia 2026 — ranked by return & fees
- The APRA performance test, explained
- SuperFind Statistics — first-party dataset on the 14-fund industry-fund market
- Compare any two funds side-by-side
Independent superannuation research · about the editor ✓ Fact-checked · updated July 2026
Source: APRA & ATO data