How myGov can help you track your super

22nd June 2024

Keeping track of your superannuation balance is key as it impacts how much you can contribute to superannuation and whether you are entitled to other superannuation concessions and measures.

Introduction

Your total superannuation balance (TSB) is an important concept as it impacts your eligibility for up to six favourable superannuation-related measures, including the:

  • Bring forward non-concessional contribution (NCC) cap
  • Carry forward concessional contributions
  • Superannuation spouse tax offset
  • Government co-contribution, and more.

In a nutshell, your TSB includes:

  • Your superannuation accumulation account balance(s)
  • Your superannuation pension account(s), and
  • The outstanding limited recourse borrowing arrangement amount in your SMSF that you entered into from 1 July 2018 (in certain circumstances).

Your TSB for the current year is measured on 30 June of the previous financial year (ie, 30 June 2023) when determining your eligibility to make or receive certain types of superannuation contributions.

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Don’t lose your super to scammers

1st June 2024

Don’t be another victim – be on the lookout for scammers who call you about your superannuation!

ASIC on the lookout

The number of cold callers is on the rise. The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) are urging people to hang up on cold callers and scroll past social media click bait that may be offering to help you compare and switch superannuation funds.

How cold callers operate

In many cases, cold callers will convince you to buy a product or sign up to a service. This could relate to any financial investment, product or service, but there has been a focus on scammers approaching people about their superannuation.

A typical superannuation cold calling experience includes:

  • A call from someone you don’t know to see if you ‘qualify’ for a free review of your superannuation.
  • Contact from a cold caller who convinces you your existing superannuation fund is not performing.
  • A statement of advice (SOA) prepared by a financial advice firm the cold caller has an existing arrangement with.
  • ‘Cookie cutter’ advice that is expensive, often unnecessary, doesn’t consider your individual needs, and may leave you in a worse position.

The cold caller may benefit by getting a cut of the financial advice fees, which are deducted from your superannuation balance. In the end, you could end up paying for advice that may not even be right for you.

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Six super strategies to consider before 30 June

5th May 2024

With the end of financial year fast approaching, now is a great time to boost your superannuation savings and potentially save on tax. Below are six superannuation strategies to consider before 30 June 2024.

Tip 1 – Use the carry forward concessional contribution rules

If you want to make up for lost time and make extra contributions to top up your superannuation, you may be able to use the carry forward concessional contribution (CC) rules (otherwise known as “catch-up concessional” rules) to make large CCs this year without exceeding your CC cap.

This strategy can allow you to carry forward any unused CC cap amounts that have accrued since 2018/19 for up to five financial years and use them to make CCs in excess of the general annual CC cap (currently $27,500 in 2023/24).

You can then make a CC using the unused carry forward amounts this financial year provided your total superannuation balance (TSB) at 30 June 2023 was below $500,000.

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The taxation of super death benefits

17 April 2024

Wondering if your beneficiaries will pay tax on your superannuation death benefits? The answer is it depends on a number of important factors.

Most people will have heard of Benjamin Franklin’s quote “in this world, nothing is certain except death and taxes”. He raises a valid point as the tax office will be ready to take their share of your death benefits when the time comes.

With that in mind, it is important to understand the tax rules that govern superannuation death benefits so you can ensure your benefits are distributed to your beneficiaries in the most tax-effective manner possible.

This article briefly summarises the three key factors that will determine whether your superannuation death benefits will be taxed when distributed to your beneficiaries.

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Super contribution caps to increase on 1 July 2024

20 March 2024

For the first time in three years, the superannuation contributions are set to increase from 1 July 2024.

Contribution caps to increase

Due to indexation, the contribution caps will increase on 1 July 2024 as follows:

  • Concessional contributions cap – from $27,000 to $30,000
  • Non-concessional contributions cap – from $110,000 to $120,000
  • The maximum non-concessional contributions cap under the bring forward rules – from $330,000 to $360,000

What are concessional contributions?

Concessional contributions (CC) are before-tax contributions and are generally taxed at 15%. This is the most common type of contribution individuals receive as it includes superannuation guarantee (SG) payments your employer makes into your fund on your behalf. Other types of CCs include salary sacrifice contributions and tax-deductible personal contributions.

The government sets limits on how much money you can add to your superannuation each year. Currently, the annual CC cap is $27,500 in 2023/24.

