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2026-27 Federal Budget On Tuesday, 12th May 2026, treasurer Jim Chalmers delivered the 2026-27 Budget with major tax reforms, NDIS spending, and business productivity at the forefront of the budget proposals. This was Chalmer’s fifth budget since taking office as Treasurer under Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in 2022. He used his speech to discuss the impact of inflation, lack of affordability of housing for young people and how Australia is handling the impact of the war in

Australia is undeniably grappling with a rental crisis as the demand for rental properties surpasses the available supply. Various stakeholders, including governments, the property industry, charities, and others, are advocating for solutions to address this shortfall. One proposed remedy involves increasing rental properties, necessitating more investors to enter the market. Data from the Australian Taxation Office reveals that a significant majority of landlords are over 5

Proposed additional 15% tax for earnings on super balances over $3 million came into effect on 1 July 2025. The Government recently announced proposed changes to impose an additional tax of 15% (the additional tax), increasing the original concessional tax rate from 15% to an effective new 30% rate, on earnings on total superannuation balances (TSB) over $3 million. This measure is proposed to commence on 1 July 2025 and apply to the 2025-2026 financial year onwards. The Go

From 4 November 2022 the income thresholds for the Commonwealth Seniors Health Care Card (CSHC) have been increased, allowing more Australians access to medical and pharmaceutical discounts and concessions. These changes will greatly benefit self-funded retirees who were previously unable to access the benefits of the CSHC. Current CSHC holders will not be affected by these changes. Income limit 20/09/22 – 3/11/2022 Income limit 4/11/22 – 19/09/2023 Singles $61,284 $90,000

When self-managed superannuation fund (SMSF) trustees have not complied with super laws, the ATO has several courses of action in order to deal with the trustees. Education direction When a SMSF trustee has been found to have contravened super laws, the ATO may provide written direction where the trustee must undertake education. The trustee must provide evidence that they have completed this education and sign a declaration stating that they understand their obligations. Enf

Individuals aged 67-74 now have greater opportunity to contribute to super with the following changes: the removal of the work test for personal (after-tax) contributions and salary sacrifice contributions, and an increase to the amount of after-tax contributions that may be made within a single financial year. Removal of work test Prior to 1 July 2022, the work test required you to undertake work for at least 40 hours in a consecutive 30 day period in the financial year a su

The Australian Government provides a range of social security benefits to assist certain individuals and families. The type and amount of benefits you can receive depend on your personal and financial circumstances and your stage of life. Common benefits that retirees may be entitled to include the Age Pension, Service Pension, Pensioner Concession Card, and Commonwealth Seniors Health Card. The Age Pension and Service Pension are subject to means testing, which means your a

According to the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), there has been a surge of promoters encouraging individuals to set up self-managed superannuation funds (SMSFs) in order to invest in crypto-assets. ASIC warns people to be aware that while crypto-asset investments are allowed for SMSFs, they are high risk and speculative, as well as being an attractive area for scammers targeting uninformed investors. For example, late last year ASIC moved to shut dow

Australia is experiencing a slowdown in population growth as fertility rates continue to decline, partly due to the COVID-19 pandemic. By 2061, the number of Australians aged 65 and above is set to double to 8.9 million, representing almost a quarter of the total population. The growth rate is even higher among the 85 and older group which is predicted to triple to 1.9 million or 5% of the population, up from 2% in 2020. With a small economy tasked with managing a rapidly a

There are many types of investment vehicles available to choose from, with managed funds one of the most popular choices in Australia. We have outlined the four types of investment vehicles and detail the benefits of each investment. The four types of investments include: Managed funds Direct shares (listed equities) Exchange traded funds Investment bonds. What is a managed fund? Managed funds pool the money of many individual investors. This money is then invested by a profe

Interest rates are the cost of money when borrowed or loaned, and are used to control inflation and economic growth. But why do interest rates rise and fall, and how can they affect you? Who controls interest rates? Movements in official interest rates are determined by the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA). Their objective is to ensure that price growth (inflation) remains low and stable and it uses ‘monetary policy’ to do this. Monetary policy involves either increasing the

Gearing can be an effective and tax-efficient way of building your investments over the long-term. While it can increase your investment returns, you should be aware of the risks involved. What is gearing? Gearing is the strategy of borrowing money to invest. Just as you take out a loan to buy a home, you can also borrow money to invest in other assets, such as shares, property or managed funds. Gearing enables you to boost your investment earning power by increasing the amo

Some retirees who need aged care may prefer to stay at home, whilst others may need or prefer the assistance that a residential aged care facility can provide. To access residential aged care, the person requiring care must be assessed and approved by the Government's Aged Care Assessment Team (ACAT). If you or a family member can no longer manage to live independently at home, you may need to consider moving into residential aged care. Before you do, there are many factors

Many retirees who require care are not aware that a variety of services are available for those who prefer to stay at home. Home Care Packages provide Government subsidised services to assist people to remain in their home for as long as possible. What services are available? The Home Care Package services include: Personal care such as help with showering or bathing, dressing, mobility, meal preparation and eating. Support services such as basic home maintenance, home modif

Estate planning involves much more than having an up to date Will. It is important to ensure that your assets are distributed in the most effective manner and without adverse tax consequences for your beneficiaries. What is estate planning? Estate planning involves considering what will happen to your assets upon the death of you or your partner or if you become mentally incapacitated and unable to manage your own affairs. You may want to consider how to structure your estate

If it wasn’t already clear, the past 12 months certainly cemented the fact that life has a habit of throwing us the occasional curveball. The reality is we all face challenges, however approaching life with a positive mindset can help us deal with any issues we may face and improve our lives in many ways. Having a positive outlook not only improves our health and wellbeing, it can also have a meaningful and very positive impact on our finances. How optimism can improve our f

After a year when the average superannuation balance fell slightly or, at best, moved sideways, now is a good opportunity to think about ways to rebuild your savings while being mindful of tax. With the Reserve Bank reducing interest rates to record lows and not anticipating a rise until 2024, it’s more important than ever to ensure your retirement savings are working as hard as possible. One way to do that is by taking advantage of super, which offers valuable opportunitie

The idea of adding a granny flat to your property sounds like a great idea. A property to rent out to generate some welcome extra income, or a home for adult children or mum and dad in their later years. However, there are important tax and personal considerations to consider before taking the plunge and digging up the backyard. Although the Federal Budget proposed significant reform in this area, many important tax questions remain. Tax and granny flats: what you need to kn

Separation and divorce can be a challenging time, often made all the more difficult when you have to divide your assets. So how do you go about decoupling your superannuation? Since 2002, super can be included when valuing a couple’s combined assets for a divorce settlement. After all, these days super is probably your second largest asset after your family home. While super is counted in the calculation of the total property, that does not mean it is mandatory to split the

For many people, the idea of managing and investing your own retirement savings is very appealing. However, there is ongoing debate over whether running your own self-managed super fund (SMSF) is cost effective. So, what are the arguments for and against having your own fund?Taking control of your super People choose to run their own SMSF for many reasons. From a desire for flexible investment choices through to dissatisfaction with their existing super fund, tax and estate p