The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) have indicated they will be providing SMSF trustees with COVID-19 relief measures for 2021/22. But are the same “areas of relief” offered in prior financial years available?

October means three things in my house: the first dollarbird invariably arrives in the first week (a summer migrant bird for us), Super Intensive Day happens, so does the Kaden Centre’s Sweat for Survivors walkathon (10,000 steps per day in October).

Starting pensions is the main game in an SMSF but they are often also commuted (stopped). The driver might be a desire to move to another superannuation fund, combine the pension with new contributions or just stop getting so much income from super.

Pensions can run for many years but that doesn’t always mean that every payment drawn from a pension account is a pension payment. Sometimes lump sums (partial commutations) can be invaluable but it pays to know the rules. These are our top 5 tips.

My client wants their SMSF to buy shares in an unlisted company. My client won’t control the company so the in-house asset rules aren’t a problem but what else do they need to consider?

SuperStream is an electronic data exchange currently used by some funds to receive data about contributions & rollovers from other funds. Changes to the rules commencing on 1 October may mean more SMSFs need to become familiar with the concept.

Well things are really heating up in our preparation for the next Super Intensive Day on 14 October. We’re putting the finishing touches on some of our sessions but still just at the planning stages for others.

There was a time when “old people” rarely had SMSFs – in fact when Heffron first opened its doors in 1998, it was even rare to see funds that paid pensions. The situation in 2021 is profoundly different.

Australia’s retirement income system includes significant tax concessions for superannuation. However, the rules are complex and too often I see contribution strategies unravel with additional taxes payable. Here’s my top 7 tips to avoid problems.

My client is a beneficiary of their uncle’s estate. They are wondering if their SMSF can buy an asset from the estate?

As I wondered what to write for this month’s Meg’s Musings, I looked back over what I said around this time last year. I can’t decide whether it’s frightening or just uncanny that some of the issues that were top of mind back then remain a focus now.

No one is going to disagree – good record keeping is essential for any SMSF. But as the years click over and more work is undertaken online, it begs the question – do we still need to keep all those 'old records'?