Types of superannuation contributions
Superannuation is money that is put aside during your working life, which can be used as a source of income when you retire. The objective is to use this income as a substitute for the Age Pension, or to provide funds in retirement in addition to any government benefits.
Compulsory super was started in 1991 with the introduction of the Superannuation Guarantee (SG) which was a compulsory contribution system, paid for by employers. Your super can grow over time through the superannuation guarantee contributions your employers make, but you also have the option of making additional contributions yourself.
In this blog we’ll look at:
Why contribute to super?
Types of superannuation contributions
How much can you contribute to your super?
Who can contribute to super in Australia?
Additional ways of making super contributions (special rules)
What are the main advantages and disadvantages of super contributions?
Upcoming legislative changes
Why contribute to super
Your super is specifically in place to help you grow wealth in preparation for your retirement. Contributing to your super can help you grow your nest egg to achieve the retirement standards (lifestyle) you would like. Super represents a good type of compulsory savings because it’s generally invested in long-term assets that have the potential to accrue larger interest over an extended period of time, than say savings accounts, and also because you can’t easily get your hands on the cash.
One of the reasons you may choose to save money in your super is its tax effectiveness. For example, payments put into your super fund from your pre-tax income are called concessional super contributions and taxed at 15% in your fund, compared with 19%, which is the lowest marginal income tax rate for residents with taxable income greater than the annual tax-free threshold of $18,200.
However, there are limits (contribution caps) on the amounts that you can put into your super and still attract tax benefits or claim as a personal tax deduction. The caps are different for concessional (before-tax) and non-concessional (after-tax) contributions. If you exceed any of these caps, the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) warns you may have to pay extra tax.
Types of superannuation contributions
You can make contributions to your super in a number of ways. You can generally choose to contribute to your superannuation using either your pre-tax or after-tax income, different caps applying to how much you can contribute using each method. In addition to receiving compulsory contributions from your employer, some of the ways you may be able to contribute to your super include:
Concessional (pre-tax) super contributions
Salary sacrificing – you may be able to salary sacrifice some of your pre-tax income to grow your super. Speak with your employer to find out if it offers this.
Voluntary contributions you make from your after-tax income and claim as a tax deduction.
Non-concessional (after-tax) super contributions
Voluntary contributions you make from your after-tax income that you don’t claim a tax deduction for.
Spouse super contributions that you receive from your partner – more on this below.
Other types of super contributions
Contributions from the Federal Government, as part of its co-contribution scheme.
Rollovers – i.e. transfers of money from one super fund to another (such as when consolidating superannuation).
Downsizing contributions to super – from 1 July, 2018, individuals 65 years old or older may be eligible to make a ‘downsizer contribution’ of up to $300,000 into their superannuation from the proceeds of selling their home.
Some small business owners may be able to contribute to their own super when they dispose of business assets, provided their business is eligible. The Capital Gains Tax cap (CGT cap) exists to allow small business owners to make large contributions into superannuation, once their business assets have been sold. However, eligibility caps can be complex and it could be a good idea for small business owners to obtain specialist advice from their accountant to understand how the rules apply to their own particular circumstances.
How much can you contribute to your super?
The amount you are able to contribute to your super without a tax penalty will vary depending on the type of contribution you are making.
Concessional contribution and limits (caps)
The general concessional contributions cap, that is contributions from your pre-tax income, is currently $25,000 each financial year. This is set to rise to $27,500 from 1 July, 2021, for the 2021-22 financial year onwards.
Carry-forward rule (topping up)
If you have a total super balance of less than $500,000 at 30 June of the previous financial year, you can ‘carry forward’ any unused portions of your contribution caps from previous years (not before 2018/19) to increase your concessional cap, meaning you could put in more than your usual limit without paying extra tax. You can learn more about the concessional contributions cap on the ATO’s website.
Make sure you are adding up the numbers carefully when you’re making any additional contributions – if you exceed your contributions cap, you may end up having to pay extra tax.
Non-concessional contributions and caps
The general non-concessional contributions cap is currently $100,000 per year. It is set to rise to $110,000 from 1 July, 2021, for the 2021-22 financial year onwards.
Your own cap might be:
Higher if you are using the bring-forward arrangements, or
Nil if your Total Super Balance (TSB) is greater than $1.6m (at the time of writing, though this limit will increase to $1.7m from 1 July, 2021). Your TSB includes all your super interests and may be different from your super fund account balance.
Make sure you add up the numbers carefully when you’re making any additional contributions – if you exceed your contributions cap, you may have to pay extra tax.
Who can contribute to super in Australia?
Anyone under age 65 can make a contribution to their super, even if they are retired or not working. However, special conditions apply for under 18s and (for now at least) people aged 65 and over.
If you are under 18, earn at least $450 in a calendar month pre tax, and work more than 30 hours a week, your employer can make super contributions. However, if you are not working and under age 18, the ability to contribute to super may be limited.
From 1 July, 2020, the recent change in legislation has allowed making contributions to super easier for anyone aged 65 or 66 years of age as there now is no requirement to meet the work test. But once an individual reaches 67 years of age, the work test must be met prior to the contribution being made.
The work test requires a person to be gainfully employed for at least 40 hours in 30 consecutive days during the financial year before concessional or non-concessional contributions can be made after reaching the age of 67.
In the May 2021 Federal Budget, the Government announced plans to scrap the work test almost entirely. If passed into law, the ATO explains, this would mean people aged 67 to 74 will be able to make voluntary or salary-sacrificed contributions without needing to meet the work test (subject to the normal contribution caps). They would still need to meet the work test in order to claim a tax deduction for their personal contributions, however.
This change hasn’t yet become law at the time of writing, but it is expected to take effect from 1 July, 2022.
Sections of this blog post may become out of date as of 30 June 2022. If you have questions about your super contributions, contact us now
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