- Get $150 off of your Tax Depreciation Report per investment property from the quantity surveyorDuoTax here.
Discounted Sole-trade Business Tax Return:

 

Business Income and Expense Dec Form - (Fill in this form without our assistance to be considered for our discounted $220 to $330 fee (retail fee starts from $440) per yearly sole-trade non-GST registered business tax returnTs&Cs apply. Excludes expenses review and bank reconciliation. This is lodgment-only tax return service that involves only minor reviews and data entries) - iqCron Accounting
- Discounted Sole-trade GST/BAS Retrun: 

 

Business Activity Statement Form (Fill in this form without our assistance to be considered for our discounted $132 to $220 fee (retail fee starts from $418) per quarter for your BAS/GST return - Ts&Cs apply. Excludes expenses review and bank reconciliation. This is lodgment-only BAS return service that involves only minor reviews and data entries.) - iqCron Accounting
- New Employee Form (fill in and submit, if you are a new employee of one of our existing clients)
- TFN Declaration Form (fill it in, print out, sign and submit to your employer)
- Medicare Entitlement Statement (MES) Form (for taxpayer who were exempt from Medicare Levy)
- Consent and Declaration for Cancellation of Tax Registration (CDCTR) (fill out this CDCTR form to allow us to cancel the registration of your ABN, GST and/or ACN)

Tax Return Checklist - iqCron Accounting:

 

For your convenience, here's a tax return check-list of possible income and expenses with corresponding documentation requirements prepared by iqCron Accounting. Although, we will walk you through this list during your tax return preparation, you may take this list as a guide to prepare yourself for the appointment. Please bring in, email us or make any of these relevant documents readily available for your appointment to ensure your tax return preparation is completed seamlessly. Register and book-in for an appointment here.

 

Income:

 

  • No need to bring in or send your PAYG income summary from your employer/s...unless you worked unofficially on a cash basis or non-cash benefit basis with any employer.

 

  • Record of your business income and expenses (business bank statement in CSV/Excel file unless a profit and loss statement is prepared or an accounting software is present.) - if any - or fill in our BizInExDec form here.

 

  • Previous year’s carry forward loss amounts from business or sale of capital asset/s (previous year's full tax return copy may be required)

 

  • EOFY buy/sellsend/receive, airdrop, staking interest income trading history of your cryptocurrency in CSV/Excel file/s – if any

 

  • EOFY shares/units/stocks/CFD trading and dividends statement – if any

 

  • EOFY managed funds tax statement – it's a must if you had any, as this pre-fill info may be unavailable at the time of tax return preparation

 

  • Rental property income and expenses details (previous year's full tax return copy if you are new to us) – if any

 

  • If sold, purchase and/or sale settlement statement/s of your rental property – if applicable

 

  • Records of any other reportable income that is not listed above 

 

Expenses:

 

(Please note, we do not necessarily need to see each and everything from this list from you if you have these in your record and keep these in a legible state for minimum 5 years from the date of lodging your tax return. In the event of a review or audit by the ATO, it is taxpayer's responsibility to provide evidence and ultimately the taxpayer would be liable for the resulting penalties, fines and/or losses if they cannot provide the proper substantiation record. However, to ensure the best interest of a taxpayer, we may still reject any expenses claim if we see the record/receipt doesn't meet the standard substantiation requirements set out by the ATO or the amount claimed is ineligible, unrealistic or unreasonable in nature.

 

1. Work-related car expenses:

 

  • Car registration number, make, year and model, work/business use KMs would be required.

 

  • Car odometer reading at the EOFY - 30 June (i.e take a photo of the odometer reading at EOFY and email it to yourself as a proof) - this is a must to keep for an EV owner claiming work-related electricity charging at home expenses.

 

  • Car expenses receipts/invoices/bank transaction record and/or travel diary or 12-week logbook record would be required as proof of evidence.

 

  • Where applicable, a letter from employer declaring your travel between worksites and/or carrying bulky and cumbersome tools while travelling was necessary since employer had no safe storage to store those tools at the workplace.

 

  • Based on your information you may be eligible to claim up to 5000 KM or actual costs amount under the logbook method.

 

2. Work related travel expenses:

 

  • Expenses receipts or car logbook is a must for a small bike or a car greater than or equal to 1 tonne or 9 passengers carrying capacity, or for claiming taxi/rideshare fees, travel away overnight expenses, hire or shared car expenses. - if any

 

3. Work related uniform expenses:

 

  • This may include purchase and the costs of your laundry and dry-cleaning expenses of your protective/compulsory work clothing.

 

  • Receipts/tax invoices/bank transaction record and/or diary record would be required as proof of evidence.

 

4. Work related self-education expenses:

 

  • Receipts/tax invoices/bank transaction record and/or travel diary or car logbook record would be required as proof of evidence.


5. Other work-related expenses:

 

  • Over-time meals (cost incurred and meals consumed during overtime only for which an eligible allowance was received under PAYG)

 

  • Tools of trade (each costing less than or equel to $300) (receipts/bank transaction record)

 

  • Home office expenses (you must have diary record of hours worked from home and expenses receipts)

 

  • Mobile & internet expenses (work-use percentage and a monthly mobile bill from last financial year)

 

  • Sun protection or work safety expenses (receipts/bank transaction record)

 

  • Depreciation expenses (for assets costing greater than $300 - purchase receipts/bank transaction record)

 

  • Seminars/conferences expenses (receipts/bank transaction record)

 

  • Stationary expenses (receipts/bank transaction record)

 

  • Union fees (yearly fees statement/receipts/bank transaction record)

 

  • Gifts or donations paid to deductible gift recipients (DGR) only (yearly statement/receipts/bank transaction record)

 

  • Cost of managing tax affairs paid within applicable financial year (i.e tax return fees paid to registered tax agent, quantity surveyor report fee, travel KMs to and from the registered tax agent)

 

  • Personal superannuation contributions (‘Notice-of-Intent’ letter from super fund is required)

 

  • Other allowable deductions – i.e., election expenses and income protection insurance premium

 

Other information may be required if relevant:

 

 

  • Zone or overseas forces offset details – if applicable all dependents’ basic details are required.

 

  • Invalid or invalid carer offset – if applicable all dependents’ basic details are required.

Disclaimer:

iqCron Accounting advises that many of the comments in this Tax Return Checklist are general in nature and anyone intending to apply the information to their practical circumstances should seek professional advice to independently verify their interpretation and the information’s applicability to their particular circumstances.The contents of this checklist may be confidential and may be protected by copyright and/or legal privilege. Any unauthorised use, reproduction, disclosure or distribution of the information contained in this article is prohibited without the writer's permission.

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Arrange your written evidence for expenses claims:

 

It's that time of the year again - end of financial year (EOFY)! If you haven't been planning for your taxes from the start of the financial year, it's high time you start arranging your written evidences (i.e appropriate diary record, logbook for car, receipts, tax invoices and bank or credit card statements) to substantiate all of your work-related expenses claims and keep them for minimum 5 years in a legible state from the date of your tax return lodgement. The ATO has stringent substantiation requirements for your work-related expenses claims. Check here for more details.

Tips to combat possible review or audit areas by the ATO this year:

 

  • You should not rush to lodge your tax return before your information is tax-ready/STP-finalised by all sources/employers. The best time to lodge your tax rteurn is from late July.

 

  • You need to have appropriate written evidence for all work related expenses specially for work-related home office expenses, car expenses, rental property expenses and so on. 

 

  • For home office expenses claims under 70 cents/hour fixed rate method, you need a record of the hours you worked from home, kept at the time you worked those hours, for the entire income year (such as timesheets, roster or diary). Note: From 1 March 2023 the ATO will not accept estimates or a 4-week representative diary of hours worked from home.

 

  • Even if you made a loss, you must report any sale of your crypto-currencies, airdrop, staking interest income and so on correctly in your tax return.

 

  • You should declare all income including cash and non-cash benefits from all sources.

 

  • You need to make your EOFY shares/units/stocks/CFD trading and dividends statements ready to report them correctly in your tax return.

