Tag Archives: Superannuation Contributions

Mortgage vs super: where should I put my extra money?

By Robert Wright /February 16,2024/

It’s a dilemma many of us face – are we better off directing extra money to our mortgage or super? As with most financial decisions, it’s not a one size fits all approach and here are some factors to consider in deciding what’s right for you.

Key takeaways:

• There may be tax advantages when you contribute to super, especially if you salary sacrifice or you’re eligible to claim a tax deduction for personal super contributions.
• The power of compounding returns could mean that even small contributions to your super over many years could make the world of difference.
• By making extra mortgage repayments, coupled with any potential increase in the value of your property, you will build equity in your property at a faster rate than if you were to make just the minimum repayments.

Building the case for super over mortgage

You might think your super is already being taken care of – after all, that’s what your employer’s compulsory Superannuation Guarantee contributions are all about. But these contributions alone often aren’t enough to ensure you achieve the retirement lifestyle you want to live.

Making extra contributions to your super is a great way to boost your retirement savings. As an investment vehicle, super is a very tax effective way to save for the future.

The power of compounding returns

Super is a long term investment, at least until you retire, and potentially much longer if you leave your money in super and draw a pension after you retire.

This long investment term, coupled with the rate of tax on your super investment (generally 15%), means your money can add up and generate further investment returns on those returns. This is known as compound returns, or compounding.

The expenses of daily life can be considerable. Thinking about directing money to super might not seem like a priority when we feel overwhelmed by the effort to save a deposit for a home, paying down debt, and the costs of raising a family.

However, the benefit of compounding returns means that even small, frequent contributions can make a big difference down the track. It’s about striking a balance that is right for you today and remember, nothing has to be forever. As your life changes, you can simply adjust your contributions strategy to suit your needs.

Building super early

To maximise your retirement savings while allowing compounding returns to do the heavy lifting, the best approach is to start early. The longer compounding continues, the bigger your savings could be. Entering retirement debt free is an attractive prospect. It can be easy to think that you need to repay your debt before you can start thinking about saving for retirement. However, it doesn’t have to be one or the other.

You can see the difference small, regular contributions could make to your final retirement income using the MoneySmart retirement planner calculator.

Tax benefits of super

From a tax point of view, super can be incredibly beneficial. Salary sacrificing some of your before-tax salary or making a voluntary after-tax contribution for which you can claim a tax deduction, can be effective ways to not only grow your retirement savings but also reduce your taxable income.

One great benefit of investing in super is that concessional (before tax) contributions are taxed at a maximum rate of 15%. This can be higher though if you earn over $250,000.

Mortgage repayments are usually made from your take home pay after you’ve paid tax at your marginal tax rate. Your marginal tax rate could be as high as 47%. So, depending on your circumstances, making a voluntary deductible contribution to super or salary sacrificing may result in an overall tax saving of up to 32%.

There is a limit on the amount you can contribute into super every year. These are referred to as contribution caps. Currently, the annual concessional contributions cap is $27,500. If you’re eligible to use the catch-up concessional contributions rules, you may be able to carry forward any unused concessional contributions for up to 5 years. If you exceed these caps, you may be liable to pay more tax.

Tax on super investment earnings

The initial tax savings are only part of the story. The tax on earnings within the super environment are also low.

The earnings generated by your super investments are taxed at a maximum rate of 15%, and eligible capital gains may be taxed as low as 10%. Once you retire and commence an income stream with your super savings, the investment earnings are exempt from tax, including capital gains.

Also, when it comes time to access your super in retirement, if you’re aged 60 or over, amounts that you access as a lump sum are generally tax free.

However, it’s important to remember that once contributions are made to your super, they become ‘preserved’. Generally, this means you can’t access these funds as a lump sum until you retire and reach your preservation age, between 55 and 60 depending on when you were born.

Before you start adding extra into your super, it’s a good idea to think about your broader financial goals and how much you can afford to put away because with limited exceptions, you generally won’t be able to access the money in super until you retire.

In contrast, many mortgages can be set up to allow you to redraw the extra payments you’ve made or access the amounts from an offset account.

Building the case for reducing your mortgage over super

For many people, paying off debt is the priority. Paying extra off your home loan now will reduce your monthly interest and help you pay off your loan sooner. If your home loan has a redraw or offset facility, you can still access the money if things get tight later.

Depending on your home loan’s size and term, interest paid over the term of the loan can be considerable – for example, interest on a $500,000 loan over a 25-year term, at a rate of 6% works out to be over $460,000. Paying off your mortgage early also frees up that future money for other uses.

