Under the superannuation downsizer scheme, people aged 65 and older can make a non-concessional (post-tax) contribution of up to $300,000 from the proceeds of selling what was once their family home. Downsizing enables more effective use of housing stock, and existing contribution caps and restrictions will not apply to the downsizer contribution. The scheme applies...

When commencing any self managed superannuation fund (SMSF), there is one over-riding expectation that newby trustees should come back to again and again — that their fund must meet the sole-purpose test. This is not only to maintain access to the various tax concessions available, but to avoid possible civil or even criminal penalties. This...

read the PDF version Here: The Treasurer Josh Frydenberg’s first budget has lots of goodies with few “baddies”. This was to be expected with the next federal election only weeks away and the Coalition Government trying to make up ground in the polls. The Treasurer’s “wow” factor was a return to a budget surplus of $7.1...

You may or may not subscribe to the belief that Australia faces a change of government in the near future. The arguments for and against and the volume of discussions held over the barbecue are likely to ramp-up in the time between now and the next federal election, which must be held before the end...

Under the regulations, self-managed super funds (SMSFs) are not prohibited from carrying on a business, however the business must be: allowed under the SMSF’s trust deed, and operated for the sole purpose of providing retirement benefits for fund members. Note however that the rules governing SMSFs prohibit or limit some activities available to other businesses,...

The question of how much a person needs to have saved before confidently launching into their retirement years very much requires an individual answer. The more the better may seem to be an obvious response, but then again each one of us lucky enough to reach the brink of those golden years will feel a...

An “integrity” measure, which aimed to stop SMSF trustees from manipulating their total superannuation balance in order to keep below the $1.6 million threshold, may have the unintended outcome of reducing the appeal of LRBAs. Legislated changes to limited recourse borrowing arrangements (LRBAs) in regard to calculating an SMSF member’s total superannuation balance (TSB) amends...

A recent change to the rules around superannuation means that more Australians may be eligible to claim a tax deduction for putting money into super. Before June 30, 2017, if more than 10% of your income was sourced from salary or wages from an employer, you were rendered ineligible to claim any tax deduction for...

When calculating a super benefit, it is necessary to identify and determine the value of the various components that make up the benefit. The law around superannuation dictates that the tax-free component and taxable components of a member’s payment must be paid in the same proportion as the tax-free and taxable components of the member’s...

Whether or not the trustee of a complying superannuation fund can accept member contributions for those aged between 65 and 75 depends on the member satisfying the “work test”. The work test requires a member to have been gainfully employed for at least 40 hours in a period of not more than 30 consecutive days...