News and legislation

Recent developments —

August technical roundup

This technical roundup will give you an update on reforms and announcements for the month of August 2020.

Industry hot topics

Working out a savings plan with a calculator at a desk

FASEA and the Adviser Professional Standards

This article summaries the most recent Adviser Professional Standards set by the Financial Adviser Standards and Ethics Authority (FASEA).

Little black book

Access technical information and expertise in the one place, without having to search the web for industry facts and figures.

SMSF recent case law developments

Read the commissioners approach on disregarding or reallocating remedial super guarantee contributions.

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Super contribution options in 2019-20

After the Federal election result on 18 May 2019, it is timely then to take stock of the current state of superannuation contribution options for clients now that the changes proposed by the Australian Labor Party are off the agenda.

Anti-detriment benefit phase out

As part of the 2017 super reforms the law was amended to completely remove the payment of the anti-detriment benefit from 1 July 2019. Although the anti-detriment benefit is being phased out, it remains available in some circumstances.

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Big Black Book 2020/21

The most comprehensive reference guide for financial advisers, available now.

Download PDF

Technical news and resources

Latest news

Article	Link
Economic & fiscal update - Early super access extended On 23 July 2020, the Government released an Economic and Fiscal Update to address the effects of COVID-19 on the Australian economy and provide revised estimates for the budget position for 2019/20 and 2020/21.	View article
Year end strategies Technical tips for financial services professionals to help with some of the key year-end planning matters that may need to be considered for clients	View article
Updated Division 7A Calculator and decision tool The ATO has updated its Division 7A calculator and decision tool for the 2019-20 financial year	View article
CRT Alert 040/2019 - Final low income super contribution determinations have issued The ATO have issued a CRT alert regarding low income super contributions (LISC).	View article
Compensation received by super funds from financial instituions and insurance providers The ATO has published a fact sheet outlining the super (eg contribution), income tax and goods and services tax (GST) consequences for super funds receiving compensation payments from financial institutions and insurance providers.	View article
Cuts to deeming rates On 14 July 2019 the Minister for Families and Social Services Senator Anne Ruston announced cuts to the Centrelink deeming rates.	View article
Bill to increase SMSF members A bill has been tabled in Parliament to increase the maximum number of members permitted within a self managed superannuation fund (SMSF) from four to six.	View article
Federal Budget 2018: what it means for financial services professionals The Federal Treasurer, the Hon. Scott Morrison MP, delivered his third Federal Budget on 8 May 2018.	View article

Adviser guides

Article	Link
Contribution cap companion The Contribution Cap Companion is a comprehensive guide to super contributions..	View article
Insuring through super This guide focuses on the tax and benefit access issues to provide key principles or 'rules of thumb' for insurance arrangements.	View article
Superannuation death benefits This chart is a visual tool for advisers regarding the payment and tax treatment of superannuation death benefits.	View article

Articles

Article	Link
FASEA issues drafts of Adviser Professional Standards On Friday 16 November 2018, the Financial Adviser Standards and Ethics Authority (FASEA) began to release the much-anticipated final draft standards to give effect to the new Adviser Professional Standards Framework.	View article
Adviser education pathways and Code of Ethics Legislation was passed by Parliament on 09 February 2017 that aims to raise the education, training and ethical standards of financial advisers who provide personal advice to retail clients.	View article
The CGT sting in the tail when leasing out a room More and more Australians are considering the opportunity of leasing part of their homes to supplement their income. The ‘share economy’ presents easy and flexible access to the short-term rental market through simple-to-use apps such as Airbnb.	View article
Franking matters... but less than before Recently the leader of the Labor party announced a proposal to reverse the Howard-era policy of refunds for excess franking credits. It came as quite a surprise to the market, which moved to discount stocks that carry a premium for franking credits versus those that don’t.	View article

Technical roundup

Monthly technical roundup	Link
August 2020 The August technical roundup will give you an update on Coronavirus response packages, and a measure relating to superannuation choice.	View article
July 2020 The July technical roundup will give you an update on reforms and announcements for the month of July 2020.	View article
June 2020 The June technical roundup will give you an update on reforms and announcements from the beginning of February through to the end of June 2020.	View article
February 2020 Several exposure drafts were released towards the end of January as part of the Government’s commitment to implement the Hayne recommendations following the Royal Commission into Misconduct in the Banking, Superannuation and Financial Services Industry (Royal Commission).	View article
December 2019 Several Bills have been introduced to Parliament in the last month, including provisions in response to recommendations from the Hayne Royal Commission.	View article
November 2019 A number of Acts were assented to and several Bills have been introduced to Parliament in the last month, including provisions to improve the taxation of testamentary trusts as announced in the 2018 Federal Budget.	View article
October 2019 A number of Bills have received Royal Assent and more have been introduced to Parliament in the last month, including the provisions to implement the first home loan deposit scheme announced in the 2019 Federal Budget.	View article
August 2019 The Australian Tax Office (ATO) has published information on the LRBA safe harbor interest rate, how it will handle inactive low-balance super accounts and guidance fact sheets on the super and GST implications of a super fund receiving compensation payments from financial institutions and insurance providers.	View article
July 2019 A number of Bills have received Royal Assent and more have been introduced to Parliament in the last month, including the provisions to implement the first home loan deposit scheme announced in the 2019 Federal Budget.	View article
June 2019 Over the past month, the Australian Tax Office (ATO) has issued a practical compliance guideline that outlines the safe harbour approach and what factors are considered when extending the two-year period for the disposal of a dwelling acquired from a deceased estate.	View article

Fast facts

Fast Facts provide you with bite-size technical information when you need answers fast.

These short, sharp resources cover specifically targeted issues to help you with financial planning related topics, such as superannuation, tax and social security.

Social security & Aged care

Article	Link
Social security treatment of complying pension transfers	View article
Special Disability Trusts	View article
Pension loans scheme	View article
Indexation of Social Security benefits and Aged Care fees	View article

Superannuation

Article	Link
Anti-detriment payment upon death	View article
Claiming a tax deduction for personal super contributions	View article
Contribution considerations when approaching age 65	View article
De facto couples access to federal family law regime	View article
Impact of service period on insurance in super	View article
Meaning of child for super and tax purposes	View article
Meaning of dependant for super and tax purposes	View article
Meaning of spouse for super and tax purposes	View article
Reportable Employer Superannuation Contributions	View article
Super contribution acceptance rules	View article
Super death benefits nominations	View article
Transition to retirement pensions	View article

Taxation & investment

Article	Link
An overview of the main residence CGT exemption	View article
Partial main residence CGT exemption	View article
Main residence CGT exemption - dwellings acquired from deceased estates	View article
Employment termination payments	View article
Private Ancillary Funds	View article

Technical news and resources

Recent developments —

August technical roundup

Industry hot topics