Do You Need To Pay Superannuation? If you run a business, then the difference between engaging an employee and an independent contractor is a crucial matter – because if you engage a contractor there will be no obligation to pay annual leave or sick leave, and generally, no obligation to pay superannuation. However, crucially, many...

If you are approaching retirement, you may have heard that some APRA regulated super funds pay a “retirement bonus” or “pension bonus” when you move your super into a retirement phase pension. It is money added to your account reflecting a provision of tax set aside on future capital gains.  Where does the money come...

Since 10 August 2026, SMSFs can no longer use a Limited Recourse Borrowing Arrangement (LRBA) to acquire residential property. Existing arrangements are grandfathered, and borrowing to acquire business real property is not affected. Co-ownership may be a solution for SMSFs without enough cash to purchase a property outright. However, keep in mind the rules are...

Are you an employee thinking of putting some of your pre-tax income into superannuation to boost your retirement savings? This is known as salary sacrifice, and the good news is that it can benefit you and your employer. What is salary sacrifice? An effective salary sacrifice agreement (SSA) involves you as an employee, agreeing in...

Have you ever wondered how much superannuation you will have and need in retirement? The answer is it depends on a range of factors, such as your lifestyle goals, whether you have paid off your mortgage, your financial situation, whether you live a relatively healthy lifestyle, your likely life expectancy, and so on. How much...

With a new tax on large super balances many people are asking where the best place is to grow wealth for retirement. The answer for many people is that super remains a great place to grow wealth. In fact, super may now be more attractive than ever before. The change that affects super From 1...

Self-managed super funds are generally not allowed to borrow money. A limited recourse borrowing arrangement, or LRBA, is one of the few exceptions. It lets a fund borrow to buy a single asset, with the lender’s rights limited to that asset alone. If the loan goes bad, the lender can take the asset but cannot...

If bankruptcy is on the horizon, one of the first questions people ask is what happens to their super. The answer turns on timing, the type of contribution, and how you draw on the fund. The general rule Money sitting in a regulated super fund is protected from your bankruptcy trustee. Creditors cannot touch it,...

If you’re setting up a self-managed super fund (SMSF), or already have one, one of the most important decisions you’ll make is who acts as trustee. The fund can either have individual trustees (the members themselves) or a corporate trustee (a company, with the members as its directors). Many SMSFs now use a corporate trustee...

As an SMSF trustee, you’re responsible for making sure your fund complies with superannuation laws. One of the most important rules is simple: your super must be preserved until you meet a condition of release. Accessing your super too early might seem tempting in tough times, but doing so can be illegal and carry serious...