 

  • You need to make your EOFY managed fund tax statements ready to declare them correctly in your tax return.

Start the logbook for your work vehicle before 30 June:

 

If you are eligible to claim work-related car expenses, you'll be limited to the cents per kilometre method, which is capped at $4,400, if you don't have a car logbook.

 

If you haven't started your logbook yet, there is still time. As long as your logbook starts before 30 June 2026 it will be valid for the 2026 financial year.

 

The logbook must be a valid one as per the ATO's guidelines and it only has to be 12-weeks long. It can be valid for next five years as long as your overall pattern-of-usage for the tax-return year is within +/- 10% of your logbook percentage.

Must record the odometer reading on 30 June:

 

Even if you maintained your logbook for 12 weeks, you must also record your final odometer reading for the financial year on 30 June to claim your work-related car expenses.

 

This is specially very important for EV owners. EV owners won't be eligible to claim electricity charging at home using the 4.2 cpkm method if they don't have an odometer record at the 30th of June.

 

The easiest way to record this is to take a photograph of your work-vehicle's odometer reading on 30 June using your mobile device and email it to yourself with a subject line saying "EOFY Odometer reading - 2026".

Prepay to accelerate some expenses claims:

 

You can claim a tax deduction in this financial year for expenses which wholly or partly relate to next financial year. Consider pre-paying for expenses like:

 

  • rent
  • union fees
  • advertising
  • software
  • licences
  • accounting fees
  • professional subscriptions, and;
  • annual insurance premiums in advance by 30 June 2026 in order to accelerate your deductions for your 2026 tax return.
$20,000 instant asset write-off claim for FY 2026:

 

Temporary Full Expensing (TFE) has been replaced by Instant Asset Write-Off (IAWO) from financial year starting 1 July 2023.

 

Under IAWO measure, small businesses, with aggregated turnover of less than $10 million, will be able to immediately deduct the full cost of eligible assets costing less than $20,000 that are first used or installed ready for use between 1 July 2025 and 30 June 2026.

 

The $20,000 threshold will apply on a per asset basis, so small business entities (SBEs) can instantly write off multiple assets.

 

Assets valued at $20,000 or more (which cannot be immediately deducted) can continue to be placed into the small business simplified depreciation pool and depreciated at 15% in the first income year and 30% each income year after that.

 

For assets over this threshold, SBEs have the choice between small business depreciation and traditional diminishing value depreciation, each of which has pros and cons based on SBE-specific particular circumstances.

 

Claiming a new capital assets on your tax return can be complex. There are tricky timing rules, caps on the maximum amount and various adjustments must need to be considered and accounted for. It also gets complicated as much as tax is concered when your IAWO deduction creates an overall business loss.

 

If your small business needs to buy any expensive asset soon (i.e a business car), this would be a good idea to buy them and get them ready for use before 30 June 2026 for this asset to be fully tax deductible under IAWO measure in your 2026 tax return.

 

Please note, as per budget 2026-27, this measure (IAWO under $20,000) for small business will be made permanent.

 

Take advantage of small business energy incentive (applies to FY2024):

 

The energy incentive applies to eligible expenditure on assets between 1 July 2023 and 30 June 2024 ('the bonus period'). It also applies to eligible expenditure on improvements to existing assets incurred during the bonus period.

 

Eligible SBE can claim an additional 20% tax deduction on spending that supports electrification and more efficient use of energy.

 

The energy incentive helps small businesses make investments like:

 

  • electrifying their heating and cooling systems
  • upgrading to more efficient fridges and induction cooktops
  • installing batteries and heat pumps.

 

Up to $100,000 of total expenditure is eligible for the energy incentive, with the maximum bonus tax deduction being $20,000 per business.

Tax deductible personal super contributions:

 

You may be able to claim a tax deduction for personal super contributions you make to a complying super fund or retirement savings account (RSA).

 

In order to claim a deduction, you must first give your super fund or RSA provider a valid notice of intent and receive an acknowledgment form from your fund or RSA provider. Also, your personal contribution amount must be received by 30 June by your super fund provider. This means you need to make this payment to your super fund at least couple of weeks before 30 June.

 

Before claiming a deduction for personal super contributions, you should consider the impacts on your super.

 

Also, you need to make sure the total amount of your contributions for the year (including the contributions made on your behalf by your employer) is within the concessional contributions cap. The concessional contributions cap is the maximum amount of before-tax contributions you can contribute to your super each year without contributions being subject to extra tax.

 

  • From 1 July 2024, the concessional contributions cap is $30,000.
  • From 1 July 2021 to 30 June 2024, the concessional contributions cap for each year was $27,500.
  • From 1 July 2017 to 30 June 2021, the concessional contribution cap for each year was $25,000.

 

The cap increases in increments of $2,500 in line with the statistical measure of average weekly ordinary time earnings (AWOTE).

 

If you have unused cap amounts from previous years, you may be able to carry them forward to increase your contribution caps in later years.

 

Example: effects of claiming a deduction for a personal super contribution

 

During 2019–20 Christie is employed as a hairdresser and earns $35,000 in assessable income.

 

Christie contributes $5,000 to her super fund as a personal contribution. If she wanted to claim an income tax deduction for the entire super contribution, she would need to give her fund a notice of intent and get an acknowledgment.

 

Having done this, Christie could claim a tax deduction of $5,000, reducing her taxable income to $30,000. However, her fund would pay 15% tax on the $5,000, so only $4,250 would be credited to Christie's super fund account. Additionally, Christie would be eligible for the low income superannuation tax offset, so the government would refund her offset into her super account. However, she would not be eligible for a super co-contribution.

 

If Christie decided to claim a personal income tax deduction for $4,000 instead of the entire $5,000, this would mean:

  • her taxable income would be $31,000

  • her fund would have to pay 15% tax on the $4,000, so $3,400 would be credited to her account

  • she may be eligible for the super co-contribution in respect of the $1,000 that was not claimed as a deduction, in which case the government would pay her co-contribution entitlement ($500) into her super account

  • she would be eligible for the low income superannuation tax offset, so the government would refund her offset into her super account.

 

Contact your own super fund provider to arrange making your tax deductible personal super contribution yourself or contact our office on 0422 270 122 if you need further assistance in relation to your tax deductible personal super contribution.

Capital gains Vs. capital losses:

 

If you’ve made a capital gain, check your investment portfolio and consider disposing of any assets which are sitting at a loss before the EOFY. These capital losses can be offset against your capital gains.

 

However, be careful about the "wash-sales"!

 

Wash sales typically involve the disposal of assets such as crypto and shares just before the end of the financial year, where after a short period of time, the taxpayer reacquires the same or substantially similar assets. This is a wash sale and is done to create a loss to offset against a gain already derived, or expected to be derived, in certain circumstances, in a tax return.

 

A wash sale is different from normal buying and selling of assets because it is undertaken for the artificial purpose of generating a tax benefit for the current financial year. The taxpayer disposes of and reacquires the asset for the deliberate purpose of realising a capital gains loss and obtaining an unfair tax benefit.

 

The ATO’s sophisticated data analytics can identify wash sales through access to data from share registries and crypto asset exchanges. When the ATO identifies this behaviour, the capital loss is rejected, resulting in an even bigger loss to the taxpayer.

EOFY obligations for employers:

 

The ATO reminds employers they need to keep on top of their payroll governance. This includes:

 

  • using their tax and super software to record the amounts they pay;
  • withholding the right amount of tax; and
  • calculating superannuation guarantee ('SG') correctly.

 

As 30 June gets closer, employers should check their reporting obligations, along with any upcoming changes and key dates, including for:

 

 

Key Changes from 1 July 2026:

 

- SG Rate: The rate stays at 12% (finalized on 1 July 2025).

- Payment Timing: Super must be paid at the same time as salary/wages (payday).

- Deadline: Payments must reach the employee’s super fund within 7 business days after payday.

- Penalty: Missed payments result in the Super Guarantee Charge (SGC), which is more expensive than standard contributions.

