Third-party authorities with Hostplus

Form details

Form: 'Third Party Authority', code HP3043 1024 (Oct 2024 version), URL: https://hostplus.com.au/content/dam/hostplus-program/site/resources/members/forms/1184-2-Form-Letter-of-Authority.pdf. Adviser nominations complete Sections 1, 2 and 4. Mandatory: member name, current address, DOB, phone, signature + date; adviser full name, company name, ASIC (FAR) Registration Number, AFSL number, phone, email. Member/account number: a 'Hostplus account(s)' field is provided (list all accounts covered) but is not asterisked as mandatory. Signature: form instructs 'Please send ORIGINAL signed authority' by post — i.e. wet signature for the paper route; e-signature acceptance unverified. No ID certification requirement stated (information-access only — TPA does not permit transactions or detail changes). Validity: authority automatically EXPIRES THREE YEARS after the signed date. Authority may extend to any staff of the adviser's nominated company. Digital alternative: adviser enters member number, surname and DOB in Adviser Online; member gets SMS/email activation link and has 5 days to accept or decline; requires member 18+, accumulation account, with both email and mobile on file (new members and members without contact details on file must use the paper form).

Where and how to lodge

Fastest (fund's own stated preference): digital TPA lodged through Hostplus Adviser Online (advisers register at hostplus.com.au using ASIC FAR details) — 'digitally accepted authorisation will mean a significantly faster turnaround'. Adviser Online also has a document-upload facility that feeds 'straight into the administration queue' (accepts PDF/DOC/XLSX etc.), but an ACTIVE TPA is required to use it, so it suits follow-up documents, not first lodgement. Paper route: post ORIGINAL signed form to Hostplus, Locked Bag 5046, Parramatta NSW 2124. No fax channel published; no published email lodgement address for paper TPAs (email acceptance unverified — the form explicitly asks for the posted original). Revocations accepted by email info@hostplus.com.au, post, or phone 1300 467 875.

Published turnaround

No published turnaround for TPA processing or adviser information requests. Hostplus does publish a quarterly Service Standards Report (Sept 2025 edition: benefit payments averaged 3.2 days; live chat 78% answered within 2 min vs 80% target; direct complaints resolved in 15 days average; death/TPD claim timeframes disclosed). Digital TPA specifics: member has 5 days to accept; fund claims 'significantly faster turnaround' vs paper but publishes no number. Paper TPA processing time: unverified.

Watch-outs

(1) A new TPA silently REVOKES any existing authorised adviser on the account — a hazard when clients change advisers or when re-lodging. (2) Digital TPA dies if the member doesn't act within 5 days; the adviser must submit a fresh request or fall back to paper. (3) Digital TPA is unavailable for pension members, under-18s, brand-new members, and members without both email and mobile on record — paper original by post is the only route, and posted originals to the Parramatta mail house (administrator MUFG) are the slow path advisers complain about generally. (4) TPA expires after 3 years — practices need re-papering cycles. (5) Hostplus was NOT on the FAAA/Chant West 'Adviser-Ready Fund' accreditation list (April 2026, only 12 funds passed) — independent signal that its overall adviser servicing still lags platforms despite the digital TPA. No fund-published TPA turnaround exists to hold them to, which strengthens the case for tracked follow-up/IDR escalation.

If they go quiet

Email resolutions@hostplus.com.au; in writing to Hostplus, Resolutions Officer, Locked Bag 5046, Parramatta NSW 2124; phone 1300 467 875 (8am-8pm AEST weekdays); web form hostplus.com.au/feedback; also accepted via social-media private message. Acknowledgement usually within 24 hours; if not resolved immediately, contact within 5 business days. Published IDR commitments: 45 days for superannuation complaints, 90 days for death benefit distribution complaints, 30 days for privacy complaints. Actual performance (self-reported, quarter ending 30 Sep 2025): 15-day average IDR resolution. Escalation: AFCA — afca.org.au, info@afca.org.au, 1800 931 678, GPO Box 3 Melbourne VIC 3001.

Under s1017C of the Corporations Act, a trustee must make reasonable efforts to comply with an information request within one month. If Hostplus exceeds its own published standard, a formal internal-dispute-resolution complaint starts a 45-calendar-day clock under ASIC Regulatory Guide 271 — with AFCA as the next stop.