Budget 2018: living longer

The Government is introducing a series of new measures designed to help Australians keep a greater portion of their superannuation savings pie. Insurance opt-in Insurance within super may not be suitable for everyone, particularly young people and those with low balances. From 1 July 2019, insurance will be offered on an opt-in basis for members…

Staying ‘super’ compliant

Employers have a legal responsibility to pay eligible employees superannuation to provide for their retirement. And although most employers do the right thing, some do try to bend the rules which can see them facing hefty penalties. Employees are entitled to superannuation if they are paid $450 or more before tax in a calendar month,…

ATO alerts issued for unclaimed super

The Australian Tax Office (ATO) will be contacting 80,000 individuals, starting this week, to alert them of unclaimed super. An email campaign will alert members about ATO-held unclaimed super money from 5 April. On 16 April, 20,000 letters and SMS will be sent. The ATO currently holds unclaimed super money for around 5.38 million accounts,…

Non-arm’s length income from trusts and SMSFs

The ATO is reminding self-managed super funds (SMSFs) of the rules regarding non-arm’s length income from trusts. The non-arm’s length income rules can apply to investments, transactions and other arrangements undertaken by SMSFs when the terms of the relevant investment, transaction or arrangement are uncommercial in nature. If income is distributed from a discretionary to…

SMSFs and cryptocurrencies

Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies have become increasingly popular over the past few years. As many keen investors jump on board, the ATO is reminding SMSFs to be aware of the tax consequences. Cryptocurrencies are classified as capital gains tax (CGT) assets, therefore, upon their disposal they may be subject to capital gains tax (CGT). It…

Eligibility for the downsizer measure

As of 1 July 2018, the Government will introduce a new measure that allows the contribution of up to $300,000 of proceeds from downsizing a home to be added to superannuation. The new measure will benefit those aged 65 years and over, provided they meet certain eligibility rules including: The amount you are contributing is…