Boost your super
Boost your super covers how much your employer must pay into your superannuation fund, how much you can contribute, the tax-free bonus the Government gives you, contribution strategies and everything you need to know about making super contributions.

By Trish Power on February 27, 2010
Q: I am 53 years old. I do not contribute to super and I have never been a saver. I have just paid off my unit. My question is: I earn only $37,000 a year, so I have never had a highly paid job. Is it too late for me [...]
Categories: Boost your super, Retirement planning, Super basics | Related superannuation topics: Age Pension, Age Pension age, Calculators, Co-contributions, FIDO, Non-concessional contributions, Q&A, Retirement, SATO, Tax-free super, Westpac-ASFA retirement standard

By Trish Power on February 24, 2010
Q: Under the 2-year bring-forward of non-concessional contributions, if a person makes a contribution of $150,001 when age 64, he can continue to contribute the balance of the $450,000 anytime during the next 2 years without having to satisfying the work test, is that right?
The short answer is no, even [...]
Categories: Boost your super, Retirement planning | Related superannuation topics: Bring-forward rules, Contributions caps, Excess contributions tax, Non-concessional contributions, Over 65, Q&A, Work test

By Trish Power on February 24, 2010
This article is a must-read if you make contributions to a super fund, in addition to your employer’s compulsory Superannuation Guarantee contributions.
Hundreds of thousands of Australians who are making a serious effort to save for retirement are expected to receive a financial shock after the financial year ends in [...]
Categories: Boost your super, Super & tax, Super basics | Related superannuation topics: ATO, Concessional contributions, Contributions caps, Excess contributions tax, Excess contributions tax assessments, Non-concessional contributions, Salary sacrifice, Special circumstances, Superannuation guarantee (SG)

By Trish Power on February 23, 2010
Q: I am 41 years old and my partner is 56 years old. We have a very big mortgage as we are both the casualties of wealth destroying divorces and single parenthood! Thus we intend to pay off our mortgage before putting more into our superannuation which will therefore be after [...]
Categories: Boost your super, Retirement planning, Super basics | Related superannuation topics: Concessional contributions, Contributions caps, Non-concessional contributions, Q&A, Spouse contributions, Super contributions, Super for Beginners, Super splitting, Tax offset

By Trish Power on December 22, 2009
Q: Before commencement of salary sacrifice, my financial adviser told me to ask my boss if he would agree to pay the 9% on the full salary because, legally the employer only needs to contribute the 9% on the income I receive after the salary sacrifice. In short, my gross salary [...]
Categories: Boost your super | Related superannuation topics: Annual leave, ATO, Concessional contributions, Long service leave, Q&A, Salary sacrifice, Sick leave, Superannuation guarantee (SG)

By Trish Power on December 22, 2009
Here’s a suggestion: use this list as a kick-start for your super New Year resolutions. You may not keep all of your resolutions, but if you do just a handful of the tasks listed in the checklist below, you can strengthen the chances of a financially secure retirement.
If you do nothing [...]
Categories: Boost your super, Retirement planning

By Trish Power on December 21, 2009
Here’s a tip that can potentially save you thousands of dollars. Check that your super fund has your tax file number (TFN).
If you joined a super fund before July 2007, or started your current job before July 2007, then your fund may not have your TFN. Effective from 1 July [...]
Categories: Boost your super, Super & tax, Super basics | Related superannuation topics: Co-contributions, Concessional contributions, Non-concessional contributions, Tax file number

By Trish Power on December 18, 2009
Q: I have been made redundant and would like to know if any contribution in super is tax deductible while I’m unemployed even if I would find work in the next couple of weeks?
Categories: Boost your super, Super basics | Related superannuation topics: Concessional contributions, Contributions tax, Q&A, Super for Beginners, ‘Maximum earnings as an employee’

By Trish Power on December 17, 2009
Superannuation contributions can be divided into two types — concessional (before-tax) and non-concessional (after-tax). Each type of super contribution is subject to a contributions cap (see table below). A contributions cap sets a limit on the amount of contributions you can make in any one year. If you exceed the cap, your excess contributions are [...]
Categories: Boost your super, Super basics | Related superannuation topics: Bring-forward rules, Contributions caps, Excess contributions, Federal Budget 2009 changes, Salary sacrifice, Super contributions, Superannuation guarantee (SG), Tax deductions, Transition-to-retirement pensions (TRIPs)
By Trish Power on December 17, 2009
The Federal Government is giving away money to anyone who makes a non-concessional (after-tax) contribution to their super fund, and who earns less than $62,000 a year.
Changes to the co-contribution rules, effective from July 2009, mean that anyone considering taking advantage of the co-contribution scheme for the 2009/2010 year needs to dot their ‘i’s and [...]
Categories: Boost your super, Super basics | Related superannuation topics: Co-contribution income threshold, Co-contributions, Non-concessional contributions, Salary sacrifice, Super contributions, Tax file number, Tax-free super

By Trish Power on December 17, 2009
Non-concessional contributions are more popularly known as after-tax contributions. You may even hear them called ‘undeducted’ contributions. Such contributions are subject to a contributions cap, which sets a limit on the amount of after-tax contributions that you can make in one year (1 July through to 30 June). If you exceed the cap, your excess [...]
Categories: Boost your super, Super basics | Related superannuation topics: Contributions caps, Excess contributions, Penalty tax, Super contributions, Tax file number

By Trish Power on December 12, 2009
Q: I am attempting to work out when the 30% tax rate applies to both my wife and my own incomes for 2009/10 year. We are both 67 and operate a SMSF to which we can make concessional contributions, and I would like to reduce personal income to the point below [...]
Categories: Boost your super, Super & tax | Related superannuation topics: Income tax, Low income tax offset, Q&A, Self-managed super funds (SMSFs), Senior Australians Tax Offset (SATO), Super contributions
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