Top 10 tips to be ‘super’ ready for EOFY

With end-of-financial-year around the corner – it is time to review your superannuation and take advantage of planning opportunities.

The below list will guide you through the key issues you need to consider to ensure you are ‘super’ ready by June 30.

1. Maximise tax-deductible contributions (concessional contributions)

Making tax-deductible contributions can be a tax-effective way to build your superannuation. The concessional cap for the 2020 financial year is $25,000.

Concessional contributions include:

your employer’s superannuation contribution (the compulsory 9.5%);
any salary sacrificed contributions; and
any personal contributions you claim as a tax deduction.

Ensure these are all taken into account when determining how much space you have left in your concessional cap.

Double-check your salary sacrifice arrangement’s timing so you know when your fund will receive amounts yet to be paid. Note, contributions are deemed to be made in the year the fund receives and processes them. Finally, check that your fund did not receive any of last financial year’s contributions in this financial year.

2. Consider a “catch up” concessional contribution

The 2020 financial year will be the first year where you can make an extra tax-deductible contribution if you haven’t utilised your concessional cap in the 2019 financial year, and you had less than $500,000 in super as at 1 July 2019.

This might be useful if you pay income tax at more than 32.5% and are wanting to build your super. This case study provides more detail on how this approach can work.

TIP: Do your sums carefully to make sure you accurately calculate your unused cap balances!

3. Personal super contributions

Most people (employees or self-employed) can make contributions to their super fund and claim a tax deduction in the current financial year.

To do this, you need to allow enough time to ensure your superannuation fund’s bank account has deposited and cleared the contribution by 30 June.

Important points to consider:

To claim a tax deduction – you will need to complete and lodge a Notice of Intent to Claim the Deduction and have this notice acknowledged (in writing) before the date you lodge your tax return, or the lodgement deadline date – whichever is earlier. The accepted ATO form is here. If the paperwork is not completed, you cannot claim the deduction!
If your income has dropped during the year, and you have already completed the paperwork to make a personal contribution, you can normally vary it before the due dates by completing the variation section in the ATO form.
Make sure your personal superannuation contributions don’t create a tax loss, as you will be unable to claim the deduction as a concessional contribution.
If you are aged between 65 and 75, you must have passed the work test to be able to contribute to super. The work test is met by working a minimum of 40 hours paid employment in a 30-day consecutive period during the financial year.

4. Consider after-tax (non-concessional) contributions

The general non-concessional cap (NCC) for the 2020 financial year is $100,000. Eligibility to utilise the cap can depend on your total superannuation balance (TSB). Details regarding TSB thresholds are below.

Members aged over 65 will need to meet the work test to make an NCC. The work test is met by working a minimum of 40 hours paid employment in a 30-day consecutive period during the financial year. (Note: laws to extend the age to 67 before the work test becomes relevant have been proposed – however at the time of writing, this is not in place for the 2020 financial year.)

If you are under 65 years of age at any time in the 2020 financial year, you may be able to bring forward three years of NCC, depending on your TSB. This enables up to $300,000 of NCC to be made in one year.

The bring-forward rule is automatically triggered if you make an NCC of more than $100,000 in one year. The total NCCs for the current year and for the next two years must be within the contribution cap of $300,000 total.

5. Downsizer contributions

On 1 July 2018, a new type of personal contribution became available. It enables eligible members to contribute up to $300,000 to superannuation from the sale of their family home. This is regardless of TSB.

Members must be 65 years or older at the time of contribution and have owned the home for a minimum of ten years. The contract for the sale of the home must be after 1 July 2018. Furthermore, the proceeds need to be contributed to superannuation within 90 days of settlement.

This personal contribution will not impact concessional or NCC caps and is a once-only opportunity per member.

Note, the home does not have to be your family home at the time of sale. Also, it does not have to have been the family home for the entire ten years – increasing the pool of properties that may be eligible for the contribution.

6. Spouse contribution

If your spouse earns less than $40,000 and you make an NCC superannuation contribution for them, you may be able to receive a tax offset of up to $540, depending on your spouse’s TSB.

7. Split your concessional contributions with your spouse

You can allocate up to 85% of your 2019 FY concessional contributions before 30 June to your spouse’s super if your spouse hasn’t met retirement age. This is an effective way of building super for your spouse and managing your TSB, which is relevant for the strategies outlined below.

You will need to check with your fund that it offers contribution splitting and find out their process. It usually involves an election to enable one split per financial year using the ATO form.

8. Co-contributions

Do you meet the relevant work tests, are under 71 years of age, have less than $1.6M in super, and earn less than $53,564?

If so, it is also worth considering if you can take advantage of the Government super co-contribution.

The co-contribution is a contribution to your superannuation fund from the government matching after-tax contributions made by a member at up to 50% with an upper government contribution limit of $500.

9. Condition of release

If you have met a condition of release during the year, consider whether commencing a pension could be beneficial. A condition of release includes reaching:

65 years of age;
60 years of age and retiring from a position of gainful employment;
57 years of aged and retiring from gainful employment with the intention of working no more than 10 hours per week in the future.

Note: there are also some rules that allow access for financial, health or compassionate grounds.

10. Drawing superannuation pensions

If you are in pension/retirement phase, you need to ensure the minimum pension has been paid to you in cash for this financial year.

As a response to COVID-19 the government announced temporary reduction to the minimum draw down rates by 50%. Contact your fund ensure you have taken at least your new minimum.

Total Superannuation Balance (TSB) key thresholds

Many superannuation contribution strategies depend on your Total Superannuation Balance (TSB) at 30 June of the previous year.

Your TSB is a total of ALL superannuation balances held in ALL your superannuation funds.

Some of the key thresholds are:

Edit
THRESHOLD	WHO IS IMPACTED
$300,000	From the 2020 financial year, members aged 65 on 1 July 2019 can continue to make personal concessional contributions for one year without meeting the work test if their TSB is below $300,000.
$500,000	Members can make catch up contributions if they haven’t fully utilised their personal concessional caps in prior years while their TSB is less than $500,000. The first year catch up contributions can be made is in the 2020 financial year.
$1,000,000	If any member of an SMSF has a balance in excess of this, the fund is required to prepare a Transfer Balance Account Report (TBAR) quarterly where an event that affects the TBC occurs for any member of the SMSF during that quarter.
$1,400,000	Having a balance below this threshold allows a member (under 65 as at 1 July each year) to apply the three year bring forward rule for NCC.
$1,500,000	Having a balance below this threshold allows a member (under 65 as at 1 July each year) to apply the two year bring forward rule for NCC.
$1,600,000	Having a balance below this threshold allows a member to make up to $100,000 NCCs. At or above a balance of $1.6M, members are no longer eligible to make NCC, claim spouse contributions or be eligible for government co-contributions.

Need help? Contact your Bentleys advisor – we’re here to help you get where you want to be.