- Calculation: Calculated on ordinary time earnings (OTE). 

 

Steps to Prepare:

 

- Update Systems: Ensure payroll software supports SuperStream for immediate payment.

- Review Pay Cycles: Adjust cash flow to manage super payments with every pay run.

- Ensure Compliance: Check that reporting via Single Touch Payroll (STP) matches super payment timing.

 

Do not hesitate to contact iqCron Accounting, if you need assistance in relation to your Payroll and STP administration.

Avoid unexpected tax consequences by knowing how much to repay on a Division 7A loan: 

 

To avoid an unfranked dividend under the Division 7A rules, loans from a private company to its shareholders or their associates must be either repaid in full or be covered by a 'Division 7A complying loan agreement' before the company's lodgment day.

 

Complying loan agreements require minimum yearly repayments ('MYRs') comprising of interest and principal to be made each year, starting from the income year after the loan is made.


Taxpayers must ensure they can meet the required MYRs on complying loans. 

 

If taxpayers miss the MYR or do not pay enough in an income year, the shortfall may be treated as an unfranked dividend.


Also, note that borrowing additional amounts from the same company, directly or indirectly, to make repayments on complying loans may result in the repayment not being taken into account in working out if the MYR has been made.

When making MYRs, borrowers need to:

  • start repayments in the income year after the complying loan was made;
  • use the correct benchmark interest rate (8.37% for the 2026 income year) to calculate the MYR for the current year; and
  • make the required payments on the loan by the due date — the end of the income year (i.e., usually by 30 June).

 

Do not hesitate to contact iqCron Accounting, if you need assistance in relation to paying your Division 7A loan.

Get your trust distributions done right:

 

Trustees should do the following to prepare for year-end distributions:

 

  • review the relevant trust deed to ensure they are making decisions consistent with the terms of the deed;
  • consider who the intended beneficiaries are and their entitlement to income and capital under the trust deed;
  • notify beneficiaries of their entitlements, so that the beneficiaries can correctly report distributions in their tax returns;
  • consider whether the trust has any capital gains or franked distributions they would like to stream to beneficiaries; and
  • check any requirements under the trust deed governing the making of trustee resolutions (e.g., that the resolution must be in writing).  In any case, resolutions regarding distributions need to be made by the end of the income year.
  • make sure if the family trust election, revocation or variation is required or done properly to avoid tax consequences
  • make sure if the interposed entity election or revocation is required or done properly to avoid tax consequences
  • make sure if closely held trusts annual withholding or TFN report is required or done properly to avoid tax consequences

 

Give us a buzz, if you need assistance in relation to your trust.

SMSF - TBAR lodgement reminder:

 

SMSFs must report certain events that affect any member's transfer balance account ('TBA') quarterly using transfer balance account reporting ('TBAR'). These events must be reported even if the member's total superannuation balance is less than $1 million.


SMSF trustees must report and lodge within 28 days after the end of the quarter in which the event occurs, although they are not required to lodge if no TBA event occurred during the quarter.

 

For example, if an SMSF had a TBA event in the quarter ending 31 March 2026, the trustee of the SMSF must lodge a TBAR by 28 April 2026.

 

If an SMSF does not lodge a TBAR by the required date, the member's TBA may be adversely affected. The member may need to commute any amounts in excess of their transfer balance cap and pay more in excess transfer balance tax.

 

 

Contact iqCron Accounting, if you need assistance in relation to your SMSF taxation matters.

SMSF annual return (SAR) preparation:

 

If you are an SMSF trustee you should make sure to prepare for upcoming lodgments of SAR.

 

SMSFs need to appoint an auditor no later than 45 days before they lodge their SAR.


In preparation for lodgment of the SAR, SMSF trustees also need to:

 

  • complete a market valuation of all the SMSF's assets;
  • prepare the SMSF's financial statements; and
  • provide signed copies of documents to their auditor, so the auditor can determine the SMSF's financial position and its compliance with superannuation laws.

 

If an SMSF's SAR is more than two week's overdue, and the SMSF trustee has not contacted the ATO, the ATO will change the status of the SMSF on Super Fund Lookup to 'Regulation details removed', and this status will remain until any overdue lodgments are brought up to date.

 

 

Contact iqCron Accounting, if you need assistance in relation to your SMSF taxation matters.

Disclaimer:

iqCron Accounting advises that many of the comments in this EOFY Tax Planning - 2025 are general in nature and anyone intending to apply the information to their practical circumstances should seek professional advice to independently verify their interpretation and the information’s applicability to their particular circumstances. This article was written and amalgamated with the help of various publicly available publications from the ATO website. The contents of this article may be confidential and may be protected by copyright and/or legal privilege. Any unauthorised use, reproduction, disclosure or distribution of the information contained in this article is prohibited without the writer's permission.

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ATO warns taxpayers: Don't lodge yet!

 

The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) is warning taxpayers not to lodge their tax returns until their income statement is marked as ‘tax ready’ and data has been pre-filled by the ATO.

 

Last year 142,000 people who lodged in the first 2 weeks of July had to lodge amendments, or had their returns investigated and amended by the ATO to fix inaccuracies in their tax return, for example, income that had not been declared properly.

 

Source: https://www.ato.gov.au/media-centre/ato-warns-taxpayers-dont-lodge-yet

 

ATO's new focus areas for small business:

 

The ATO is concerned that these are areas where small businesses are getting it wrong, being opportunistic or deliberate on an ongoing basis.

 

Areas of concern right now are:

 

- contractors omitting income – with a focus on data matching to ensure all income is reported.

- quarterly to monthly BAS reporting for GST purposes – to build good business habits and help improve cashflow management.

- small business boost measures – encouraging self-amendment to correct errors and omissions.

 

The ATO will also continue thier focus on non-commercial business losses, small business capital gains tax (CGT) concessions, business income is not personal income and GST registration and income of taxi, limousine and ride-sourcing services. 

 

The ATO views small business as serious business and by sharing these concerns with you early, the ATO want to help you set up good habits to get it right and stay on track.

 

Source: https://www.ato.gov.au/businesses-and-organisations/small-business-newsroom/our-new-focus-areas-for-small-business

 

For more information on what's else on ATO's watch list visit: Areas of focus 2024-25

 

ATO flags 3 key focus areas for tax time 2024 (may still apply for tax time 2025-26):

 

As ‘tax time’ approaches, the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) has announced it will be taking a close look at 3 common errors being made by taxpayers:

 

1. Incorrectly claiming work-related expenses

2. Inflating claims for rental properties

3. Failing to include all income when lodging

 

1. Work-related expenses: 

 

In 2023 more than 8 million people claimed a work-related deduction, and around half of those claimed a deduction related to working from home.

 

Taxpayers using the 'revised fixed rate method' of calculating a working from home deduction must have comprehensive records to substantiate their claims, including records that show the actual number of hours they worked from home, and the additional running costs they incurred to claim a deduction. DO NOT copy and paste your work-related expenses from your last year's tax return.

 

Remember, there are three golden rules for claiming a deduction for any work-related expense:

 

- you must have spent the money yourself and weren’t reimbursed,

- the expense must directly relate to earning your income, and

- you must have a record (usually a receipt) to prove it.

 

 2. Rental properties: 

 

Rental properties continue to remain in the ATO’s sights. ATO data shows 9 out of 10 rental property owners are getting their income tax returns wrong. 

 

Performing general repairs and maintenance on a rental property can be claimed as an immediate deduction. However, expenses which are capital in nature (such as initial repairs on a newly purchased property) are not deductible as repairs or maintenance.

 

3. Get it right – wait to lodge: The ATO is also warning against rushing to lodge your tax return on 1 July. If you have received income from multiple sources, you need to wait until this is pre-filled in your tax return before lodging.

