Latest News
ATO warns about barter credit tax scheme
The ATO is warning the community to steer clear of an emerging tax scheme involving barter credits — a type of alternative currency used in some business networks. A tax scheme that involves artificially inflating deductions for donations of barter credits to deductible gift recipients (‘DGRs’) is on the rise. While it may seem enticing, […]
ATO’s new approach to holiday home expenses
The ATO has announced that it will take a somewhat different approach in relation to holiday home expenses that are claimed in relation to holiday homes. Broadly, the ATO now takes the view that, if a taxpayer’s rental property is also their holiday home, certain deductions relating to holding it will be completely denied (rather […]
Australians call out tax dodgers in record numbers
The ATO has hit a major milestone of over 300,000 tip-offs from the community about tax dodgers and other dishonest behaviours since 1 July 2019. In the 2024/25 financial year alone, almost 50,000 red flags were raised by members of the community who spotted something suspicious. Most of the tip-offs received related to shadow economy […]
Dental expenses are private expenses
The ATO has been seeing a number of deduction claims for dental expenses this tax time. Dental expenses are private expenses, including preventative and necessary dental treatment, medical expenses and other costs relating to client’s personal appearance (such as teeth whitening, makeup, skin care, shaving products and haircuts) are not deductible. These expenses are generally […]
Reminder of December 2025 Quarter Superannuation Guarantee (‘SG’)
As noted in the previous article, employee December 2025 Quarter Superannuation Guarantee must be received by the relevant super funds by 28 January 2026. If the correct amount of SG is not paid by an employer on time, they will be liable to pay the SG charge, which includes a penalty and interest component. […]
Alternative providers to the SBSCH
Employers should start preparing for the permanent closure of the Small Business Superannuation Clearing House (‘SBSCH’) on 1 July 2026. By acting now to find an alternative service, employers will: have an established process in place to pay super guarantee (‘SG’) for the March and June quarters (if they currently pay quarterly); reduce the risk […]
SMSF stats just keep getting better
The ATO has recently released the latest of what has become a regular update on the state of the SMSF market. The Self-managed super fund statistical report, with the latest covering the quarter to March this year, has become an anticipated overview for many in the SMSF arena — containing as it usually does some […]
Tax Deductions Specifically for SMSFs
One overarching fundamental that SMSF trustees should ideally keep in mind is the sole purpose test – that is, every decision made and action taken is required to be seen as being undertaken for the sole purpose of providing retirement benefits for the fund’s members. lf an SMSF trustee incurs an expense in the usual operation […]
The Transitional CGT Relief Measure and Your SMSF
Transitional capital gains tax (CGT) relief is temporary relief available to all complying superannuation funds, not just SMSFs, for certain CGT assets that would otherwise give rise to a taxable capital gain through the necessary efforts to comply with the new transfer balance cap and new conditions to be applied to transition to retirement income […]
SMSFs And The In-House Asset Rules Explained
A not-uncommon conundrum for many SMSF trustees is what to do when the fund is found to have breached the in-house asset rules. There are also some common misconceptions about these regulations that keep resurfacing. WHAT DOES THE ATO SAY IN RELATION TO THE IN-HOUSE ASSET RULES? Recent ATO statistics on the SMSF sector show […]
Is the Peer-to-Peer Lending Investment Option Right for Your SMSF?
One investment option that has surfaced relatively recently, and that SMSF trustees may consider as a part of their strategy to grow their fund, is investing through peer-to-peer lending. Peer-to-peer lending involves an investor – a trustee of the SMSF in this example – providing funds to an online lending platform. This platform, which must have an […]
SMSFs need to prepare for the new transfer balance cap
Recent legislation introduced several superannuation rule changes. Among them is a new “transfer balance account”, which each recipient of a superannuation pension will be required to have. In other words, individuals receiving superannuation income stream benefits will need to keep such a transfer balance account. The use of “accounts” for tax law purposes is not new. […]