Before you start making additional payments to your mortgage, it’s suggested that you should first consider what other non-deductible debt you may have, such as credit cards and personal loans. Generally, these products have higher interest rates attached to them so there is greater benefit in reducing this debt rather than your low interest rate mortgage.

Conclusion: mortgage or super

It’s one of those debates that rarely seems to have a clear-cut winner – should I pay off the mortgage or contribute extra to my super?

The answer, probably somewhat annoyingly, is that it depends on your personal circumstances.

There is no one size fits all solution when it comes to the best way to prepare for retirement. On the one hand, contributing more to your super may increase your final retirement income. On the other, making extra mortgage repayments can help you clear your debt sooner, increase your equity position and put you on the path to financial freedom.

When weighing up the pros and cons of each option, there are a few key points to keep in mind.

One of the key questions to consider is what is the likely balance you’ll need in your super? Work backwards starting with working through what retirement looks like for you, the type of lifestyle you’d like, and how much you need to live on each year.

From there, you can start to consider your sources of income in retirement. This is likely to include super but could also include a full or part Age Pension, or income from an investment property or other sources.

You can then start thinking about your current balance, contributions strategies and whether you’re on track to have enough saved to supplement your other retirement income sources.

The MoneySmart retirement planner calculator can help you to estimate how much super you may have in retirement and how long your super may last. You also need to think about how you plan to spend your money in retirement.

In most cases, there isn’t one set strategy that you should follow and it can quickly change as you grow older, start a family and reach retirement age. You should also consider whether you’ll need to access any additional funds you put aside before you reach retirement. If it’s in your super, it’s locked away. If it’s in your mortgage, there are generally options to redraw.

Home ownership and comfortable retirement are financial goals that many strive towards. If you reach a point where there’s some surplus cash flow to consider where to put your extra money, it’s a good dilemma to have.

Life is complex, so it pays to speak with a financial adviser before you make any big financial decisions when it comes to your super or mortgage.

 

Source: MLC

Your super checklist for EOFY

By Robert Wright /June 03,2022/

The lead up to 30 June can be a good time to maximise tax benefits that may be available to you inside super.

Certain contributions, which we cover below, may have the ability to reduce your taxable income, or see you pay less on investment earnings.

Contributions that could create tax benefits:

• Tax-deductible super contributions

You may be able to claim a tax deduction on after-tax super contributions you’ve made, or make, before 30 June this year.

To claim a tax deduction on these contributions, you’ll need to tell your super fund by filling out a ‘notice of intent’ form. You’ll generally need to lodge this notice and have the lodgement acknowledged by your fund, before you file a tax return for the year you made the contributions.

Putting money into super and claiming it as a tax deduction may be of particular benefit if you receive some extra income that you’d otherwise pay tax on at your personal income tax rate (as this is often higher).

Similarly, if you’ve sold an asset that you have to pay capital gains tax on, you may decide to contribute some or all of that money into super, so you can claim it as a tax deduction. This could reduce or at least offset the capital gains tax that’s owing.

• Government co-contributions

If you’re a low to middle-income earner and have made (or decide to make before 1 July 2022) an after-tax contribution to your super account, which you don’t claim a tax deduction for, you might be eligible for a government co contribution of up to $500.

If your total income is equal to or less than $41,112 in the 2021/22 financial year and you make after-tax contributions of $1,000 to your super fund, you’ll receive the maximum co-contribution of $500.

If your total income is between $41,112 and $56,112 in the 2021/22 financial year, your maximum entitlement will reduce progressively as your income rises.

If your income is equal to or greater than the higher income threshold $56,112 in the 2021/22 financial year, you won’t receive any co-contribution.

Also, you’ll generally need to have at least 10% of your assessable income coming from employment/business sources to qualify.

• Spouse contributions

If you’re earning more than your partner and would like to top up their retirement savings, or vice versa, you may want to think about making spouse contributions.

If eligible, you can generally make a contribution to your spouse’s super and claim an 18% tax offset on up to $3,000 through your tax return.

To be eligible for the maximum tax offset, which works out to be $540, you need to contribute a minimum of $3,000 and your partner’s annual income needs to be $37,000 or less.

If their income exceeds $37,000, you’re still eligible for a partial offset. However, once their income reaches $40,000, you’ll no longer be eligible for the offset, but can still make contributions on their behalf.

• Salary sacrifice contributions

Salary sacrifice is where you choose to have some of your before-tax income paid into your super by your employer on top of what they might pay you under the superannuation guarantee.

Salary sacrifice contributions (like tax-deductible contributions) are a type of concessional contribution and these are usually taxed at 15% (or 30% if your total income exceeds $250,000), which for most, means you’ll generally pay less tax on your super contributions than you do on your income.

