SMSF Contribution Caps 2025-26 & 2026-27 | Super Informed

SMSF Contribution Caps
2025-26 & 2026-27

Your plain-English guide to SMSF super contribution limits in Australia for this year and next. Concessional and non-concessional caps, bring-forward, carry-forward, downsizer, and the key rules that determine what applies to you.

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

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Reference

Caps at a Glance: 2025-26 vs 2026-27

The headline numbers. Changes from 1 July 2026 are shown alongside the current year figures. The Super Guarantee rate stays at 12% from 1 July 2025 onward.

Quick Reference

What can I contribute in FY2025-26?

Based on your Total Super Balance (TSB) at 30 June 2025

TSB at 30 June 2025

Below $500,000

CCs: Up to $30,000 plus any unused carry-forward cap from FY2020-21 onward
NCCs: Up to $360,000 using the 3-year bring-forward

TSB at 30 June 2025

$500k to below $1.76M

CCs: Up to $30,000 (no carry-forward available above $500k)
NCCs: Up to $360,000 using the 3-year bring-forward

TSB at 30 June 2025

$1.76M to below $1.88M

CCs: Up to $30,000
NCCs: Up to $240,000 (2-year bring-forward only)

TSB at 30 June 2025

$1.88M to below $2M

CCs: Up to $30,000
NCCs: Up to $120,000 (current year cap only, no bring-forward)

TSB at 30 June 2025

$2,000,000 or above

CCs: Up to $30,000 (employer contributions and salary sacrifice only if in workforce)
NCCs: None permitted
Downsizer: May still be available if eligible (age 55+, 10-year property ownership)

Figures are for FY2025-26. Confirm your TSB via myGov (ATO online services) before acting. This is general information only.

Concessional Cap

FY2025-26

$30,000

→

FY2026-27

$32,500

+$2,500

Non-Concessional Cap

FY2025-26

$120,000

→

FY2026-27

$130,000

+$10,000

NCC Bring-Forward Max (3 years)

FY2025-26

$360,000

→

FY2026-27

$390,000

+$30,000

TSB Limit for NCC Eligibility

FY2025-26

Below $2.0M

→

FY2026-27

Below $2.1M

+$100k

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Source: Concessional cap increase to $32,500 confirmed via AWOTE December 2025 quarter data. Non-concessional and bring-forward figures move in proportion to the general Transfer Balance Cap, which rises to $2.1M from 1 July 2026. ATO contribution caps ↗

Pre-Tax Contributions

Concessional Contributions

What Are Concessional Contributions?

Pre-tax contributions taxed at 15% inside the fund. For most Australians, that rate is lower than their marginal income tax rate, making CCs one of the most effective strategies for building retirement savings.

What counts as a concessional contribution

Employer SG contributions (12% from 1 July 2025)
Salary sacrifice: pre-tax contributions arranged with your employer
Personal deductible contributions : personal contributions where you lodge a valid Notice of Intent to Claim a Deduction with your fund before lodging your tax return

Financial Year	Annual Cap	Change
FY2025-26	$30,000	Current
FY2026-27 (from 1 July 2026)	$32,500	+$2,500

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Division 293 tax: High income earners whose combined income and concessional contributions exceed $250,000 pay an additional 15% tax on their CCs, bringing the effective rate to 30%. The ATO issues the assessment directly. It does not prevent CCs from being made, but reduces the tax benefit for affected members.

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Excess concessional contributions: Amounts over the cap are included in your assessable income at your marginal rate, less a 15% tax offset (to avoid double taxation). An excess concessional contributions charge also applies. The ATO notifies you after the fund lodges its annual return.

Why it matters The concessional cap applies to all CCs combined: employer SG, salary sacrifice, and personal deductible contributions. A common mistake, salary sacrifice, and personal deductible contributions. A common mistake is salary sacrificing close to the cap without accounting for the SG contributions already being made. On a $120,000 salary with 12% SG ($14,400), only $15,600 of additional salary sacrifice room remains before the $30,000 cap is reached.

After-Tax Contributions

Non-Concessional Contributions

What Are Non-Concessional Contributions?

After-tax contributions made from money on which personal income tax has already been paid. NCCs are not included in the fund's assessable income and are not taxed inside the fund.

Financial Year	Annual Cap	TSB must be below
FY2025-26	$120,000	$2,000,000
FY2026-27 (from 1 July 2026)	$130,000 +$10,000	$2,100,000

TSB is measured at 30 June of the prior financial year. If your TSB is at or above the threshold, you cannot make any NCCs for that year. TSB is available via myGov (ATO online services).