 

Your employers usually have 14 days to finalise your EOFY PAYG summaries (known as STP finalisation) from the EOFY 30 June. Some employers may even get more time for your STP finalisation. Regardless of the dates, if you rush to lodge your return when your information is not "tax-ready" or all sources of your income are not reported to the ATO correctly, you may run the risk of facing an ATO audit, review or amendment resulting you to pay the amendment fees to your tax agent again, shortfall of your tax return outcome to the ATO and even penalties imposed by the ATO if it is found to be deliberate and careless act in nature.

 

Source: https://www.ato.gov.au/media-centre/ato-flags-3-key-focus-areas-for-this-tax-time

ATO issues notice on crypto asset data-matching program - 22 April 2024: 

 

The ATO advises that it will acquire account identification and transaction data from crypto designated service providers for the 2023-24 financial year through to the 2025-26 financial year inclusively.

 

This data will include the following:

 

  • client identification details (names, addresses, dates of birth, phone numbers, social media accounts and email addresses); and
  • transaction details (bank account details, wallet addresses, transaction dates, transaction times, transaction types, deposits, withdrawals, transaction quantities and coin types).

 

The ATO estimates that records relating to approximately 700,000 to 1,200,000 individuals and entities will be obtained each financial year.

 

The data will be acquired and matched to ATO systems to identify and treat clients who failed to report a disposal of crypto assets in their income tax return.

 

Please contact iqCron Accounting, if you need assistance in relation to calculating the CGT on your crypto-currency trading on different crypto-trading platforms.

Changes in reporting requirements for not-for-profits (NFPs):

 

Prepare early for the new annual reporting requirement!

 

If your not-for-profit has an active Australian business number (ABN), you need to lodge a NFP self-review return to access income tax exemption.

 

Lodgments are required to be made from the 2023–24 income year onward.

 

The NFP self-review return will guide you to consider your organisation's purpose and activities against specific requirements of those who needs to lodge. This will assist you to determine the basis for which you self-assess as income tax exempt, and report this to the ATO. While you need to report using the self-review return, you will not pay tax on your income unless you are a taxable not-for-profit.

 

Taxpayers can lodge the NFP self-review return for the 2024–25 financial year anytime between 1 July and 31 October 2025. 

 

Who needs to lodge: Non-charitable NFPs with an active ABN that self-assess income tax exemption must lodge an NFP self-review return.

 

Who does not need to report: A government entity or a charity registered with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) are not required to lodge an NFP self-review return. Charities already lodge an annual information statement to the ACNC each year.

 

Similarly taxable not-for-profits are not required to lodge, as they already lodge an income tax return or notify the ATO of a return not necessary each year. Annual reporting is central to providing the community an assurance that only eligible not-for-profits access an income tax exemption.

 

Contact iqCron Accounting, if you need assistance in relation to lodging your NFP annual reporting.

Updates from ASIC InFocus July 2024 - Vol 33 Issue 5: 

 

Directors convicted for failing to have a director ID:

 

Two Western Australian directors were recently convicted for failing to have a director ID.

 

Both directors were fined $5,000 in the Perth Magistrates Court on 3 May 2024, for failing to comply with director identification requirements. The maximum penalty for failure to comply is currently a fine of $18,780.

 

The Magistrate stated the director ID service had been enacted for a proper public purpose and considerable efforts had been made by government agencies to bring the accused’s attention to the service and comply.

 

Directors must apply for their director ID themselves. Check out this Director ID InfoGraphic designed by the ASIC to help you register for a director ID.

 

Be prepared for EOFY and tax time cyber attacks: 

 

The EOFY and tax time is busy for taxpayers with increased activity and financial requirements. It is also hacking season for cyber criminals as they capitalise on this hectic time for you and your staff.

 

The Cyber Security Guide for EOFY is a quick reference tool by Cyber Wardens, to help taxpayers prepare for this peak period of cyber attacks. It includes:

 

  • Practical tips to combat 6 types of scams

  • Watching out for ATO & myGov scams

  • Sharing financial information safely – eInvoicing

  • A cyber security checklist, and more.

 

We encourage taxpayers to download this Guide and complete the simple online Cyber Wardens training.

Small business support – $20,000 instant asset write-off:

 

Temporary increase of the instant asset write-off limit from $1,000 to $20,000 for the 2025–26 income year.

 

On 4 April 2025, the government announced it will continue to provide support for small businesses by extending the $20,000 instant asset write-off limit for a further 12 months until 30 June 2026.

 

This measure is now law.

 

Under the measure small businesses with an aggregated turnover of less than $10 million, can deduct:

 

  • the full cost of eligible depreciating assets costing less than $20,000 that are first used or installed ready for use between 1 July 2025 and 30 June 2026

  • an amount included in the second element (cost addition) of eligible depreciating asset's cost that they have incurred between 1 July 2025 and 30 June 2026, if they claimed an immediate deduction for the asset under the simplified depreciation rules in a prior income year where the amount is: - the first amount of second element cost incurred after the end of the income year in which the asset was written off; and - less than $20,000.

 

The $20,000 limit under the measures applies on a per asset basis, so small businesses can instantly write off multiple assets.

 

Assets valued at $20,000 or more can continue to be placed into the small business pool and depreciated at 15% in the first income year and 30% each income year after that. In addition, pool balances under $20,000 at the end of 2025–26 income year can be written off.

 

Source: https://www.ato.gov.au/about-ato/new-legislation/in-detail/businesses/small-business-support-20000-dollar-instant-asset-write-off

Support available to businesses experiencing difficulties to pay tax bills:

 

By paying your tax bill in full and on time, you can avoid paying the general interest charge ('GIC'), which is currently 11.17%, and which accrues daily for any overdue debts.

 

The ATO advises business owners that, if their business is dealing with financial difficulties, there are some options to help make their tax bill "less taxing".

 

Taxpayers who are struggling to pay in full or on time may be eligible to set up a payment plan. If they owe $200,000 or less, they may be able to do this themselves using online services. If they cannot do so, or they owe more than $200,000, they can contact the ATO to discuss their options.

 

Disclaimer:

iqCron Accounting advises that many of the comments in this EOFY Tax Update - 2026 are general in nature and anyone intending to apply the information to their practical circumstances should seek professional advice to independently verify their interpretation and the information’s applicability to their particular circumstances. This article was written and amalgamated with the help of various publicly available publications from the ATO website. The contents of this article may be confidential and may be protected by copyright and/or legal privilege. Any unauthorised use, reproduction, disclosure or distribution of the information contained in this article is prohibited without the writer's permission.

💪 No ads. No agenda. Just whack the like if it hit different.

Personal income tax cuts:

New tax cuts for individual taxpayers will apply in addition to the first round of tax cuts started from 1 July 2024.

 

For the first tax bracket over $18,200:

From 1 July 2026, 16% will be reduced to 15%

From 1 July 2027, 15% will be reduced to 14%

 

The Medicare levy low-income threshold will also be increased for singles, families, seniors & pensioners from 1 July 2024.

 

For current tax rates, please visit the ATO website here.

 

Income thresholds

Marginal rate of repayment

Below $67,000 

 Nil

Income above $67,000 to $124,999 

15c for each $1 over $67,000

Income above $125,000 

$8,700 plus 17c for each $1 over $125,000

 
Student-loan debt cuts:

 

A previously-announced measure, the below reforms will reduce student loan debt by $19 billion.

 

- Once-off reduction of all outstanding HELP and student debts by 20% before indexation is applied on1 June 2025, removing $16 billion of debt.

- Retrospective adjusted indexation for 2023 and 2024, reducing debt by a further $3 billion.

- From 1 July 2025, the income threshold for compulsory repayments will rise from $54,435 to $67,000, easing the burden on lower-income earners.

- New repayments system will be based only on income above the $67,000 threshold, as follows:

Extension of energy bill relief fund: 

 

Individuals, Families, Small businesses will continue to receive a $75 per quarter rebate untill 31 Dec 2025.

Restricting foreign ownership of housing:

 

Foreign persons, including temporary residents and foreign-owned companies, will be banned from purchasing established dwellings for 2 years starting 1 April 2025, unless an exception applies. The ATO will receive $5.7 million over 4 years to enforce the ban, $8.9 million over 4 years and $1.9 million annually from 2029–30, to implement an audit program to target land banking by foreign investors.

