Now that we into our fifth financial year of a higher Superannuation Guarantee rate of 9.5%, you can expect some difficult conversations to continue between employers and employees as more salaried employees discover that the Superannuation Guarantee (SG) increase of 0.25%, which took the SG rate to 9.5%, does not ... Read more
Do I need to pay super for my 16-year-old employee?
I am a small business owner who currently employs a 16-year-old employee. She works a minimum of 20 hours per week and her gross income exceeds $450 per calendar month. Am I required to pay her superannuation? You will need to verify your SG responsibilities with the ATO (on 13 10 20) but the general rule is: if an ... Read more
Tax-deductible super contributions: Claim no more than your income
Q: If I make a personal concessional payment of $25,000 (tax-deductible) into my super fund and my personal taxable income for 2018/2019 is $20,000, are there possible tax penalties because I’m claiming $5,000 more than my taxable income? I suggest you chat to a registered tax agent, typically an accountant to ... Read more
Does changing to part-time at 60 years, count as ‘retiring’?
Q: I am 60. I am interested in the condition of release relating to turning 60 and resigning. Is it sufficient to satisfy the ’turning 60 and resign’ condition of release by changing my employment arrangement from full-time to part-time, with the same employer? A: Most super benefits are preserved until retirement, ... Read more
Making super contributions: Aged 65 years or older
Q: From reading SuperGuide articles, I can see that since July 2017, there is no longer a special contributions cap for people between 50 and 74 years, but a general concessional contribution cap of $25,000 a year for all age groups. I can also see that for non-concessional contributions, the cap is now $100,000. Is ... Read more
Concessional contributions: What form do I use to claim a tax deduction?
Q: I want to make a tax-deductible super contribution to my super fund, in this case, an SMSF, although I also have a super account with an industry fund. I am trying to find the official form for claiming this type of deduction. Could you lead me to a link where I could find a generic S290-170 notice of intent to ... Read more
Over-65s work test: How does it operate?
Does 40 hours in any 30-day period include weekends or is it 6 x 5-day weeks? I read in a bank’s booklet on superannuation that it must be “at least 40 hours in a period of not more than 30 consecutive days during the financial year ….”. This seems to imply working beyond 30 days is not permitted. Is there a maximum ... Read more
Does shift work count for SG entitlements and income protection insurance?
Q: I’m a shift worker and have a question about whether my ‘Super fund salary’ figure which my employer gives to my super fund should include both my base and shift loading salary. At the moment it only includes my base even though my employer does pay super for both my base and shift loading. What I’m concerned about ... Read more
Employees can now make tax-deductible super contributions
As an employee, the general rule when making super contributions is, you can take advantage of the concessional (before-tax) contributions rules by salary sacrificing, or by making tax-deductible super contributions. If you’re self-employed, you can take advantage of the concessional contributions rules by making ... Read more
Superannuation Guarantee: What hours does my employer have to pay super on?
Q: I am trying to find out on what hours my employer has to pay super. I get paid per hour plus over time, but it is a set roster of 12 hours per shift. Doing less is not optional so to me they are ordinary hours, not overtime, or is this a loophole for employers? Can you direct me to find out about this? Generally ... Read more
Fund choice: Can my employer insist I join the super fund they use?
Q: I am about to start a new position. I am 67 years old and have an SMSF. My new employer has said I must join the super fund they use and cannot use my SMSF as they have too many employees. It was my understanding I could have the Superannuation Guarantee paid to the super fund of my choice. Would you kindly let me ... Read more
Salary sacrificing will not increase co-contribution entitlement
Q: I understand salary-sacrificed super contributions must be added back in to assessable income for co-contribution purposes. Do you know anything about this? Yes, your understanding is correct. Salary sacrificed contributions count towards the co-contribution income test, and this has been the case for quite a few ... Read more