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Stage 3 tax cuts – a tax saving opportunity?

3 March 2024

Legislation giving effect to the government’s revised settings for the Stage 3 tax cuts has been passed by both houses of Parliament with the support of the Coalition.

The stage 3 tax cut changes:

  • Reduce the 19% tax rate to 16% for incomes between $18,200 and $45,000.
  • Reduce the 32.5% tax rate to 30% for incomes between $45,000 and the new $135,000 threshold.
  • Increase the threshold at which the 37% tax rate applies from $120,000 to $135,000.
  • Increase the threshold at which the 45% tax rate applies from $180,000 to $190,000.

A permanent tax saving

Many taxpayers and their advisers focus on timing issues around year-end by deferring income and bringing forward deductions. Legitimate steps can be taken to shift taxable income from one year to the next and most people would prefer to pay tax next year rather than this year. However, any benefit gained reverses in the following year when you have to do it all again just to stand still. It’s a lot of effort for a once off timing advantage.

The difference with the 1 July 2024 tax rate changes is that reducing your taxable income in 2023-24 and increasing it in 2024-25 (where it is taxed at a lower rate) produces a permanent saving over the two-year period – a saving you get to keep. That may make such timing issues worth another look.

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Qualifying as an interdependent or financial dependant

24 February 2024

A question that often gets asked when dealing with death benefit nominations is whether a person will qualify under the interdependency or financial dependency definitions. This is an important consideration as meeting the dependency criteria will enable potential beneficiaries to qualify as a dependant and therefore allow them to receive a death benefit.

Interdependency relationship

Put simply, an interdependency relationship exists between two people if all of the following conditions are met:

  1. They have a close personal relationship
  2. They live together
  3. One or both provides the other with financial support
  4. One or both provides the other with domestic support and personal care.

However, if two people satisfy the close personal relationship requirement but cannot satisfy the other three requirements, they can still satisfy the interdependency relationship if:

  • Either or both of them suffer from a physical, intellectual or psychiatric disability, or
  • They are temporarily living apart (eg, overseas or in gaol).

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Who can I nominate as my super beneficiary?

24 February 2024

Your superannuation death benefits must be paid to someone when you die. That somebody will usually be your estate or your nominated beneficiary (also known as your dependants).

Paying death benefits to your estate

Unlike other assets such as shares and property, your superannuation and any insurance benefits you have in superannuation do not form part of your estate. That’s because your superannuation is not held by you personally, rather it is held in trust for you by the trustee of your superannuation fund.

However, you can direct your superannuation death benefit to your estate by nominating your “legal personal representative” (LPR), who will usually be the executor of your estate.

If you nominate your estate or LPR, you must also specify in your Will who you want to distribute your superannuation money to. This can include eligible beneficiaries (see below) as well as anyone else you wish to leave your death benefits to.

As such, it’s important that the directions stated in your Will are up to date so your LPR pays out your death benefits (as well as your other estate assets) as per your wishes.

Paying death benefits to a beneficiary/dependant

If you want your superannuation death benefits to be paid to a person, that person must be a “dependant” for superannuation purposes.

The meaning of dependant is important as it determines who can receive a death benefit, whether the death benefit will be taxed and what form your death benefit can be paid out (ie, lump sum, income stream, etc). In particular, superannuation law determines who can receive your superannuation directly from your superannuation fund without having to go through your estate. These people are your superannuation dependants. Tax law on the other hand determines who pays tax on your superannuation death benefit. These people are considered tax dependants.

The following table summarises the difference between:

  • A superannuation dependant and tax law dependant, and
  • The types of death benefit that can be paid to each category of dependants.

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Gifting and the age pension

11 February 2024

Many people gift assets to their family or friends to give them a helping hand. However, care must be taken to ensure any gifting does not impact your current or future social security entitlements, such as the age pension.

What are the gifting rules?

For Centrelink purposes, gifting refers to selling or transferring income or assets for less than it’s worth or without receiving anything in return. If you receive adequate compensation, such as payment for an asset to the same value, it is not considered a gift.

Gifting limits

Although you can gift as much income or assets as you like, Centrelink imposes gifting limits to discourage retirees from giving away their wealth to qualify for more age pension income.

The gifting rules allow you to gift up to $10,000 each financial year or a maximum $30,000 over five financial years without this impacting your entitlement to government benefits.

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