APRA Superannuation Data Collections: The 21 August 2026 Consultation

ByOfficer

On 8 July 2026 the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) opened a consultation on amendments to its superannuation data collections, with written submissions due by 21 August 2026. The package targets two returns that registrable superannuation entity (RSE) licensees know well: SRS 533.0 Asset Allocation and SRS 610.2 Membership Profile. APRA proposes to amend both so their content aligns with the equivalent collections already running in APRA Connect, the platform replacing the retired Direct to APRA (D2A) system.

The package proposes changes to reporting standards; it does not switch on a new obligation from a fixed date. The amended standards take effect only once APRA finalises them and implements the collections in APRA Connect. Until APRA confirms the final implementation approach, affected entities continue to use the alternative submission arrangements APRA provides for D2A collections during the transition to APRA Connect. The practical work now is to read the draft standards, confirm which data points fall away, and check APRA’s confidentiality proposal against fields the fund would prefer to keep private.

This round is narrower than the Superannuation Data Transformation that preceded it, but it lands mid-migration off D2A, and an amended return still means a mapping and validation build before the first APRA Connect submission.

Related reading: APRA’s retirement reporting framework for superannuation.

The dates RSE licensees need on the calendar

  • 8 July 2026: APRA releases the consultation package and letter to industry.
  • 21 August 2026: written submissions on the draft standards and the confidentiality proposal are due.
  • March 2026: D2A taken offline; superannuation collections move to interim alternative submission arrangements.
  • By December 2027: APRA’s target to migrate all remaining D2A collections to APRA Connect and decommission D2A.
  • Effective date of the revised standards: not yet set; the amendments apply once the collections are live in APRA Connect.

The 21 August date closes the consultation window. Reporting reference dates for the revised returns come later, when APRA confirms the APRA Connect go-live, so this deadline is about shaping the standards, not lodging a return.

What APRA proposes to change in SRS 533.0 and SRS 610.2

APRA proposes to update both returns to ensure consistency with the equivalent collections already live in APRA Connect. APRA proposes amendments to SRS 533.0 Asset Allocation as part of the transition to APRA Connect. The consultation materials should be checked for the exact table-level changes and retained data items. APRA proposes amendments to SRS 610.2 Membership Profile as part of the transition of superannuation data collections to APRA Connect. APRA frames the amendments as aligning these collections with the equivalent APRA Connect returns.

Two supporting standards sit alongside the headline changes. SRS 101.0 Definitions for Superannuation Data Collections, which defines the terms used across the superannuation returns, is updated so the definitions match the revised forms. APRA also proposes to revoke SRS 001.0 Profile and Structure (Baseline), a standard the newer collection design no longer relies on. Confirm the exact draft-form edits against the marked-up standards in the package; the changes may not be uniform across every table.

An amended return is easy to read as less work, but the build is where the effort sits: remapping the data that survives, retiring feeds for the data that goes, and re-pointing validations from the old D2A structure to the APRA Connect submission. A field that disappears from SRS 533.0 may still be sourced from an investment system that feeds other live returns, so the change becomes a reconciliation exercise before it is a saving.

Why APRA is moving the superannuation data collections off D2A

The consultation is one step in APRA’s broader move from D2A to APRA Connect. APRA took the legacy D2A system offline in March 2026 after a routine penetration test identified security vulnerabilities, and it brought forward the system’s decommission. Since then, superannuation entities have lodged their D2A-based returns, including the data behind SRS 533.0 and SRS 610.2, through alternative submission arrangements while APRA completes the migration.

APRA has committed to migrating all remaining D2A collections to APRA Connect and fully decommissioning D2A by December 2027. It expects the single platform to cut compliance burden, improve data quality, and streamline submissions. For a reporting officer the visible change is mechanical. APRA Connect collections are built from published taxonomy artefacts with their own validation and derivation rules, so a D2A form does not reappear unchanged; the submission moves to the APRA Connect return and the mapping has to follow.

APRA’s reporting standards for superannuation are made under subsection 13(1) of the Financial Sector (Collection of Data) Act 2001, the power the revised SRS 533.0 and SRS 610.2 will be determined under. That statutory basis is unchanged by the move to APRA Connect; the consultation changes the content of the standards while leaving the authorising law in place.

The confidentiality proposal is a live decision for the business

APRA also proposes to determine the information collected under the revised SRS 533.0 and SRS 610.2 to be non-confidential under section 57 of the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority Act 1998, which lets APRA publish it. APRA is seeking feedback on confidentiality treatment for information collected under the proposed revised standards. Entities should review the consultation material and provide feedback where they consider information should remain confidential.