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Excess non-concessional contributions: If you exceed the NCC cap, you have 2 options. Option 1: withdraw the excess plus 85% of the associated earnings (the earnings are taxed at your marginal rate). Option 2: leave it in the fund and pay 47% tax on the excess amount. The ATO will issue a determination and give you the choice.

Why it matters NCCs build the tax-free component of your super balance: the portion that comes out tax-free regardless of your age when you eventually withdraw it. For members approaching retirement who have capacity to contribute, NCCs can be one of the most tax-effective uses of personal savings.

NCC Strategy

Bring-Forward Rule

The bring-forward rule lets eligible members contribute up to 3 years of non-concessional contributions in a single financial year. Your available bring-forward amount depends on your TSB at the prior 30 June.

FY2025-26 Bring-Forward Thresholds

Based on your TSB at 30 June 2025. NCC cap: $120,000. General Transfer Balance Cap: $2,000,000.

TSB at 30 June 2025	Bring-forward period	Maximum NCC
Below $1,760,000	3 years	$360,000
$1,760,000 to below $1,880,000	2 years	$240,000
$1,880,000 to below $2,000,000	1 year	$120,000
$2,000,000 or above	Nil	Nil

FY2026-27 Bring-Forward Thresholds Updated

Based on your TSB at 30 June 2026. NCC cap rises to $130,000. General Transfer Balance Cap rises to $2,100,000.

TSB at 30 June 2026	Bring-forward period	Maximum NCC
Below $1,840,000	3 years	$390,000
$1,840,000 to below $1,970,000	2 years	$260,000
$1,970,000 to below $2,100,000	1 year	$130,000
$2,100,000 or above	Nil	Nil

●

Timing decision for FY2025-26 vs FY2026-27: If your balance is approaching $1.76M at 30 June 2026, waiting one year to trigger bring-forward gives you access to the higher $390,000 limit instead of $360,000, provided your balance stays below $1.84M. Worth discussing with your accountant before year-end.

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Eligibility: You must be under age 75 at the time of the contribution. Once a bring-forward period is triggered, the period and maximum amount are fixed. You cannot re-trigger a new bring-forward until the prior period expires. The bring-forward period is 3 years from the year it is triggered, not from when the contributions are made.

CC Strategy

Carry-Forward Concessional Contributions

Using Unused Concessional Cap Amounts

If you did not use your full concessional cap in prior years, you may be able to carry forward those unused amounts and contribute more than the standard annual cap in the current year. Unused cap amounts can be carried forward for up to 5 years before they expire.

Eligibility: Your Total Super Balance (TSB) must be below $500,000 at 30 June of the prior financial year. If your TSB was $500,000 or above at 30 June 2025, you cannot use carry-forward in FY2025-26.
Available from: 1 July 2019. Carry-forward amounts only accumulate from FY2019-20 onward. Any year before that cannot be captured.
5-year expiry: Unused cap amounts expire after 5 years. The oldest available year is always checked first. Amounts that have not been used within 5 years are permanently lost.
Check your balance: The ATO calculates your unused cap amounts based on prior lodged annual returns. You can view your available amounts via myGov (ATO online services).

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Urgent: FY2020-21 unused cap expires 30 June 2026. Any unused concessional cap from FY2020-21 disappears permanently on 30 June 2026. There is no extension and no recovery after that date. If your TSB was below $500,000 at 30 June 2025 and you had unused cap in FY2020-21, this is the last year to use it. See the Compliance Calendar for key dates ↗

Why it matters Carry-forward is particularly useful for members who took time out of the workforce (for caregiving, illness, or career breaks), received an inheritance or asset sale proceeds and want to shelter them in super, or simply had lower income in earlier years. The $500,000 TSB test means this strategy is most relevant for members with smaller balances who have the most to gain from catching up.

Eligibility

Age Rules at a Glance

Contribution Eligibility by Age

Under 67

No work test required. Both concessional and non-concessional contributions are permitted, subject to the relevant caps and TSB limits. This includes employer SG, salary sacrifice, and personal contributions.
Ages 67 to 74

Employer SG contributions and salary sacrifice have no work test. Non-concessional contributions have no work test. Personal deductible contributions still require the work test: at least 40 hours of gainful employment in any 30 consecutive days during the financial year, in order to claim a tax deduction. If the work test is not met, the contribution can still be made as a personal non-concessional contribution (subject to caps and TSB).
Work test: 40 hours of gainful employment in any 30 consecutive days in the financial year
Age 75 and over

Only mandated employer contributions (SG) and downsizer contributions are permitted. No personal concessional contributions, no NCCs, no salary sacrifice. Once a member turns 75, the trustee cannot accept voluntary contributions from them.

