Single member SMSFs

4 December 2022

From 1 July 2021, the law was changed to allow for six-member SMSFs (up from five members). At the time of writing, the uptake has been slow so far with just 228 funds with six members. At the other end of the spectrum, it is permissible to have single member funds. The main advantage of doing so is that you have total control over your retirement savings, and the investment decisions in respect of those savings. However, there are some issues to be mindful of.

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Bridging the super gender gap

27 November 2022

Fresh statistics released by the ATO reveal that the superannuation gender cap is very real.

While the average super balance for a man is $161,834, for a woman it’s $129,506 – a massive 25% difference. This gender gap begins in peoples’ twenties, mostly caused by wage differences and time off for children, and by their early thirties it is already 20%. A man aged 30-to-34 has an average super balance of $48,603 and a woman $40,479, the ATO data shows. The compounding impact of this difference alone over time is significant.

There are at least three key strategies that can be implemented to help close this gap.

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Federal Budget

2 November 2022

Business and Individual Taxation

The confirmation of lucrative income tax cuts, and the scrapping of a tax offset for low and middle-income earners were the big-ticket items. That said, labor’s first federal Budget in nine years was as noteworthy for the changes it didn’t make as for those that it did. Unmentioned were current outstanding issues impacting the taxation of trusts, the long-awaited simplification of 7A, the future of business depreciation after this financial year and more.

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SMSF member obligations

16 October 2022

A recent Administrative Appeals Tribunal decision reminds us all that SMSF trustees (members) can be disqualified where serious breaches, be they advertent or inadvertent, of the super rules are committed.

One of the ways the ATO deal with non-compliance is by disqualifying an individual as a trustee (or director of a corporate trustee) of a self-managed super fund (SMSF). This can occur if the trustee does not comply with super laws or if the ATO believe a trustee is not a “fit and proper person” to continue managing their SMSF. Between 1 April 2022 and 30 June 2022, the ATO disqualified 80 trustees, resulting in a total of 252 disqualified trustees during the 2021-2022 financial year.

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Director identification numbers…time is running out

9 October 2022

All existing directors of a company, registered Australian body, registered foreign company, or a director of corporate trustees of an SMSF are required to apply for a director identification number (director ID) by 30 November 2022…so act now! If you are a director of an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander corporation (CATSI), you have an additional 12 months to apply to 30 November 2023.

To be clear, if you are currently a director, or plan to become one in the next 12 months, you’ll need a director ID.

Directors must apply for their director ID personally – we as your tax agent cannot apply on your behalf, but we can help you understand the new requirement, if you need to apply, and by when. Beat the rush and get your director ID online today.

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Scam myths

14 September 2022

In the past 12 months, the ATO has identified and taken action against 595 websites impersonating its online services. These fake sites are designed to steal passwords, personal information and identity documents, such as passports and driver licences.

Currently, the ATO is seeing many SMS and email scams leading to fake myGov sign-in pages –more than 360 of these scams have reported to the ATO since April 2022. However, there many different types of tax and super scams happening year-round, not just in the lead up to Tax Time.

Scammers are always looking for new ways to convince unsuspecting taxpayers into divulging personal information, such as bank details, usernames and passwords.

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Salary sacrificing to super

28 August 2022

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 writing to forgo part of your future entitlement to salary or wages in return for your employer providing you with benefits of a similar value, such as increased employer superannuation contributions.

Contributions made through a SSA into superannuation are made with pre-tax dollars and do not form part of your assessable income.

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Transitioning to retirement

28 August 2022

Thinking about easing into retirement and maintaining your lifestyle? The transition to retirement (TTR) strategy can help you achieve this and help you access some of your superannuation while you keep working.

How the TTR strategy works

If you’ve reached your preservation age (between 55 and 60) and are still working, setting up a TTR pension could provide you with greater financial flexibility by enabling you to withdraw up to 10% of your superannuation each financial year while continuing to work.

You can start a TTR pension by transferring some of your superannuation to an account-based pension (ABP), which is a regular income stream bought with money from your superannuation fund.

However, you should keep some money in your superannuation fund to continue to receive your employer’s compulsory superannuation guarantee (SG) contributions, or any other voluntary contributions you wish to make to your fund.

There are two main TTR strategies that can be used to help you:

  • Supplement your income if you reduce your work hours, or
  • Boost your superannuation and save on tax while you keep working full time.

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Switching home loans

9 August 2022

With interest rates increasing quite rapidly, homeowners are being encouraged to look around for a better deal on their home loan. ASIC has recently released some tips if you are doing so.

Ask your current lender for a better deal

Tell your current lender you are planning to switch to a cheaper loan offered by a different lender. To keep your business, your lender may reduce the interest rate on your current loan.

If you have at least 20% equity in your home, you’ll have more to bargain with. Having a good credit score will also help with negotiations.

Compare any loan they offer you with the other loans you’re considering switching to.

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GST Health Check

9 August 2022

Now that the financial year has come to a close, it’s good time to check all things GST.

Registration

If you are not already registered, you may over the coming period need to register for GST if:

  • your business or enterprise begins to have a GST turnover of $75,000 or more per year (gross income from all businesses minus GST)
  • your non-profit organisation begins to have a GST turnover of $150,000 or more.

Even if you are under these thresholds, it may be advantageous to register for GST if you typically end up in a GST refund position each tax period. By registering, this will enable you to claim the GST tax credits on certain purchases rather than missing out on those credits because you are not registered. Talk with us further if you are uncertain around this.

Conversely, if your turnover drops below these thresholds or you are contemplating ceasing business, you may deregister from GST. There are certain consequences that flow from deregistering which we can run through with you.

If you are not registered for GST and therefore cannot claim GST credits on business-related purchases, you can claim the GST as a tax deduction – though this is not as profitable as claiming the credit in full if you were GST-registered.

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