Enhancing tax practitioner compliance:

 

Stronger sanctions available to the Tax Practitioners Board, modernise the registration framework, and fund TPB compliance efforts targeting high-risk practitioners from 1 July 2025.

Extending & funding compliance programs:

 

Additional funding for tax compliance programs to raise revenue from audits & reviews - providing $999 million over 4 years to the ATO.

Restricting non-compete clauses:

 

The Government will ban non-compete clauses for workers earning less than the high-income threshold ($175,000), from an unspecified date.

 

The Government will also make changes to competition law that will prevent businesses from:

- Fixing wages through anti-competitive arrangements that cap pays and conditions without workers' consent

- Using 'no-poach' agreements to prevent staff from being hired by competitors

Small business and franchisee support and protection:

 

$12 million provided over 4 years from 1 July 2025 to support and protect small businesses, focusing on the franchising sector.

 

- $7.1 million to strengthen ACCC enforcement of the Franchising Code.

- $3 million for ASIC to improve data analytics & targetillegal phoenixing, particularly in construction sector.

- $1.2 million to establish a Social Enterprise Loan Fundwith White Box Enterprises.

- $0.8 million for Treasury to develop protections against unfair trading practices for small businesses, including those under the Franchising Code.

Supporting the hospitality sector & alcohol producers:

 

Indexation on draught beer excise and customs duty rates will be paused for two years from August 2025.

 

There will be increased support for the Excise Remission Scheme and Wine Equalisation Tax Producer Rebate, by increasing the cap to $400,000 per financial year from 1July 2026 for eligible brewers, distillers & wine producers.

Amendments to existing measures:

Start dates of the following measures will be deferred.

Measures

Extended from

Extending the clean building managed investment trust (MIT) withholding tax concession (10% final WHT) 

From 1 July 2025 to the first 1 January, 1 April, 1July or 1 October from when the Act receives Royal Assent

Strengthening the foreign resident capital gains tax (CGT) regime 

From 1 July 2025 to the later of 1 October 2025 or the first 1 January, 1 April,1 July or 1 October from when the Act receives Royal Assent

Clarification of Managed Investment Trust (MIT) Rules:

 

Taxpayer Alert TA 2025/1 was released following the ATO’s identification of non-commercial restructures designed to access the concessional MIT withholding regime. To provide market certainty, MIT rules will be clarified to ensure legitimate investors can continue to accessthe concessional withholding tax rates in Australia. This applies to fund payments from 13 March 2025.

 

 

Disclaimer:

iqCron Accounting advises that many of the comments in this Federal Budget 2025-2026 - Highlights are general in nature and do not take into account your personal circumstances. This information is based on budget announcements as at the date of publication. Final legislation may differ from the announcements summarised here. Anyone intending to apply the information to their practical circumstances should seek professional advice to independently verify their interpretation and the information's applicability to their particular situation. 

 

This Federal Budget 2026-2027 - Highlights is current as at June 2025.

💪 No ads. No agenda. Just whack the like if it hit different.

 
💼 For workers & employees: 
 
🧾 $250 Working Australians Tax Offset (WATO) – permanent annual offset from 2027–28 for over 13 million workers. Applies automatically in your tax return
 
⚡ $1,000 instant tax deduction for work-related expenses (no receipts needed) from 2026–27 - average saving $205. Claim as a standard deduction when you lodge.
 
📉 Lower tax rates – 16% rate on income 18,201–45,000 drops to 15% from 1 July 2026, then to 14% from 1 July 2027. Applied automatically.
 
💰 Combined benefit for average earner: up to $2,816 per year from 2027–28 (WATO + three prior tax cuts + instant deduction + lower rates)
 
🏠 Housing – negative gearing & capital gains tax (CGT) – from 1 July 2027:
 
🚫 Negative gearing limited to new builds only – existing properties held before 12 May 2026 are fully exempt and unchanged
 
📉 Losses on established properties bought after 12 May 2026 can only offset other residential property income (not wages or salary). In your tax return, these losses will be quarantined – they appear but cannot reduce your employment income. Any loss you cannot use in the current year is carried forward indefinitely until you have qualifying residential property income or a residential property capital gain to absorb it.
 
🔁 50% CGT discount replaced with CPI indexation + 30% minimum tax on real gains (applies only to gains accrued after 1 July 2027). ATO will provide online tools to calculate indexed cost base. This applies to ALL CGT assets – including shares, managed funds, and commercial property – not just housing.
 
🆕 New builds – investors can choose either 50% discount or indexation method when selling; negative gearing still fully available
 
🏡 Main residence exemption and small business CGT concessions unchanged
 
📊 Around 1.1 million taxpayers report net capital gains each year – most will see changes only if they sell assets held after July 2027
 
🧭 Key notes:
 
  1. 🏢 Commercial property investors – Nothing changes for negative gearing. But the CGT discount changes will affect you when you sell.
  2. 🏠 Grandfathered owners (owned/contracted before 12 May 2026) – Old negative gearing rules apply forever. CGT changes only apply to gains after July 2027.
  3. 📅 Transitional buyers (Established home bought between 12 May 2026 – 30 June 2027) – Current rules until 30 June 2027, then losses become quarantined (can only offset residential property income or residential property capital gains).
  4. 🆕 New build investors – Full negative gearing benefits retained + choice of CGT discount method at sale.
  5. 🚫 New established home buyers (from 12 May 2026 onward) – Rental losses are quarantined to residential property only. Cannot offset wage income or gains from shares.
  6. 💰 Super funds & widely held trusts – Completely excluded from negative gearing changes.
  7. 📈 Share investors – Negative gearing rules do not apply to shares. But the CGT discount changes (indexation + 30% minimum tax) WILL apply when you sell shares held for more than 12 months
 
🤝 Discretionary trusts – from 1 July 2028

 

🔒 30% minimum tax on discretionary trust income – paid by the trustee

 

💳 Non-corporate beneficiaries receive non-refundable credits for trustee tax – you enter both the trust income and credit in your tax return, reducing tax payable

 

🚫 Corporate beneficiaries (bucket companies) cannot claim credits – prevents avoidance. This can push the effective tax rate on distributed income to 51% or higher, and up to 63% if the bucket company later pays a franked dividend to an individual on the top marginal rate.

 

🏢 Commercial property held in a discretionary trust is caught by this change, even though commercial property is excluded from the negative gearing reforms.

 

🛠️ Rollover relief (CGT-free) for restructuring out of trusts – available 1 July 2027 to 30 June 2030

 

❌ Excludes fixed trusts, unit trusts, super funds, special disability trusts, deceased estates, and charities

 

📜 Testamentary trusts have special treatment. Fixed testamentary trusts are excluded. Existing discretionary testamentary trusts are also excluded. However, new discretionary testamentary trusts created after the budget announcement may be caught by the 30% minimum tax rules.

 

📈 Over 840,000 discretionary trusts in Australia – around half are not expected to pay additional tax in any given year
 
🏢 Additional business & tax system measures:
 
🏢 Small business measures
 
      🛠️ $20,000 instant asset write−off made permanent from 1 July 2026 (turnover under $10 million) – deduct eligible assets immediately in your tax return instead of depreciating over time.

 

      📦 Loss carry-back reintroduced from 2026–27 – get a refund for current year losses against tax paid in previous 2 years. Claim in company tax return for cash refund.

 

     🌱 Loss refundability for new start-ups (first 2 years) from 2028–29 – refund up to FBT and withholding tax paid on employee wages.

 

     📅 Monthly PAYG instalments optional from 1 July 2027 – choose this with the ATO for better cash flow.
 