This part of the package rewards a close read from the business as well as the reporting team. APRA invites feedback on whether any information proposed for release should instead remain confidential. If a fund believes a data point would be commercially sensitive once published at entity level, the consultation window is the moment to say so with reasons. Confidentiality of the submission itself is a separate matter: material an entity identifies as confidential in its response is protected under the secrecy provisions of the APRA Act.

Where trustees can misjudge the change

The most common misread is treating the interim arrangement as the destination. Lodging SRS 533.0 and SRS 610.2 data through the alternative submission route today is a stopgap; it does not mean the fund has finished the APRA Connect transition or that the current data set is final. When APRA confirms the revised standards and the APRA Connect go-live, the return changes shape and the submission channel changes with it.

A second trap runs the other way. These amendments apply to RSE licensees and the superannuation returns named in the package. APRA’s separate life insurance D2A transition uses the same mechanics but its own standards, forms, and confidentiality determination, so read across for process only.

The change also sits within a wider APRA push on accountability and governance for trustees, from the extension of the Financial Accountability Regime jointly administered by APRA and ASIC to APRA’s governance reforms under CPS 510. Data accuracy under the revised returns is ultimately an accountable-person concern, so the mapping decisions made now carry beyond the reporting team.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which superannuation data collections does this consultation change?

It centres on SRS 533.0 Asset Allocation and SRS 610.2 Membership Profile, both of which APRA proposes to amend. The package also updates SRS 101.0 Definitions for Superannuation Data Collections so the definitions match the revised forms, and proposes to revoke SRS 001.0 Profile and Structure (Baseline). Check the precise table-level edits against the marked-up draft standards in APRA’s package.

When and how do we lodge a submission?

Written submissions are due by 21 August 2026. Entities should follow the submission instructions set out in APRA’s consultation package. A single response can address both the draft standards and the confidentiality proposal.

Does the consultation change what we report right now?

No. The revised standards apply only once APRA finalises them and implements the collections in APRA Connect. Until then RSE licensees continue to submit the current SRS 533.0 and SRS 610.2 data through the alternative submission arrangements APRA set up after D2A was taken offline.

What is the confidentiality proposal, and why does it matter?

APRA proposes to treat the data collected under the revised standards as non-confidential, meaning it can be published. It invites views on whether any field proposed for release should stay confidential. A fund that considers a specific data point sensitive at entity level should make that case, with reasons, before the deadline closes.

Why is APRA moving these returns to APRA Connect at all?

APRA is retiring D2A, which it took offline in March 2026 after a security vulnerability was identified, and consolidating collections on APRA Connect. It aims to migrate all remaining D2A collections and decommission D2A by December 2027, citing lower compliance burden, better data quality, and a more secure single platform.

Will the data points and format change when the return moves to APRA Connect?

The submission mechanics change. APRA Connect returns are built from published taxonomy artefacts with their own validation and derivation rules, so the D2A form does not carry across unaltered. Even where a data point survives the scope changes, teams should expect to remap it and re-test validations.

Does an amended return mean less reporting work?

Not immediately. Removing data still requires a one-off build to retire feeds, remap retained fields, and reconcile against systems that feed other live returns. The ongoing effort should ease once the collection is stable in APRA Connect.

Related Articles

Key Takeaways

  • APRA opened a consultation on 8 July 2026 to amend superannuation data collections, with submissions due 21 August 2026.
  • APRA proposes amendments to SRS 533.0 Asset Allocation and SRS 610.2 Membership Profile as part of the transition to APRA Connect; the consultation materials should be checked for the exact table-level changes.
  • SRS 101.0 definitions are updated to match, and APRA proposes to revoke SRS 001.0 Profile and Structure (Baseline).
  • The changes exist to move the collections from the retired D2A system to APRA Connect, with full D2A decommission targeted by December 2027.
  • APRA proposes to treat the collected data as non-confidential under section 57 of the APRA Act 1998; funds should flag any field that should stay private before the deadline.
  • Current lodgements are unaffected: RSE licensees keep reporting through the interim alternative submission arrangements until APRA Connect go-live.
  • An amended return still needs a mapping, validation, and reconciliation build before the first APRA Connect submission.

Sources and References

Getting SRS 533.0 and SRS 610.2 ready for APRA Connect

The near-term ask is specific: read the draft SRS 533.0 and SRS 610.2, confirm which fields fall away, decide whether any data proposed for release should stay confidential, and lodge a response by 21 August 2026. The larger ask is the build once APRA confirms the standards and the APRA Connect go-live, when the amended returns must be mapped, validated, and reconciled. Treating today’s interim submission as a pause, with the finish line still ahead, keeps the transition on schedule.

Last updated: July 2026

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