Taking benefits before the age of 60

When you retire early, you’re going to have to make a few decisions. The tax implications of your retiring before the age of 60 can depend on whether you take your super as a lump sum and/or income stream.

Are you taking your super as a lump sum, an income stream or a combination of both?

Lump sum only

You pay your concessional rate of tax and leave the super system when you take all of your super as a lump sum.

Super benefits can be made up of two components – tax-free and taxable. If you receive a superannuation lump sum on or after the age of 55 (but before the age of 60), you can take advantage of the low-rate cap, an indexed lifetime limit that applies to your taxable component. You can receive up to $150,000 (for the 2009/2010 year) of your taxable component tax-free, provided your component is a taxed element.

If you retire on or after the age of 55, you can receive up to $150,000 (for the 2009/2010 year) of your taxable component tax-free. The $150,000 low-rate cap is in addition to any tax-free component making up your super benefit. If your superannuation lump sum includes a tax-free component, you also receive that part of the benefit tax-free.

Note: Note that the single low-rate cap applies to all benefits received over your lifetime, rather than a fresh limit applicable for each benefit payment. If you have withdrawn super benefits in the past, you may have used up some, or all, of your low-rate cap of $150,000 (for the 2009/2010 year), which means you may have to pay tax on the taxable component when you take additional lump sums.

Income stream only

By putting the right structure in place and choosing an appropriate income stream, you can avoid paying tax altogether. Further, any earnings on assets used to finance your income stream are tax-free.

Lump sum and income stream

You can have the best of both worlds. You may receive tax-free lump sums from your benefit’s taxable component, totalling up to $150,000 (for the 2009/2010 year). You can receive even more super as a tax-free lump sum, if your benefit includes a tax-free component.

You can also start an income stream before the age of 60 (subject to satisfying the payment rules), which enables you to access a tax rebate on your pension income (assuming you’re aged 55 or over).

Note for public servants: If you are, or were, a long-term public servant, you may receive all or part of your super as an ‘untaxed benefit’. An untaxed benefit is a benefit that hasn’t been subject to contributions tax or earnings tax, while a ‘taxed benefit’ has been subject to contributions and earnings tax. Some public sector superannuation schemes (now closed to new members) haven’t paid these taxes on employer contributions that are in excess of Superannuation Guarantee contribution requirements. This is because the additional employer contributions aren’t paid by the Federal Government until the benefit is payable. Untaxed benefits paid from such schemes are then hit with a higher tax to recoup the super taxes when the Government finally hands over the cash. If you belong to an ‘untaxed’ super scheme, then check with your super fund about your entitlements.