Fill Out ATO Notice of Intent to Claim a Deduction for Personal Super Contributions (NAT 71121) Online
Notice of intent to claim or vary a deduction for personal super contributions
Australian Taxation Office
Tells your super fund you intend to claim a tax deduction for personal contributions so the fund can acknowledge your claim.
Reviewed July 2026
How it works
- 1
Open the form. The official PDF loads straight into the editor, no download needed first.
- 2
Fill it out in the editor. Click anywhere to type, add checkmarks and place your signature.
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Download your PDF. Save the completed form, ready to print or submit.
The notice of intent to claim or vary a deduction for personal super contributions (NAT 71121) is the form you send your superannuation fund before claiming a tax deduction for personal contributions you made during a financial year. The fund needs a valid notice, and you need the fund's written acknowledgment, before the deduction can be claimed in your income tax return. The same form is used to vary an earlier notice downward.
You can complete NAT 71121 in the Universal PDF editor, filling in your details, your fund's details, and the contribution amounts, then download the finished PDF to sign and send to your fund. Many funds also offer their own equivalent online forms, and the ATO revises this form periodically, so confirm with your fund and ato.gov.au that you are using an accepted, current version.
What the notice is for
Personal super contributions made from after tax money can be claimed as a tax deduction if you meet the eligibility rules. The notice of intent is the formal step that converts your intention into something the fund can act on: once the fund receives a valid notice it deducts contributions tax from the amount and sends you an acknowledgment, which is your evidence for the deduction claim.
The variation half of the form only works one way. It reduces the amount covered by an earlier valid notice, for example if the ATO disallowed part of your claim. It cannot increase it.
Who uses it and when
Fund members who made personal contributions and intend to claim a deduction lodge the notice with their fund. Timing is strict: the notice must reach the fund by the earlier of the day you lodge your income tax return for the year the contributions were made, or the end of the following income year.
You must still be a member of the fund, the fund must still hold the contributions, and the fund must not have started paying an income stream based on them. Notices that miss those conditions are invalid, which is a common and costly mistake, so consider checking your position with a registered tax agent if anything has changed since you contributed.
How to fill out NAT 71121
Work through the four sections:
- Section A: your tax file number, name, date of birth, postal address, and daytime phone number. The fund cannot accept the notice without holding your TFN.
- Section B: the fund's name, ABN, your member account number, and the unique superannuation identifier if known.
- Section C: answer whether this notice varies an earlier one, then complete either the original notice block, stating the financial year, your total personal contributions, and the amount you will claim, or the variation block, restating the earlier figures and the reduced amount you will now claim.
- Section D: read the matching declaration, original or variation, then print your name, sign, and date.
Where the notice goes
Send the completed notice to your super fund, not to the ATO. The form states this explicitly: the ATO does not collect the information, it only provides the format.
Keep a copy, and do not claim the deduction until the fund's acknowledgment arrives. The acknowledgment confirms the notice was valid and received in time.
Frequently asked questions
No. It goes to your superannuation fund. The ATO only sees the result through the fund's reporting and the deduction you claim in your return.
The earlier of the day you lodge your income tax return for the year in which you made the contributions, or the end of the income year after the one in which you contributed. Lodge it before your return, then wait for the fund's acknowledgment.
No. A variation can only reduce the amount covered by an earlier valid notice. If you want to claim more, ask your fund about lodging a further notice covering the additional amount, or speak to a registered tax agent about your options.
Common causes include no longer being a member of the fund, the fund no longer holding the contributions, an income stream having started from them, or the contributions already being covered by an earlier notice. Rollovers and withdrawals between contributing and lodging the notice are the classic trap.
Yes. The written acknowledgment from the fund is your evidence that a valid notice was received, and the deduction should not be claimed without it.
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