41 articles
Super strategy, contribution rules, pension planning and SMSF guidance.
View our Superannuation service →An account-based pension turns your super into a regular retirement income. How the minimum drawdown rates work, why the payments are tax-free from 60, the $2.1 million transfer balance cap, and what makes the balance last.
Read article →How a UK pension moves to Australia through a QROPS, when the 25% UK transfer charge is switched off, how the Australian tax works, and why the decision is one to get specialist advice on before you act.
A UK pension, a US 401(k), a Canadian RRSP or a KiwiSaver account is taxed differently once you live in Australia. Here is what changes, and why the complexity is a reason to plan early rather than put it off.
The ASFA Retirement Standard puts a dollar figure on a comfortable and a modest retirement. Here are the current numbers, what sits behind them, and how to read them for your own plan.
The investment option your super sits in does more to shape your final balance than almost any other choice. Here is how growth assets work over a career, and why the right mix changes as retirement approaches.
View our full summary and access the RBA statement.
When can you get to your super, and how much can you take? A plain guide to preservation age, conditions of release, transition to retirement and the tax on withdrawals.
Selling the family home can free up capital and top up your super through the downsizer contribution. Here's what downsizing really frees up, the costs that eat into it, and the Age Pension catch.
Most large super funds give members advice at no extra cost, and a lot of it is very good. It's also bounded, for reasons that have nothing to do with quality. Here's where the line sits, how to tell which side of it your question falls on, and what the proposed advice reforms would change.
An SMSF and an industry fund both hold your superannuation, but the control, cost and workload involved are completely different. Here's how to work out which structure actually fits your situation.
Most people set their super up once and never look at it again. A short annual review of fees, insurance, investment option and consolidation can be worth tens of thousands of dollars by retirement.
Every self-managed super fund must meet a set of annual compliance obligations by 30 June. Missing a deadline doesn't just mean a penalty. It can put your fund's complying status at risk. Here's everything on the list for 2026–27.
How much you can put into super in 2026–27, and in what form, shapes both your retirement savings and your tax. Here are the current caps in plain English.
For most retired couples the family home is the largest asset, and it produces no income. Downsizing releases that capital, and the downsizer contribution lets eligible proceeds move into super. Here are the rules, the numbers, and the catches.
A lifetime income stream pays an income for as long as you live, and it receives concessional treatment under the Age Pension means test. Here's how the guaranteed and market-linked types work, where they fit, and what you give up in return.
Super is one of the largest assets most Australians will ever hold, yet most people never choose the fund it sits in. Here's what actually matters when you compare funds, from fees to long-term performance, insurance, and whether the fund type fits your situation.
For most people retiring at 60, $2 million sits well above the comfortable benchmark. The real questions are how long it needs to last, how it's taxed, and whether the way it's drawn down protects it. Here's how the numbers work.
An SMSF is one of the most tax-effective structures in the system. Getting that benefit depends on how the fund is run. Here are the levers that matter in 2026-27: contribution timing, the CGT discount, franking credits and the pension phase.
Most Australians who have changed jobs a few times have super sitting somewhere they've forgotten. Finding it takes about ten minutes through myGov. Deciding whether to consolidate it takes a little more thought.
New residential LRBAs ended on 10 August 2026. Residential property inside super did not. Here's what an SMSF can still borrow for, what the grandfathering covers, and the routes trustees are using instead.
A defined benefit fund pays a lump sum or a pension set by a formula (often a generous one), not by an account balance. These schemes are often confusing to members and inexperienced advisors, with variations in how the money is taxed, how much of it counts against the caps, what happens when you die, and which retirement decisions can never be undone.
A genuine redundancy payment is partly tax free, and the tax-free slice grows with every completed year of service. Here's how the limit is calculated, how the balance is taxed, and what the payout means for super and the year's tax return.
A self-managed super fund puts you in the trustee's seat, with full control over how your retirement savings are invested and full responsibility for running the fund inside the rules. Here's what that involves.
The question every Australian eventually asks. ASFA benchmarks, the rule of 25, what a couple really needs, retiring early at 50 or 55, and how the Age Pension changes the maths.
Median and target super balances by decade, from your 30s to your 60s, plus what to do if you're behind. Australian 2026 benchmarks.
Your 50s are the decade with the highest impact on how well you retire. Ten things worth getting right now, from super catch-up to estate planning.
A self-managed super fund gives you direct control of your retirement savings, but it also makes you the trustee, with real legal duties. Here's how setup, costs and compliance actually work, and what to weigh before starting one.
Your super doesn't automatically flow to your estate or follow your will. Here's who can receive it, how it's taxed, and the strategies that can reduce the tax burden on your loved ones.
Division 296 adds an extra layer of tax to superannuation balances above $3 million from 1 July 2026. Here's what it means, who it affects, and why the year to 30 June 2027 is the window to plan.
Salary sacrificing into super is one of the most tax-effective strategies available to Australian employees. Here's what can be sacrificed, what the tax saving looks like at different incomes, and the traps that catch people out.
The 2026 budget left SMSF capital gains tax rules untouched while reforming individual CGT from 1 July 2027. How SMSF CGT works and why the gap is widening.
Major super changes start 1 July 2026, including higher caps, new taxes on large balances and pension limits. Learn what it means and why advice matters.
On 1 July 2026, the Small Business Superannuation Clearing House (SBSCH) will close permanently as part of the Payday Super reforms. With only a few months left, employers still using the SBSCH need to find an alternative option, and soon.
Market Update: Staying Focused During Geopolitical Uncertainty
From 1 July 2026, employers will be required to pay Superannuation Guarantee (SG) contributions at the same time as employee wages, rather than quarterly.
With the start of a new year, many of us take time to reflect on what we've achieved and what we want the year ahead to look like. Whether you're running a busi
Approaching retirement? Learn how to use your superannuation for income, reduce tax and plan ahead with expert retirement planning advice.
With more than $4 trillion in superannuation, scammers see it as a goldmine. ASIC has warned of a rise in pushy sales tactics and false promises. Here's how to keep your nest egg safe.
Every self-managed super fund must meet a set of annual compliance obligations by 30 June. Missing a deadline doesn't just mean a penalty. It can put your fund's complying status at risk. Here's everything on the list.
Australia's Super Guarantee (SG) rate is 12% and stays there. From 1 July 2026 it's paid every payday, on a broader earnings base called Qualifying Earnings. See the full SG rate history, what changes for employees and employers under Payday Super, and how to keep salary sacrifice inside the concessional cap.
Understanding how much you can contribute to superannuation, and in what form, is fundamental to maximising your retirement savings and managing your tax. Here are the 2025–26 rules in plain English.
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