If you’re in a financial position to set up a salary sacrifice arrangement, you may want to do this before the start of the new financial year, so talk to your employer or payroll division to have the arrangement documented.

Important things to consider

Contributions need to be received by your super fund on time (ie, before 30 June) if you’re planning on claiming a tax deduction or obtaining other government concessions on certain contributions when you do your tax return.

There are limits on how much you can contribute. If you exceed super contribution caps, additional tax and penalties may apply. Read more about super contribution types, limits and benefits.

Currently, if you’re aged 67 to 75 and wanting to make voluntary contributions, a work test applies unless you meet an exemption. Changes to the work test are coming more on this below.

The government sets general rules around when you can access your super, which typically won’t be until you reach your preservation age and meet a condition of release, such as retirement.

Source: AMP

Is my employer paying me the right super?

By Robert Wright /June 03,2022/

Billions of dollars in super contributions go unpaid every year. Here’s how you can find out if you’re getting paid what you’re owed and what you can do if you’re not.

A while back, a mate of mine posted on social media that she was owed over $10,000 in super from a former employer, who had since shut up shop (money she may never see when she does eventually retire).

Responses from friends revealed she wasn’t alone, with one person commenting that, like her, they still hadn’t received their unpaid super money, with employers who go out of business sometimes harder to chase up.

The good news, according to the ATO’s last count, is that around 95% of super contributions were being paid by employers, but on the flipside that did leave around $2.5 billion in unpaid super.

If you’re not sure if you’re getting paid what you’re owed, here’s what you need to know and what you can do if something doesn’t look right (keeping in mind, the sooner you act, the better).

Who’s most at risk?

In the past, the ATO has indicated that about 50% of super debts it deals with relate to insolvency (in other words, companies that don’t have the cash to meet their obligations).

On top of that, data from ASIC indicated non-payment of super was more likely to happen in certain industries – hospitality, construction and retail to name a few.

What should your employer be paying you?

Generally, if you’re earning over $450 (before tax) a month, no less than 10% of your before-tax salary should be going into your super under the Superannuation Guarantee.

It’s also important to note that from 1 July 2022, changes to super will see more people become eligible for contributions from their employer, as the minimum income threshold of $450 per month will be removed.

Meanwhile, if you’d like an estimate of how much super your employer should have paid into your super account, try the ATO’s estimate my super tool.

How can you check if you’re getting paid the right super?

Start by looking at your payslips and know that while super contributions may be listed on your payslip, this doesn’t always mean money has been deposited into your super account.

With that in mind, you’ll want to check your super statements, call your super fund, or log into your super account online to see exactly what you’ve been paid.

Another thing to be aware of is even if your wages are paid weekly, fortnightly or monthly, super contributions only need to be paid into your fund four times a year (at a minimum) on dates determined by the ATO.

What should you do if something doesn’t look right?

• If it looks like you haven’t been paid what you should’ve, speak to the person who handles the payroll at your work, as there may be a simple explanation.
• If you’re not satisfied with what they tell you, you can lodge an unpaid super enquiry with the ATO. You’ll need to give your personal details, including your tax file number, the period relating to your enquiry and your employer’s details. You can also call the ATO on 13 10 20.
• It’s worth contacting your super fund too, as your employer may have a contractual arrangement with your super fund, which means your super fund may be able to follow up any unpaid super on your behalf.

Source: AMP

New opportunities to grow your Super from 1 July 2022

By Robert Wright /May 25,2022/

Both older and younger Australians, as well as low-income earners, are set to benefit from some upcoming super opportunities.

From 1 July 2022, there will be some changes made to super to make it easier for people to grow their retirement savings. These changes will create opportunities for both older and younger Australians, as well as low-income earners, by removing some of the barriers that currently exist in the super system.

Here’s what’s changing:

• The $450 Super Guarantee (SG) threshold will be removed, meaning that employers will start paying super for low-income earners.
• The SG contribution rate will rise to 10.5% p.a. for all employees.
• People aged 65-74 will no longer have to meet the work test to make voluntary contributions to super.
• The ‘bring-forward’ rule age limit will increase to 75, so more people can make lump sum contributions to super.
• The minimum age for downsizer contributions will reduce from 65 to 60, giving more flexibility to people who are selling their home.
• First home buyers can now save up to $50,000, and any deemed earnings, to use as a home deposit through the First Home Buyer Saver Scheme.

Here are some more details about how each of these changes will work, and how you can take advantage of these opportunities to boost your retirement savings.

Employers will start paying super for low-income earners

SG contributions are the mandated contributions that your employer puts into your super on your behalf. For a lot of people, these are the only super contributions that go into their account.

Until now, employers haven’t had to make these contributions if an employee earns less than $450 in a calendar month. Because of this, if you work casually, or you work part-time across multiple jobs, you may not have received any contributions at all from your employment.