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Work test exemption (age 67-74): Members who met the work test in the prior financial year and whose TSB was below $300,000 at the prior 30 June may be able to use a one-year work test exemption to make personal deductible contributions even if they did not meet the work test in the current year. Confirm eligibility with your accountant.

Special Contribution

Downsizer Contributions

Downsizer Contribution Rules

Maximum amount

$300,000 per person. Couples can contribute up to $600,000 combined from the proceeds of a single eligible property sale.
Eligibility age

55 or older at the time of the contribution. This age was reduced from 60 to 55 from 1 January 2023.
Property requirement

The property must have been the main residence of you or your spouse for at least 10 years, and you must have been eligible for the main residence CGT exemption (full or partial). Investment properties that were never a main residence do not qualify.
No NCC cap impact

Downsizer contributions do not count toward the non-concessional contributions cap. You can make a downsizer contribution even if your NCC cap is $0 due to a high TSB.
No TSB restriction applies to downsizer contributions
One use only

One downsizer contribution per eligible property sale per person. If you have previously made a downsizer contribution, you cannot make another one.
Timing

Must be made within 90 days of the property settlement date (or such other time as the ATO allows).

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Transfer Balance Cap impact: A downsizer contribution goes into the accumulation phase, not directly into pension phase. If you later move it into pension phase, it will count against your Transfer Balance Cap at that time. Members with balances approaching $2M should take this into account when deciding whether to make a downsizer contribution.

Action Required

Key Deadlines

Contribution Deadlines for FY2025-26

30 June 2026

All contributions for FY2025-26 must be received by the fund's bank account by this date. The date the money leaves your account is irrelevant. What matters is when the fund receives it.
Allow 3 to 5 business days for bank clearing. Do not transfer on 30 June and assume it counts.
Notice of Intent

To claim a tax deduction on personal contributions, a Notice of Intent to Claim a Deduction must be lodged with the fund before the earlier of: lodging your personal tax return; commencing a pension from the fund; rolling over or transferring the funds; or winding up the fund. There is no fixed calendar date, but acting before 30 June each year avoids complications.
The fund must acknowledge the notice in writing before you finalise your return
Downsizer: 90 days

Downsizer contributions must reach the fund within 90 days of the property settlement date. This is a hard deadline with no discretion to extend in ordinary circumstances.

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For the full list of SMSF compliance dates including annual return lodgement, TBAR deadlines, and the June 2026 Decision Checklist, see the SMSF Compliance Calendar ↗

Government Incentives

Co-Contribution & LISTO

Two government incentives designed to boost super for low and middle income earners. Both are automatic. The ATO calculates and credits them without you needing to apply.

Government Co-Contribution (FY2025-26)

If you earn below $62,488 and make personal after-tax contributions to your super, the government adds 50 cents for every dollar you contribute, up to a maximum of $500. The full $500 is available if your income is $47,488 or below. The benefit phases out completely at $62,488.

Income	Max co-contribution	To receive the maximum, contribute at least...
$47,488 or below	$500	$1,000
$50,000	$416	$832
$55,000	$250	$500
$60,000	$83	$166
$62,488 or above	Nil	Not eligible

Income figures are approximate. The phase-out reduces the maximum co-contribution by $1 for every $3 of income above $47,488. Confirm eligibility with the ATO co-contribution calculator ↗

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Eligibility conditions: At least 10% of your income must come from eligible employment or self-employment. The contribution must be a personal non-concessional contribution (not salary sacrifice). You must be under age 71 at the end of the financial year. You must not be a temporary resident.

Low Income Super Tax Offset (LISTO)

If your adjusted taxable income is $37,000 or below, the ATO credits up to $500 directly into your super fund. LISTO effectively refunds the 15% contributions tax paid on concessional contributions, ensuring low income earners do not pay more tax on their super than they would pay personally.

Maximum payment: $500, calculated as 15% of your total concessional contributions for the year
No application needed: The ATO calculates and credits LISTO automatically after the fund lodges its annual return and your personal return is assessed
Income threshold: $37,000 adjusted taxable income, unchanged for FY2025-26 and FY2026-27
Future change: From 1 July 2027 the income threshold rises to $45,000 and the maximum payment rises to $810

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What this page covers: Contribution rules and caps for SMSF trustees. It does not cover spouse contribution splitting, defined benefit funds, the superannuation guarantee charge, or contribution tax for high income earners in detail beyond the Division 293 summary above. All figures apply to SMSFs regulated by the ATO. Rules for APRA-regulated funds are similar but may differ in specific circumstances.

This page is for educational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Contribution cap figures, TSB thresholds, and income thresholds are accurate as at April 2026 based on ATO guidance and publicly available legislation. Individual eligibility depends on personal circumstances. Always confirm your position with a licensed financial adviser or registered SMSF specialist before making contributions. 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

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