 
💡 Venture capital, R&D and electric cars
 
     🚀 Venture capital incentives expanded from 1 July 2027 – aligns with modern company valuations

 

    🔬 R&D Tax Incentive better targeted from 1 July 2028 – higher offset for core experimental R&D; turnover threshold for refundable offsets increases to $50 million

 

    ⚡ Electric car FBT – permanent 25% discount from 1 April 2029; cars under $75,000 keep full exemption until 1 April 2029 (affects employer FBT returns, not personal returns)
 
 
🧭 What this means for tax payers:
 
🧑‍💼 Workers – lower average tax rates, simpler deductions, offsets applied automatically, more take-home pay
 
🏘️ Property investors – review existing vs new portfolios; existing holdings grandfathered; new builds retain full advantages; established properties bought after 12 May 2026 have quarantined losses
 
📑 Trust clients – assess impact by 2028; consider restructuring before 2030 rollover relief ends; beneficiaries will need to track credits
 
💼 Small businesses – better cash flow via permanent $20k write-off, loss carry-back, and flexible PAYG instalments
 
 
 
🧠 The Reality Check 🧠
(Are These Tax Cuts All As They Seem?)
 
 
The budget promises a lot. But here is what the glossy factsheets don't always tell you.
 
 
👷 For workers – more take-home pay?
 
The good: A $250 non-refundable tax offset and a $1000 no-receipt deduction. Both reduce your tax bill. The actual benefit you receive depends on your income level.
 
⚠️ The catch: The $250 offset is non-refundable. That means it only reduces the tax you owe. If you owe less than $250 in tax, you do not get the leftover as cash. You simply pay no tax and the rest is lost.
 
The $1000 deduction does not save you 1000 dollars. It reduces your taxable income by $1000. The actual saving depends on your tax bracket. A worker on the 30 percent bracket saves $300. A worker on the 16 percent bracket saves only $160.
 
On top of this, the $250 offset is not indexed to inflation. That means its dollar value does not automatically increase each year to keep up with rising prices. In five years of 3 percent inflation, prices will have risen by roughly 16 percent overall, but the offset will still be $250. As a result, its real spending power will drop to the equivalent of only $215 in today's dollars. You will still receive $250 off your tax bill, but that saving will buy you less at the shops than it would today.
 
The RBA could also potentially respond to increased disposable income by keeping interest rates higher for longer, though many other factors influence rate decisions.
 
💡 Bottom line: A genuine short term win for many workers, but inflation quietly eats away at the value over time, and low income workers benefit the least.
 
 
🏘️ For property investors – grandfathered forever?
 
The good: Existing properties keep old rules. New builds stay fully attractive.
 
⚠️ The catch: "Forever" is a long time. Future governments have broken grandfathering before. Also, the new 30% minimum tax on capital gains sounds fair – until inflation spikes. If inflation hits 4% and your real gain is tiny, you still pay 30% tax on it. Ouch...!
 
💡 Bottom line: New builds are the clear winners. Everyone else should watch inflation closely.
 
 
📑 For trusts (in a nutshell) – restructure by 2030?
 
The good: Three years of CGT-free restructuring. A generous window.
 
⚠️ The catch: Restructuring costs real money – legal fees, stamp duty, new loans. The clock is ticking, and every accountant in Australia will be scrambling in 2029. Also, high-income beneficiaries still pay extra tax even with the 30% trustee credit.
 
💡 Bottom line: Start planning now. Do not wait until 2029.

 

 

 

🤔 For trusts and bucket companies - restructure by 2030? 

 

✅ The good: The 30% minimum tax only applies to discretionary trusts. Fixed trusts, unit trusts, special disability trusts, deceased estates, and charities are all excluded. Existing testamentary trusts are also safe. You have three years of CGT-free rollover relief to restructure if needed. That is a generous window.

 

⚠️ The catch: If you use a bucket company (corporate beneficiary), you get no franking credit for the trust's 30% tax. That means double taxation. The effective rate on trust income can hit 51% before any personal tax, and 63% if that money later flows to an individual on the top marginal rate. Australia has not seen rates that high since the late 1970s.

 

The rollover relief window sounds generous, but restructuring costs real money – legal fees, stamp duty (especially in Queensland and Western Australia), new loan arrangements, and updated estate plans. Every accountant in Australia will be scrambling between 2027 and 2030. Do not wait until 2029 to start.
Also, new discretionary testamentary trusts created after the budget announcement may be caught. If you are planning a will that creates a discretionary trust, seek advice now.

 

💡 Bottom line: The bucket company structure you have used for years to smooth income and build retirement savings is now highly tax-ineffective. Start planning your exit strategy before the rollover window closes. Fixed trusts, unit trusts, and companies are your likely landing spots. But do not rush without advice – the wrong structure costs more than the wrong timing.
 

 

💼 For small businesses – cash flow boost?
 
✅ The good: Permanent $20k write-off. Loss carry-back returns. Start-ups can get cash refunds for losses.
 
⚠️ The catch:  The $20k is not indexed. In ten years of 3 percent inflation, it is really only worth about $15k. Loss carry back might be temporary, not permanent.
 
💡 Bottom line: The best and most reliable part of the budget. Take full advantage.
 
 
🎯 The one-sentence takeaway:
 
These tax cuts are real but modest – inflation, future governments, and interest rates will decide whether you actually feel better off. 

 

 
 
🧙 The Fiscal Lobby 🏛️
(🧚A bonus takeaway for those who walk up with the fairies 🧚)

 

The lobby is marble. 🏛️
The penthouse button glows just out of reach.
A child is born in the basement parking lot, wrapped in a receipt for someone else's luxury car. 🧾👶

 

The doors open for everyone. The choice is always yours. 🚪

 

Some ride up fifty floors on a velvet cushion. 🛋️⬆️
Others press the button for years, watching the arrow never move. ⏳⬇️
 
The building is not unfair.
The building is simply tall. 🏢

 

And someone somewhere on the top floor,
behind a door without a number,
laughs at a joke you will never hear. 😏🚪❓

 

The show goes on like a clockwork...
Tick. Tock. ⏰
----------------------------------------------------
Bonus Disclaimer for the Bonus Takeaway:
This bonus takeaway is a cryptic commentary. It walks with fairies, rides elevators that never reach the top floor, and thanks you for playing.
It is for entertainment purposes only. Not tax, financial, or legal advice and we are no shrink either. If your cryptic-self feels too budget-struck, a registered shrink may help.😊
 
Disclaimer:
iqCron Accounting advises that many of the comments in this Federal Budget 2026-2027 - Highlights & Reality Check are general in nature and do not take into account your personal circumstances. This information is based on budget announcements as at the date of publication. Final legislation may differ from the announcements summarised here. Anyone intending to apply the information to their practical circumstances should seek professional advice to independently verify their interpretation and the information's applicability to their particular situation.
 
This article is current as at May 2026.

💪 Like for motivation only. Your energy keeps this going.

⚰️ The Death of the Bucket Company – A Tax Planning Vehicle for Retirement ⚰️
(A bonus breakdown for those who thought they had their golden years figured out)

 

 
🪣 What is a bucket company anyway?

 

Before we mourn its passing, let's understand what we're losing.

 

A bucket company (also called a corporate beneficiary) is a private company set up as a beneficiary of a family discretionary trust. Its job is simple: catch excess trust income that would otherwise be taxed at a family member's top marginal rate of 47 percent.

 

Think of it as a financial bucket. When the trust has a good year, income pours into the bucket company instead of flowing to high-earning family members. The bucket company pays tax at the corporate rate (25 to 30 percent), not 47 percent. The remaining money stays inside the family group – to be invested, saved, or loaned back to the trust.

 

The retirement play: In leaner years, the bucket company pays fully franked dividends back to family members. Because the company already paid tax, the family members receive franking credits. If their personal tax rate is lower than the company rate, they may even get a refund.

 

This smoothed income across generations. It built family wealth. And for decades, it was perfectly legal, widely used, and quietly effective.

 

 
⚰️ What the budget 2026-27 just did:

 

The 2026-27 Federal Budget didn't ban bucket companies. It didn't need to. It simply made them financially suicidal.