From 1 July 2022, the $450 threshold will be removed. Employers will have to make SG contributions regardless of how much the employee earns (unless they are under 18 and working less than 30 hours per week).

Of all the upcoming super changes, this one has the potential to make the most difference, because it means low-income earners will finally have super contributions going into their account without having to make voluntary contributions themselves. These regular contributions can go a long way towards building up retirement savings.

For example, someone who currently works three jobs, earning $400 per month for each job, will now have $1,512 contributed to their super in 2022-23, which will then accumulate further earnings. Over a 40-year period, this could add up to over $84,000 or even substantially more, depending on how their super is invested. 

SG contribution rate will rise to 10.5% for all employees

The SG contribution rate is currently 10% p.a. of your wages or salary. This rate will increase to 10.5% from 1 July 2022, and it’s scheduled to increase progressively to 12% by July 2025.

Each of these incremental changes is great news for people who are paid SG contributions by their employers, because it means your super balance will grow faster without you having to make any extra contributions.

People aged 65-74 will no longer have to meet the work test to make voluntary contributions to super

People aged 65-74 currently have to satisfy the work test (or qualify for an exemption) to be able to make voluntary contributions to super. This means proving you worked for a minimum of 40 hours, during a period of 30 consecutive days, in the financial year for which you want to make a contribution.

Contribution acceptance:

From 1 July 2022, you won’t have to meet the work test for the super fund to accept any type of contributions you make to your super, or any contributions your employer makes to your super, while you are under age 75.

From age 75 the only type of contribution that can be accepted into your super account are downsizer contributions or compulsory employer superannuation contributions.

Personal deductible contributions:

From 1 July 2022, if you are aged 67 – 74 at the time you make a personal super contribution, you only have to meet the work test, or work test exemption, if you wish to claim a tax deduction for those contributions.

A work test is not required to claim a tax deduction for personal contributions made while you are under age 67.

This change gives older Australians more flexibility to be able to contribute to super and boost your retirement savings, regardless of your employment status, in the years leading up to your 75th birthday.

‘Bring-forward’ rule age limit will increase to 75

The ‘bring-forward’ rule allows you to use up to three years’ worth of your future non-concessional (after-tax) super contribution caps over a shorter period – either all at once or as several larger contributions – without having to pay extra tax.

The non-concessional contributions cap is currently $110,000 per year. So, if you use the bring-forward rule, you may be able to contribute up to $330,000 in a single year as long as you don’t exceed the total cap over the three-year period. This strategy is mostly used by people nearing retirement, who want to contribute as much as possible to super before they stop working, or people who receive an inheritance or other type of windfall.

Currently, you need to be under age 67 at any time in a financial year to use the bring-forward rule. From 1 July 2022, the age limit will increase to 75. This is great news for people who want to put as much money as possible into their super before they retire, without being penalised for it.

Eligibility for the bring-forward rule will depend on your total super balance at the most recent 30 June, and the amount of your personal contributions over the past two financial years.

Minimum age for downsizer contributions will reduce from 65 to 60

The downsizer contribution is a strategy aimed at helping older Australians put all or part of the proceeds of the sale of one qualifying home into super to boost your retirement savings. You can only make this type of contribution, and the maximum amount you can contribute is $300,000. However, by combining it with the bring-forward rule, you could potentially contribute $630,000 to super (or $1.26 million as a couple) in a single year.

Currently, you can only make a downsizer contribution if you’re 65 or older at the time of the contribution. From 1 July 2022, the minimum age reduces to age 60. This will provide more flexibility to people in their early sixties who are planning to sell their family home and want to move some or all of the proceeds into super.

Although the work test has never applied to downsizer contributions, other eligibility rules apply and it’s important to submit a downsizer contribution form to your fund at the time you make this type of contribution.

First home buyers can now save up to $50,000 using the First Home Super Saver Scheme

People saving up for their first home can use the First Home Super Scheme (FHSS) to grow their deposit amount. It takes advantage of the favourable tax treatment of super contributions and earnings to help you save a deposit faster than if you save outside of super.

You can currently use this strategy to release up to $30,000 in eligible voluntary super contributions, along with any deemed earnings, for the purchase of your first home.

From 1 July 2022, the maximum amount of eligible contributions that may be released will increase to $50,000. However, the annual limit of voluntary contributions eligible for the scheme remains at $15,000 per financial year. This means it would take at least four years of maximum contributions to have the maximum $50,000 available for release.

Given the substantial rise in property prices we’ve seen all around Australia over the past year, this change will help first home buyers save a larger deposit using this strategy – albeit over a longer time period.

Source: Colonial First State