SMSF trustees are legally obliged to ensure their fund’s compliance with superannuation legislation in Australia. The ATO imposes a range of penalties for non-compliance, depending on the seriousness of the breach.
SMSFs: What to do if you get a breach notification from the ATO
Working with the ATO might be the best course of action if your SMSF receives a breach notice.
What laws do SMSFs need to adhere to?
SMSF trustees have a lot of laws they need to be aware of if they don’t want to cop a thousand-dollar fine. Here, we go over the main Acts that mention superannuation and SMSFs.
The arm’s length rule for SMSFs
The concept of ‘arm’s length’ is familiar to businesses the world over. To ensure business transactions are conducted at commercial market values buyers and sellers must act independently, without colluding and without one party influencing the other. So how does this concept apply to your SMSF?
What are the penalties for SMSF non-compliance?
It’s a rare person who enjoys paperwork. But for trustees of a self-managed super fund, it’s a necessary evil. Find out what penalties apply if your fund isn’t set up and managed to comply with superannuation and taxation legislation.
How do the ipso facto rules apply to SMSFs?
Australia’s ipso facto laws have changed. This has relevance for self-managed super fund (SMSF) trustees. In simple terms, the ipso facto provisions relate to what happens when one of the parties that are signatory to a contract goes into administration or similar.
SMSFs: 3 year audits policy will add complexity and not benefit trustees
As an SMSF trustee, Dr Bonham is deeply concerned about the proposed changes to the SMSF audit rules, and the ongoing instability for retirees and future retirees.
SMSFs: What are the consequences of the 3 yearly audits policy?
After the initial shock has worn off, and now that Treasury has released a discussion paper outlining the proposed three-year audit cycle for SMSFs, it is time to consider how the proposed measures (if adopted) will be rolled out, and how these measures will affect both the SMSF sector and the obligations of SMSF trustees.
SMSFs: 3 year audits policy undermines integrity of the system
It came as quite a shock to many in the industry that the federal government announced a proposal to amend the annual audit requirement for SMSFs. SMSFs (like all superannuation vehicles) are presently required to be audited each year by an ASIC-approved SMSF auditor.
