We receive many questions from readers about investing in property using superannuation money. Questions range from: ‘Can I withdraw my super to buy a house to live in?’, right through to ‘How can I use my super fund to borrow money to invest in property?’.For the convenience of our 2.5 million-plus readers, we ... Read more
Making superannuation contributions
Superannuation contributions (including personal contributions and employer contributions) are a cash amount, or in some cases an asset, that is contributed to a complying superannuation fund, on behalf of an individual under the age of 75.
Super contributions and earnings on those contributions are the key to accumulating a substantial retirement nest egg. Find out how you can make concessional (before-tax) contributions, non-concessional (after-tax) contributions, receive co-contributions and more. As a starting point you may want to consider reading the following SuperGuide articles:
Set out below are all SuperGuide articles referring to Making superannuation contributions.
SMSF basics: Can my DIY super fund buy my residential investment property?
Q: I own a residential unit as an investment property as a personal investment. I would like to keep this unit as long as possible. The unit is a safe income stream and a safe haven against market uncertainty. However, if I have to sell it later, I won’t be able to put the money into my SMSF because of the work test ... Read more
Australia not ready for Age Pension age of 70 years
The capacity of developed nations around the world to provide a decent taxpayer-funded old Age Pension is being tested constantly with increasing life expectancies, escalating health costs, mind-boggling energy costs, and in many cases, shrinking populations.Although Australia is fortunate (in economic terms) to ... Read more
Retirementgate: Government’s Age Pension debacle hits middle Australia
In the past few months, SuperGuide, with the assistance of advocacy group Save Our Super, has reported on the ridiculous state of affairs now facing existing and future retirees. The January 2017 Age Pension changes, namely the harsh regressive effect of the Age Pension assets test, have made it financially more ... Read more
Guest contributor: Retirees lose savings due to 2017 Age Pension changes
Note: During the past few months, with the assistance of advocacy group Save Our Super (and using financial modelling provided by Sean Corbett), SuperGuide has highlighted the inequities and disincentives created by the January 2017 changes to the Age Pension assets test. SuperGuide has named this policy debacle, ... Read more
Same-sex couples: your super rights explained
Yet again, the government of the day has dithered on changing the legislation to allow same-sex couples to marry, notwithstanding most polls indicate that the majority of Australians support this basic human right for same-sex couples. The country will participate in a non-compulsory and non-binding survey run by the ... Read more
Super opportunity: Catch-up concessional contributions from July 2018
Any Australian considering making super contributions since July 2017 needs to be mindful that the annual concessional (before-tax) contributions cap is much lower than previous financial years. Since 1 July 2017, the annual concessional contributions cap has dropped to $25,000, which is a lot lower than the current ... Read more
Tax-deductible super contributions: Timing start of pension is essential
Q: I put money into my SMSF in June 2017 from a capital gain. I wasn’t able to tell the fund at that time what it was because my accountant hadn’t completed the figures so that notice was sent to them in August 2017. As I understood the rules, so long as the money was in the fund at June 2017, I could then withdraw any ... Read more
Tax-deductible super contributions: No longer need to meet 10% income test
Q: I work for myself but I also have a part-time job. I have been told that even though I receive SG from my part-time employer, I can also make tax-deductible super contributions. Is that true? And if it is true, how does it work?All Australians are eligible to make tax-deductible super contributions. A ... 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, a 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
Employees can now make tax-deductible super contributions (since July 2017)
Note: The option for employees to make tax-deductible super contributions became law on 29 November 2016, and took effect from 1 July 2017.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 ... Read more
Who can make tax-deductible super contributions?
Note: Since 1 July 2017, all eligible Australians under the age of 75 can claim tax deductions for personal super contributions, subject to the annual concessional contributions cap. Such a measure can assist Australians who may be partly self-employed and partly employed, or individuals who work for employers who ... Read more
