SMSF Compliance Calendar 2025-26 & 2026-27 | Super Informed

SMSF Compliance Calendar
2025-26 & 2026-27

Every deadline, every threshold, every obligation in one place. Here are the ONLY dates you need to diarise this year and next.

Last updated: April 2026 Next review: July 2026 Covers both FY2025-26 and FY2026-27

Want to stay notified every time super rules change? Super Informed is free, every Thursday.

Subscribe free →

Reference

Key Thresholds at a Glance

These are the headline numbers that govern what you can contribute, how much you can hold in retirement phase, and what the ATO expects to see. Changes from 1 July 2026 are highlighted.

Threshold	FY2025-26	FY2026-27
Concessional contributions cap	$30,000	$32,500 +$2,500
Non-concessional contributions cap	$120,000	$130,000 +$10,000
NCC bring-forward maximum (3 years)	$360,000	$390,000 +$30,000
Transfer Balance Cap	$2,000,000	$2,100,000 +$100,000
Super Guarantee rate	12%	12%
Division 296 threshold	Not yet in effect	$3,000,000 New
Annual supervisory levy (existing fund)	$259	$259
TSB limit for NCC eligibility (prior 30 June)	Below $2,000,000	Below $2,100,000
TSB limit for carry-forward eligibility (prior 30 June)	Below $500,000	Below $500,000

ⓘ

Source: Concessional cap increase to $32,500 confirmed via AWOTE December 2025 quarter data (released 26 February 2026). Transfer Balance Cap increase to $2.1M confirmed by the ATO. Division 296 legislation passed both Houses of Parliament on 10 March 2026 and takes effect 1 July 2026. ATO contribution caps ↗

Standing Reference

Minimum Pension Drawdown Rates

These rates apply for both FY2025-26 and FY2026-27. The COVID-era 50% reductions ended on 1 July 2023 and have not been reinstated. ATO minimum pension payments ↗

Age at 1 July	Minimum %
Under 65	4%
65 to 74	5%
75 to 79	6%
80 to 84	7%
85 to 89	9%
90 to 94	11%
95 or older	14%

●

How it works: Your minimum is calculated on your pension account balance at 1 July, multiplied by the percentage for your age on that date. If your age puts you in a new bracket during the year, the higher rate applies from the following 1 July.

ⓘ

TTR pensions: Same minimum of 4%. Maximum of 10% applies until you turn 65 or meet another full condition of release.

ⓘ

New pension (started after 1 July): The minimum is pro-rated based on days remaining in the financial year. No minimum applies if the pension starts on or after 1 June.

Current Financial Year

FY2025-26 Compliance Dates

What you must action between 1 July 2025 and 30 June 2026. Dates are for the 2024-25 annual return lodgement cycle unless stated otherwise.

Annual Return Lodgement

These dates are for lodging the 2024-25 SMSF Annual Return (SAR). Your date depends on your fund's circumstances and whether you use a registered tax agent. ATO SMSF annual return ↗

Due Date	Who It Applies To
31 October 2025	Self-lodging funds (trustees preparing their own return)
25 November 2025	Funds with one or more overdue prior-year returns (via tax agent)
15 January 2026	Taxable funds via registered tax agent (ATO-flagged)
28 February 2026	Newly registered funds via registered tax agent
31 March 2026	Funds with total income over $2M in the latest lodged year
15 May 2026	Standard deadline for most tax agent clients
5 June 2026	Eligible non-taxable or refund funds (via tax agent)

ⓘ

Note on 15 January: This date applies specifically to funds the ATO has identified as taxable based on the prior lodged year. Most funds use the 15 May standard agent date. If you are unsure which date applies to your fund, confirm with your accountant before October.

Why it matters Late lodgement can trigger failure-to-lodge penalties and, in serious cases, result in your fund's Super Fund Lookup status changing to "regulation details removed." That restricts your ability to receive rollovers and employer contributions until the return is lodged. The ATO supervisory levy of $259 is paid with this return, covering the following financial year.

Audit Requirements

Your auditor must be appointed at least 45 days before your fund's annual return due date. For a 15 May return, that means engaging your auditor by late March at the latest.
The auditor must provide the independent audit report (IAR) within 28 days of receiving all required documentation from you. You must provide any information they request within 14 days of a written request.
You cannot lodge the annual return until the audit is complete. The return must include the auditor's details and their ASIC-issued SMSF Auditor Number (SAN).

●

Approved auditors are in high demand between March and May. Engage yours well before your return due date, and have your financial statements and records organised and ready to provide.

Super Guarantee Quarterly Deadlines

Contributions must be received by the employee's super fund by the due date, not just sent. Allow at least 3 to 5 business days for bank clearing.