 

The mechanic: From 1 July 2028, discretionary trusts pay a 30 percent minimum tax on their taxable income. Individual beneficiaries receive a non-refundable credit for that tax. Corporate beneficiaries (bucket companies) receive no credit at all.

 

No credit means double taxation. The trust pays 30 percent. Then the bucket company pays another 30 percent on what's left. That's a 51 percent effective tax rate before any personal tax is even calculated.

 

If that money later flows to an individual on the top marginal rate of 47 percent, the total tax can reach 63 percent.

 

Australia hasn't seen rates that high since the late 1970s.

 

Scenario
Tax Paid
Effective Rate

Before budget (company only)

30

30%

Before budget (company + top rate individual)

42

42%

After budget (trust tax + company tax)

51

51%

After budget (trust + company + top rate individual)

63

63%

The government achieves this without raising a single tax rate. It simply denies the credit.
 
👔 What the experts are saying:

 

"The bucket company is dead." – Rachael Rofe, estate planning lawyer

 

"The bucket company is being abolished by stealth." – Paul Ashworth, Cameron Harrison

 

"It is a punishing outcome for what has been one of the most widely used legitimate tax planning structures in the country." – Scott Quinlan, Solace Financial

 

"For all intents and purposes, a bucket company is just no longer tax effective… if anything, it is probably one of the most tax-ineffective beneficiaries now to receive a distribution from a trust." – Rachael Rofe

 

Attwood Marshall Lawyers' Jeff Garrett warned that the government may not have thought through the full ramifications for estate planning. "Once you start messing with that, it could also have ramifications for estate planning. There might be a few unexpected outcomes that the tax boffins may not have really thought about."

 

 

🏃 What happens now?

 

The rollover relief window: From 1 July 2027 to 30 June 2030, family groups can restructure out of discretionary trusts into companies or fixed trusts without triggering CGT or income tax consequences.

 

The stamp duty trap: Small businesses in Queensland and Western Australia face an additional sting – those states impose stamp duty on the transfer of business assets beyond real estate, including goodwill, stock, and plant and equipment. Restructuring could cost hundreds of thousands of dollars in state taxes alone.

 

One commentator's view: Paul Ashworth of Cameron Harrison argues the broader goal is to force wealth out of trusts and into companies, where ASIC, director duties, and public reporting provide greater transparency.

 

 
🧭 What this means for your retirement planning:

 

If you have been using a trust and bucket company structure to:

 

  1. Smooth income across high and low earning years
  2. Build a retirement nest egg inside the family group
  3. Pass wealth to the next generation tax-efficiently
     ⚠️ You need a new plan.

 

The three-year rollover window is your opportunity to restructure without penalty. But the clock is ticking. And the legislation is not yet final.

 

 

 

⚰️ The Epitaph⚰️

 

Here lies the bucket company.
Born of clever tax planning.
Lived decades serving family groups.
Killed not by a ban, but by a credit denial.
Effective tax rate: 63 percent.
Cause of death: Budget paper arithmetic.
Survived by: Confused accountants and hurried restructuring meetings.
Tick. Tock. The show goes on like a clockwork.
 
Disclaimer:
iqCron Accounting advises that this article is general commentary only and does not take into account your personal circumstances. The information is based on budget announcements as at May 2026. Final legislation may differ from the announcements summarised here. The 63 percent rate applies only in specific top-marginal-rate scenarios. Nothing in this article constitutes tax, financial, or legal advice. Anyone intending to apply this information to their practical circumstances should seek professional advice tailored to their situation.
 
This article is current as at May 2026.

💪 Like for motivation only. Your energy keeps this going.

 
🏠 Negative Gearing Reform 2026-27 – What Property Investors Need to Know 🏠
(A separate guide for those who rent, buy, build, or simply watch from the sidelines)
 
 
🧭 The one-minute summary

 

From 1 July 2027, negative gearing for residential property will be limited to new builds only. If you already own an established property before 7:30pm AEST on 12 May 2026, nothing changes for you – ever. If you buy an established property after that date, your rental losses will be quarantined. You can still claim them, but only against other residential property income or future capital gains from selling any residential property. You cannot use them to reduce your salary or wage income.

 

New builds keep all the old benefits. Commercial property is completely untouched since it's a different rule and different reality. Super funds and widely held trusts are excluded entirely.

 

And separately, the 50 percent CGT discount is being replaced with CPI indexation plus a 30 percent minimum tax on real gains. That applies to all CGT assets – shares, commercial property, even your grandma's holiday house – but new builds get a choice.

 

Let's walk through it.
 
Key dates to remember   
What happens
7:30pm AEST, 12 May 2026    
The announcement. Properties under contract before this moment are grandfathered forever.
12 May 2026 to 30 June 2027
Transitional window. Buy an established property now? Current rules apply until 30 June 2027. Then losses become quarantined.
1 July 2027
New rules begin. Negative gearing limited to new builds. Losses on established properties quarantined from day one. CGT changes also begin.
1 July 2027 onwards
New builds still fully attractive. Established properties? Quarantined losses.
 
🧙 The grandfathering rule – who is safe?

 

If you owned a residential property before 7:30pm AEST on 12 May 2026, or had signed a contract (even if not yet settled), you keep the old negative gearing rules forever.

 

Forever means forever. No end date. No phase out... Fingers crossed 🤞!

 

You can continue to deduct rental losses against your salary, wages, or business income. You can do this for as long as you hold the property. When you sell, the old CGT rules apply to the portion of the gain accrued before 1 July 2027.

 

This is not a concession. This is a promise. Whether future governments keep it is a question for another day.

 

 
📅 The transitional window – buyers between 12 May 2026 and 30 June 2027

 

If you buy an established residential property during this window, you get current negative gearing rules until 30 June 2027. That means you can still deduct rental losses against your wage income for that short period.

 

But from 1 July 2027, your losses become quarantined. Same as someone who buys after that date. No special treatment beyond the cutover.

 

If you are thinking about buying an established property right now, know that you have a very small window of full deductibility. After that, the rules change.

 

 
🚫 What does "quarantined" mean?

 

A quarantined loss is not lost. It is just locked in a cage.

 

You can still use it. But only against certain types of income.

 

✅ What you can offset with quarantined losses:
  1. Other residential rental income (for example, rent from a second investment property)
  2. Future capital gains when you sell any residential property (not necessarily the same one)
 
❌ What you cannot offset:
  1. Your salary or wages
  2. Business income
  3. Gains from selling shares, commercial property, or other CGT assets
 
Unused losses carry forward indefinitely. They wait patiently until you have qualifying residential property income or a residential property capital gain to absorb them.

 

Think of it as a debit voucher that only works at the residential property store. You cannot use it at the grocery store, the share market, or the pub.

 

 

🆕 New builds – the winners

 

New builds keep all the old benefits. No quarantining. No restrictions.

 

✅ Eligible New Builds*
  • A newly constructed apartment bought off-the-plan.
  • A duplex constructed through a knock-down rebuild replacing a single free-standing house (i.e., increases the number of dwellings).
  • Any residential construction on previously vacant land.
  • A newly built property which is occupied for less than 12 months before being first sold (i.e., a genuine first sale).
 
❌ Not an Eligible New Build
  • An established property that has recently been extended to add additional bedrooms (a renovation).
  • A free-standing house constructed through a knock-down rebuild replacing an older, smaller free-standing house (no increase in the number of dwellings).
  • A granny flat built adjacent to an established property.
  • A newly built property which is occupied for more than 12 months before being sold to a subsequent investor.

 

*'New Builds' definition source: RSM Global analysis of the 2026-27 Federal Budget, based on Treasury explainers released 12 May 2026.

Please note, The ATO has not yet published its own definition of 'new builds' for these measures. The definition above is based on Budget announcements and may be subject to clarification.

 
If you buy an eligible new build, you can:

 

  • Deduct rental losses against your salary and wages (full negative gearing)
  • Claim depreciation as normal (Division 40 and Division 43)
  • Choose at sale between the old 50 percent CGT discount or the new indexation method
 
New builds are the government's chosen vehicle for housing supply. They want you to invest in them. They have made that very clear.

