The Australian Government has announced the closure of the ATO’s Small Business Superannuation Clearing House (SBSCH) as part of the introduction of “payday super” reforms. If your business currently uses the SBSCH to make superannuation contributions, it is important to be aware of the upcoming changes and plan for a smooth transition. Key Dates Why […]
You may have seen alarming claims online about big changes to superannuation coming in from 1 June 2025. Don’t panic—the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) has confirmed that these rumours are false. What’s Being Said—And What’s Actually True Misinformation is spreading across websites and social media, including claims that: None of this is true. There are […]
The ATO has recently confirmed that collection of business debts – including debts relating to superannuation guarantee (SG), pay as you go (PAYG) withholding and GST – is among its key focus areas. This is a timely reminder for all businesses to ensure they’re meeting their obligations. The most recent ATO statistics show that although […]
The government has announced that from 1 July 2026, employers will be required to pay their employees’ super at the same time as their salary and wages (ie payday super). The three-year lead time is to give businesses, super funds, payroll providers and other parts of the superannuation system sufficient time to prepare for the […]
The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) has released results of its recent review on improving arrangements for life insurance in super funds. The review was conducted as a follow-up to issues first identified in 2019, when ASIC found that some super trustees offered insurance that unnecessarily erodes a member’s retirement balance, inappropriate coverage of […]
Insurance within super is usually the most cost-effective way for an individual to cover themselves in the event of a mishap. Most super funds typically offer three types of insurance for their members: life cover, total and permanent disability (TPD) and income protection insurance (or salary continuance cover). Life cover (death cover) pays a lump […]
Recently, a number of significant superannuation changes were proposed in Parliament as a part of the government’s plan to enhance super outcomes for Australians. Work test and bring-forward rule changes Currently, individuals aged between 67 and 75 either need to pass the “work test” or satisfy the work test exemption criteria if they want to […]
Employers get ready – there’ll soon be an extra step involved when it comes to hiring new employees. From 1 November 2021, employers will need to determine if a new employee has a “stapled” super fund and request the details from the ATO where a new employee has not nominated a super fund. A stapled super […]
The government’s long-slated “flexibility in superannuation” legislation is finally law. This means from 1 July 2021, individuals aged 65 and 66 can now access the bring-forward arrangement in relation to non-concessional super contributions. The excess contributions charge will be removed for anyone who exceeds their concessional contributions cap, and individuals who received a COVID-19 super […]
The ATO has recently seen a significant increase in queries about compassionate release of super (CRS). In most cases, the people concerned were ineligible because they were looking to use their super to pay for general expenses. CRS is an option only for very specific unpaid expenses such as medical treatment and transport costs, palliative […]