Quarter	Period	Due Date
Q1	1 July to 30 September 2025	28 October 2025
Q2	1 October to 31 December 2025	28 January 2026
Q3	1 January to 31 March 2026	28 April 2026
Q4 (final)	1 April to 30 June 2026	28 July 2026

⚠

Q4 is the last quarter under the old system. From 1 July 2026, Payday Super replaces the quarterly model. Super must be paid within 7 business days of each payday. See the FY2026-27 section below.

TBAR (Transfer Balance Account Report)

All SMSFs must lodge TBAR quarterly, regardless of member balances. This has been required since 1 July 2023. ATO TBAR guidance ↗

Events occurring in	TBAR due by
July to September 2025	28 October 2025
October to December 2025	28 January 2026
January to March 2026	28 April 2026
April to June 2026	28 July 2026

ⓘ

What to report: Commencing a pension, commuting a pension (fully or partially), rolling back to accumulation phase, and receiving a reversionary pension. Investment gains, losses, and regular pension payments do not affect the transfer balance account and do not require a TBAR.

Why it matters Failure to lodge a TBAR on time can result in your member's transfer balance account being calculated incorrectly. If the ATO issues an excess transfer balance determination because of late reporting, the consequences can be costly and difficult to unwind. If a member has exceeded their cap, a voluntary commutation report may be required within 10 business days rather than 28 days.

Contributions Deadlines

30 June 2026

All contributions for FY2025-26 must be received by the fund by this date. Allow 3 to 5 business days for bank clearing from the date of transfer.
Concessional cap $30,000 | Non-concessional cap $120,000 | ATO caps ↗
30 June 2026

Final opportunity to use any unused carry-forward concessional contributions from FY2020-21. These expire permanently on this date. There is no extension and no recovery.
Applies only if your TSB was below $500,000 at 30 June 2025
Rolling

Notice of Intent to Claim a Deduction for personal contributions. Must be lodged with your fund before you submit your personal tax return, or before you commence a pension, roll over, or wind up the fund. There is no fixed calendar date, but acting before 30 June each year is best practice.

Why it matters Missing the 30 June cut-off means the contribution counts in the next financial year. That can push you over a cap you weren't expecting to breach, and it cannot be undone once the financial year has closed.

Pension Minimum Drawdown

1 July 2025

Calculate your minimum drawdown for FY2025-26. Use your pension account balance at 1 July 2025, multiplied by the percentage for your age at that date. See the drawdown rates table above.
30 June 2026

All minimum pension payments for FY2025-26 must be made in full by this date.
If 30 June falls on a weekend or public holiday, the payment must clear the fund's bank account before that date, not on the following business day

⚠

The ATO does not grant extensions or grace periods for missed minimums. If the minimum is not paid by 30 June, the ATO treats the pension as having ceased from 1 July 2025. All earnings on assets supporting that pension for the full year become taxable at 15%. You would need to restart the pension, consuming Transfer Balance Cap space again. On $500,000 in pension assets earning 7%, a missed minimum could cost around $5,250 in avoidable tax.

Annual Supervisory Levy

The annual supervisory levy is $259 for an existing fund and has been unchanged since FY2014-15. It is paid with the annual return lodgement and is fully tax deductible.

ⓘ

Paid in advance: The levy is collected one year ahead. The $259 you pay with your FY2024-25 return covers FY2025-26. The levy paid with your FY2025-26 return will cover FY2026-27. Newly registered funds pay $518 in their first year, covering both the current and following year.

Standing Obligation: No Fixed Deadline

Investment Strategy Review

Every SMSF is required to maintain a documented investment strategy. There is no ATO-mandated calendar date for this review, but it must be updated whenever a significant event occurs: a member retiring, a new asset class being considered, a member's circumstances changing materially, or market conditions shifting in a way that affects the fund's risk profile. Annual review, documented in trustee meeting minutes, is the accepted best practice. The ATO cites an outdated or non-existent investment strategy as one of the most common compliance breaches identified in SMSF audits.

Looking Ahead

Key Changes from 1 July 2026

4 contribution thresholds increase, the Transfer Balance Cap rises, a new tax on large balances begins, and the quarterly super payment model is replaced entirely. Here is what changes and what it means for your fund.

Concessional Cap

$30,000

$32,500

Non-Concessional Cap

$120,000

$130,000

Bring-Forward Max

$360,000

$390,000

Transfer Balance Cap

$2,000,000

$2,100,000

Division 296 Tax: Commences 1 July 2026

Division 296 is a new personal tax on superannuation earnings for individuals whose Total Super Balance (TSB) exceeds $3 million. It applies an additional 15% tax on earnings attributable to the portion of your balance above $3 million. For balances above $10 million, an additional 10% applies, bringing the total Division 296 rate on that portion to 25%.

