Posted in Strategy

If you are aged over 65 you must satisfy the "work test" before you can make a super contribution. The work test is defined as 40 hours of gainful employment in a consecutive 30-day period. The work undertaken must be for gain or reward i.e wages or salary. Because of this criteria charity and volunteer work does not meet the work test. Should you have any questions in relation to the work test or your SMSF please contact our office. ...

  Self managed superannuation funds must meet the sole purpose test under the Superannuation Industry (Supervision) Act 1993 (SISA). The test is based on the principle that superannuation benefits provide for the members retirement, and any investment decision must be made for the future rather than present benefit. Common breaches include: Purchasing an investment that gives benefit to a member or associate before they retire
  Providing financial ...

According to the ATO during the 2012/2013 financial year 35,000 SMSF’s were established taking the total number of SMSFs to over 500,000.The benefits from establishing a SMSF range from investment control, flexibility with contributions and pension withdrawals, outperformance of industry funds and administration cost savings. Investment control includes being able to invest directly in real estate property and unlisted share investments, options that are not available to memb...

  You don’t need a pay rise to increase your income.  Salary Packaging is an entitlement granted by the Federal Government to all workers that allows you to take part of your income as a tax-free benefit. Salary packaging works by having a portion of your pre-tax salary deducted to pay for certain expenses. Income tax will then only apply to the amount of your salary that remains after these deductions have been applied. Salary packaging is limited for ...

The Australian Taxation Office has launched new specialized search engine on their website called: Small Business Assist. You can access this search engine through the business section of the ATO’s website and it allows users to search for information relevant to small business owners. The user can search a general topic or can type a specific question in and the information is provided in a clear, easy-to-read format. Calculators, videos and website links are provided o...