Tax and Structures
Superannuation taxation
Assessable income
The assessable income of a super fund generally includes all types of income from its investments such as interest, dividends, rent and capital gains.
However, it also includes concessional contributions received on behalf of its members, which is effectively any contribution the person or employer making the contribution claims as a tax deduction.
This is why they are taxable contributions and therefore incur contributions tax of 15% (increasing to 30% for individuals with income greater than $250,000).
Some of the main types of concessional contributions are:
- where your employer contributes 9.5% of your salary to super on your behalf (known as the compulsory super guarantee contribution)
- where your employer contributes additional amounts to super on your behalf (known as salary sacrifice or voluntary employer contributions)
- where you’re self-employed or under 75 years old – including if you are aged 65 to 74 years and meet the work test (having worked at least 40 hours during a consecutive 30-day period during the relevant financial year) and claim a tax deduction for a personal superannuation contribution you make.
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