The tax is personal, meaning the ATO bills you directly, not your fund. You can elect to pay it personally or have the amount released from your super.
First assessments are issued after 30 June 2027. For the first year only (FY2026-27), the tax is calculated on your TSB at 30 June 2027 rather than the normal testing date.
Both the $3 million and $10 million thresholds are indexed to CPI. The $3 million threshold increases in $150,000 increments.
SMSFs can elect a cost base reset, which means capital gains built up before 1 July 2026 are excluded from future Division 296 calculations. The election must be lodged by the due date of the FY2026-27 annual return, but the analysis of which assets are affected and whether the election makes sense for your fund needs to happen before 30 June 2026, when the reset date is set.

Legislation status: The Treasury Laws Amendment (Building a Stronger and Fairer Super System) Act 2026 passed both Houses of Parliament on 10 March 2026. This is law.

Payday Super: Commences 1 July 2026

From 1 July 2026, employers must pay super guarantee contributions at the same time as salary and wages, with contributions received by the employee's fund within 7 business days of each pay event. The quarterly system that has been in place for decades is replaced entirely.

A business paying staff fortnightly will process super contributions 26 times per year, rather than 4.
The ATO will have real-time visibility of unpaid or late contributions from day one.
A compliance concession applies during the first year (FY2026-27) for employers making genuine efforts to comply. Those who can demonstrate they are paying on time and correcting shortfalls quickly are treated as lower risk. Employers who are not complying will face immediate enforcement.
Payroll systems and clearing house arrangements need to be updated before 1 July 2026.

30 June 2026 Decision Checklist

30 June 2026 closes several opportunities that will not come back. Tick items off as you work through them. Your progress is saved in your browser.

Check your TSB at 30 June 2026 This determines your NCC eligibility (must be below $2.1M) and carry-forward eligibility (must be below $500k) for FY2026-27.
Use any remaining 2020-21 carry-forward concessional cap amounts These expire permanently on 30 June 2026. There is no extension and no recovery of unused amounts after this date. Applies only if your TSB was below $500,000 at 30 June 2025
Decide whether to trigger NCC bring-forward now or wait Triggering now locks you into the current $360,000 three-year limit. Waiting until July 2026 gives access to the higher $390,000 limit, provided your balance remains below $1.84M at 30 June 2026. If your balance is between $1.84M and $2.1M, a partial bring-forward may still be available in FY2026-27. This calculation is worth doing with your accountant before year-end.
Analyse unrealised capital gains for Division 296 purposes The SMSF cost base reset election excludes capital gains built up before 1 July 2026 from future Division 296 calculations. The election itself is lodged with your FY2026-27 annual return, but understanding your fund's unrealised gains position at 30 June 2026 is essential before making that call. If your TSB is above or approaching $3 million, review this with your accountant before year-end. The reset applies to all fund assets if elected. You cannot select individual assets.
Confirm minimum pension drawdowns have been met All minimum payments for FY2025-26 must clear the fund's bank account by 30 June 2026. Do not leave this to the last day of the month.
Review and sign off the investment strategy for the year Document in trustee meeting minutes that the strategy has been reviewed, is current, and reflects the fund's risk and return objectives.
Speak to your adviser or accountant before 30 June if you're unsure If you are uncertain about triggering bring-forward or the cost base reset, a conversation before year-end is worth it. Most of these decisions cannot be undone once 30 June passes.

Want to stay notified every time super rules change? Super Informed is a free weekly newsletter for Australian SMSF trustees. Plain English, every Thursday.

Subscribe free →

What this page covers: SMSF trustee compliance obligations only. Work test eligibility (age 67 and older, 40 hours in 30 consecutive days), downsizer contributions ($300,000 per person, age 55 and older), Division 293 tax ($250,000 income threshold), and BAS/IAS dates are not included. The work test and downsizer rules are qualification criteria triggered by individual circumstances rather than calendar deadlines. Division 293 is assessed through your personal income tax return. BAS and IAS dates are business tax obligations rather than core SMSF trustee duties.

This page is for educational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Dates, thresholds, and legislative details are accurate as at April 2026 based on ATO guidance and publicly available legislation. Always confirm key dates and obligations with a licensed financial adviser or registered SMSF specialist before taking action. Circumstances vary between funds and individual trustees may face different obligations, deadlines, or eligibility criteria to those outlined here. Super Informed is not a licensed financial adviser and accepts no liability for reliance on the information contained on this page.

Last updated: April 2026 · Next review: July 2026

Quick Links

Resources

Socials