 

 
🏢 Commercial property – completely untouched

 

If you own a shop, warehouse, office, or factory, the negative gearing reforms do not apply to you.

 

You keep full deductibility of losses against other income (subject to non-commercial loss rules for sole traders and partnerships). You keep full depreciation. The residential housing changes simply do not touch you.

 

Most commercial properties are positively geared anyway – rental income typically exceeds interest and holding costs – so negative gearing was rarely the main game.

 

What does change

 

Two other reforms catch commercial property.

 

First, the CGT changes apply in full. From 1 July 2027, the 50 percent discount is replaced with CPI indexation plus a 30 percent minimum tax on real gains. No choice. No exemption for commercial assets.
 
Second, if your commercial property is held in a discretionary trust, the new 30 percent minimum trust tax applies from 1 July 2028. The government's own revenue estimate of $4.47 billion in 2029-30 signals the scale of this shift.
 
What about companies, fixed trusts, and testamentary trusts?

 

If your commercial property is held in a company, the CGT changes apply but the trust tax does not. Companies are not caught by the 30 percent trust minimum tax.

 

If your commercial property is held in a fixed trust or a unit trust, you are generally excluded from the trust tax changes. The 30 percent minimum applies only to discretionary trusts.

 

Testamentary trusts have special treatment. Fixed testamentary trusts are excluded from the 30 percent minimum tax, just like any other fixed trust. Existing discretionary testamentary trusts are also excluded. However, new discretionary testamentary trusts created after the budget announcement may be caught by the 30 percent minimum tax rules. If you are planning to create a discretionary testamentary trust for commercial property or other assets, seek advice before doing so.

 

Your three-year window

 

From 1 July 2027 to 30 June 2030, rollover relief is available. You can restructure out of a discretionary trust into a company or fixed trust without triggering CGT or income tax.

 

The negative gearing rules for commercial property remain exactly as they are today. But commercial property is not untouched overall – just untouched by negative gearing specifically.
 

 

💰 Super funds and widely held trusts – excluded entirely

 

If your residential property is held inside a super fund (including a self-managed super fund) or a widely held trust (such as a managed investment trust), the negative gearing changes do not apply to you at all.

 

You keep the old rules. No quarantining. No restrictions.

 

The government has explicitly excluded these entities from the reform. They are not the target.

 

How CGT applies to SMSFs

 

Unlike individuals, trusts, and companies, SMSFs are completely exempt from the new CGT rules. From 1 July 2027, while everyone else faces a 30% minimum tax on capital gains, SMSFs keep their existing 33.3% discount. That gives an effective CGT rate of just 10% inside an accumulation fund – or 0% in pension phase.

 

The gap between super and personal investing has never been wider.

 

The $3m and $10m super changes – Division 296

 

It's worth mentioning, Separate from the 2026-27 budget's CGT and trust reforms, the Better Targeted Super Concessions (Division 296) takes effect from 1 July 2026. This law was passed in March 2026 and is now final.

 

If your total super balance is under $3 million, you pay no extra tax. Your earnings are simply taxed at the fund rate of 15%.

 

If your total super balance exceeds $3m but is below $10m, an additional 15 % tax applies to the proportion of earnings that relates to the amount above $3m. That brings the total tax rate on those earnings to 30% (the fund's 15% plus the member's 15%).

 

If your total super balance exceeds $10m, a further 10% applies to earnings relating to the amount above $10m. That brings the total tax rate on those highest earnings to 40%.

 

Both thresholds will be indexed to the Consumer Price Index each year. The $3m threshold indexes in increments of $150,000. The $10m threshold indexes in increments of $500,000.
 
For SMSF trustees, you will need to report new information in your SMSF annual return for the 2026–27 financial year onwards if any member exceeds these thresholds.
 
A note for widely held trusts

 

Managed investment trusts and other widely held trusts keep their existing tax treatment. The 30% minimum trust tax from 1 July 2028 applies to discretionary trusts, not to widely held trusts.

 

If you are unsure whether your trust qualifies as "widely held", seek professional advice. The definition matters.

 

 
🔁 The CGT changes – separate but connected

 

The negative gearing reform is one thing. The CGT reform is another. But they run on the same timeline and affect the same people.

 

From 1 July 2027:
  • The 50 percent CGT discount is replaced with CPI indexation plus a 30 percent minimum tax on real gains
  • This applies to all CGT assets – shares, managed funds, commercial property, and residential property
  • Gains accrued before 1 July 2027 still get the 50 percent discount
  • Gains accrued after 1 July 2027 use the new indexation method
 
The only exception: New builds can choose at sale between the old 50 percent discount or the new indexation method.

 

The ATO will provide online tools to help calculate indexed cost bases. Do not try to do this with a spreadsheet and a hope.
 
 
🧭 What this means for different investors

 

Grandfathered owners (owned or under contract before 12 May 2026)
  • Old negative gearing rules apply forever
  • CGT changes only apply to gains after July 2027
  • You can keep doing what you have been doing
 
Transitional buyers (established home bought between 12 May 2026 and 30 June 2027)
  • Current negative gearing rules until 30 June 2027
  • From 1 July 2027, losses become quarantined
  • You have a small window of full deductibility. Use it wisely.
 
New established home buyers (from 12 May 2026 onward, including transitional after July 2027)
  • Losses are quarantined to residential property income and gains only
  • Cannot offset wage income
  • Depreciation still fully available
  • CGT changes apply in full
 
New build investors
  • Full negative gearing benefits retained
  • Choice of CGT discount method at sale
  • The clear winners of this reform
 
Commercial property investors
  • Negative gearing unchanged or not applicable
  • CGT changes apply when you sell
  • Otherwise, business as usual
 
Super funds and widely held trusts
  • Excluded entirely from negative gearing changes
  • CGT changes? Check the exclusions. Most are excluded.
 
Share investors
  • Negative gearing never applied to shares anyway
  • CGT changes (indexation plus 30 percent minimum tax) will apply when you sell shares held for more than 12 months
 
📊 Quick reference table
Property type / owner    
Negative gearing
CGT Treatment
Established, owned before 12 May 2026    
Old rules forever
50% discount for pre-July 2027 gains; indexation after
Established, bought after 12 May 2026
Quarantined (rent + residential CGT only)
Indexation + 30% minimum tax    
New build
Full (can offset wage income)
Choice: 50% discount or indexation
Commercial property
Full (N/A)
Indexation + 30% minimum tax
Super fund or widely held trust
Excluded (old rules) (N/A)
Generally excluded
 
⚠️ A quiet word of caution

 

Grandfathering sounds permanent. But Australian political history suggests otherwise. Negative gearing was previously restricted in 1985 and partially restored later. Future governments facing budget pressure may revisit these rules.

 

The 30 percent minimum tax on capital gains is fair when inflation is low. But if inflation spikes to 4 or 5 percent, that minimum tax on real gains becomes a wealth destroyer. You pay tax on gains that may barely outpace the cost of living.

 

And the quarantine rule means you cannot use rental losses to offset anything except residential property income or gains. If you have a year with a large rental loss and no other residential property income, that loss sits idle. It carries forward, but it does not help you today.

 

Plan accordingly.

 

 

 

 

 

⚰️ The epitaph for established property negative gearing⚰️
 
Born in 1985.
Restored in 1991.
Lived for decades as a middle-class wealth builder.
Killed not by a ban, but by a quarantine.
Survived only for those who bought before May 2026.
The rest will watch their losses wait patiently in a cage,
hoping for a future rent cheque or a capital gain to set them free.

 

Tick. Tock. The show goes on like a clockwork.
 
Disclaimer:
iqCron Accounting advises that this article is general commentary only and does not take into account your personal circumstances. The information is based on budget announcements as at May 2026. Final legislation may differ from the announcements summarised here. Nothing in this article constitutes tax, financial, SMSF or legal advice. Anyone intending to apply this information to their practical circumstances should seek professional advice tailored to their situation.
 
This article is current as at May 2026.

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