D2A decommissioned: What Superannuation Funds Need to Know About the APRA Connect Migration
- Team Nuj
- Mar 30
- 5 min read
Updated: Jun 4
Originally published 30 March 2026 | Updated 3 June 2026 |
On 19 March 2026, a routine penetration test identified security vulnerabilities in APRA's Direct to APRA (D2A) data submission system. APRA acted immediately, taking the system offline on 20 March. The decision was precautionary and consistent with APRA's low risk tolerance for system vulnerabilities, and APRA has confirmed there is no evidence of any security breach or exploitation of its systems. A formal public announcement followed on 27 March.
With D2A decommissioned, APRA Connect is now the sole platform for all regulatory data submissions. The super industry's transition of remaining legacy D2A collections was originally anticipated to go live on 31 March 2027. That timeline has been revised twice since then. APRA confirmed in May 2026 that most superannuation forms will now be available for reporting in APRA Connect from 30 September 2026 reference periods, with forms available for external testing from September 2026. The position for annual forms due in September 2026 (covering 30 June 2026 reference periods) is less settled, with the submission method still being worked through. See the update at the foot of this article.
If you have not already uninstalled the D2A client from your systems, do so now. APRA has advised that its continued presence could pose a residual risk to your data integrity and security.
What the interim arrangements for APRA D2A decommission cover, and what they don't.
APRA put interim submission arrangements in place to maintain reporting continuity following the decommission. But a problem has emerged that the interim arrangements do not address.
D2A validated your data before submitting it to APRA. That check does not exist in the interim arrangements. Until the legacy D2A form collections are formally migrated onto APRA Connect, every fund submitting through the interim arrangements is doing so without that safety net. The first sign of a problem will not come before submission. It will come when APRA responds with a data query or a resubmission request.
With September 2026 now the expected migration date for most superannuation collections, the window to get ahead of this is shorter than many funds were planning for.
Technical considerations for the migration.
Before migrating to APRA Connect, funds need to be aware of several technical differences from D2A.
Precision is no longer considered when performing validations. A very small negative number will fail the >=0 rule where it previously may not have.
Enumeration keys are enforced in APRA Connect and are case sensitive. Values must match taxonomy artefacts exactly. Refer to the Enumerations worksheet in the relevant taxonomy artefact for allowed values. Particular care should be taken with enumeration keys.
Submission templates: Always use the most recent templates provided by APRA for the return you are submitting and refer to the relevant taxonomy on the APRA website. APRA will reject submissions not in the expected format. Do not change worksheet names; include only the worksheet relevant to your entity's consolidation option. Rows or columns should not be added or removed from the templates.
The only exception to this is when ‘open tables’ are required to be entered. These can have any number of data rows not known in advance. In this case, you should add only as many rows as are required to complete the table, and should maintain the same number of blank rows spacing between tables and headings as were present in the empty template.
When you use Nuj, these considerations are built into the validation process. Your team works through them before lodgement, not after.
Click here to view APRA's Alternative Submission Arrangements page, it is updated continuously and should be your first reference point
The opt-out process.
An opt-out process is available for entities that cannot meet the new migration dates. APRA will issue reminder emails prior to due dates, and entities can respond to indicate which returns they wish to opt out of the changeover. If you do not opt out, returns will be allocated to your entity in APRA Connect from the relevant date. Opting out can only be done at a return level. If you opt out, you will still be required to lodge using the alternative submission process.
The deadline to opt out is typically a few days before the return is due. Plan your submission method early.
Your reporting obligations have not changed.
Submission deadlines, data requirements, and prudential standards remain in effect. The submission channel has changed; the obligations and quality expectations have not.
For all regulated entities, the accelerated timeline underlines one thing: the quality of your lodgement is as important as timely submission. Funds prepared upstream experience less stress during peak lodgement periods. That means arriving at APRA Connect with submissions that are complete, consistent across all related forms, and clear of the errors that generate resubmission requests.
Our perspective
Prudential reporting in Australia has always been dynamic. Timelines shift, collections are redesigned, and phases evolve. We have been immersed in APRA Connect since its early stages, across six years of SDT phases, taxonomy changes, and evolving submission requirements. When D2A went down, we had a plan within days. When the timeline moved again, we were ready.
Nuj now offers structured workflow and pre-lodgement validation for forms previously submitted on D2A, with validation coverage continuing to develop. Your data is checked for completeness, consistency, and accuracy across the areas we cover, with errors flagged and resolved before lodgement. When you are ready to submit, your file is correctly formatted and named for APRA Connect. And as APRA releases new guidance and updates its requirements, Nuj reflects those changes on the platform. Funds using Nuj can trust that what they are working on is current, without having to monitor every APRA communication themselves.
The path to APRA Connect does not have to be a gap. With Nuj, it isn't.
Update — 27 May 2026
A recording of the 21 May 2026 industry webinar and supporting slides is available here.
Following the webinar, APRA has circulated the following resources to support funds through the migration. These are updated continuously and should be your first reference point:
Alternative submission arrangements for D2A collections — includes ASP FAQs, Excel upload templates, and instructions
APRA Connect Support Material — includes APRA Connect FAQs, Excel upload templates, recordings and taxonomy files
Migration FAQs — updated as questions are received from entities
APRA is working through questions raised during the webinar and will update the Migration FAQs in the coming weeks.
Get in touch
Contact us if you need support team@nujsuper.com
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P.S. Spotted something in the news we should cover. Please let us know; we're always keen to hear what matters to you, email team@nujsuper.com
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