If you're ready to tap into your superannuation, and aiming to maintain your super balance by living off the passive income it can provide, then you've come to the right place.
Below we'll look at three quality S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) dividend stocks I'd buy today to form the bedrock of a $4,000 monthly passive income portfolio.
And we'll see how much superannuation you'd need to invest in these ASX shares to earn that income without drawing down your super balance over time.
Do be aware that a properly diversified passive income portfolio will hold more than just three ASX dividend stocks. There's no magic number. But somewhere in the range of 10 to 15 is a decent ballpark figure.
Ideally these companies will operate across a range of sectors and locations. This will reduce the risk of your passive income stream taking a big hit if a single sector or company runs into a rough patch.
With that said…
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Three ASX 200 income shares to buy
The first stock I'd buy with my superannuation for $4,000 a month in retirement income is Ampol Ltd (ASX: ALD).
Ampol just reported its half-year (H1 2026) results on Monday. The Aussie fuel supplier swung from a $25 million loss in H1 2025 to a statutory net profit after tax (NPAT) of $1.36 billion this year.
With profits surging, Ampol declared a fully franked interim dividend of $1.85 per share. If you want to bank that payout, you'll need to own shares at market close on 3 September.
Now, if we add in the 60 cents per share final dividend, Ampol has paid, or shortly will, pay $2.45 a share in dividends over 12 months. At the recent Ampol share price of $41.46, this ASX 200 stock trades on a fully franked 5.9% dividend yield.
The second ASX 200 stock I'd target for passive income in retirement is Bendigo and Adelaide Bank Ltd (ASX: BEN).
Bendigo Bank paid a fully franked interim dividend of 30 cents per share and on Monday declared a final dividend of 30 cents per share. To bank that passive income, you'll need to own Bendigo Bank shares at market close on 31 August.
At the recent share price of $10.58, Bendigo Bank shares trade on a 5.7% dividend yield.
And the third ASX dividend share I'd buy with my superannuation for reliable passive income is Telstra Group Ltd (ASX: TLS).
Telstra paid an interim dividend of 10.5 cents per share and will shortly pay a final dividend of 10.5 cents per share, both franked at 90%. If you want to grab the final dividend, you'll need to own shares at market close today.
At the recent Telstra share price of $4.70, the ASX 200 telco trades on a dividend yield of 4.5%.
Which brings us back to our headline question.
How much superannuation do I need for a $4,000 monthly passive income?
Based on the recent yields, and assuming you invest the same amount in each stock, you could expect to earn an average yield of 5.4%.
So, for $4,000 a month – or $48,000 a year – in passive income, you'd need $888,889 in superannuation today in order not to draw down that super balance over time.
