Super pensions: Reviewing the merits of keeping a TRIP

Clarke McEwan Accountants

Gone are the days when all Australians work to a certain age, and then the next day, they retire from the workforce. The end of work and the beginning of retirement is more fluid in recent times, and the rules that apply to accessing superannuation benefits reflect this blurring of what retirement means.

In 2005, a special type of super pension was introduced, known as a transition-to-retirement pension. By starting a transition-to-retirement pension (what we call a 'TRIP'), you don't have to retire to withdraw your super benefits. You can work part-time or full-time or even casually, and withdraw a portion of your super benefits each year.

Until 30 June 2017, the major selling point in starting a TRIP is that you can access the tax advantages associated with super pensions while you're still working. Tax advantages include tax-exempt earnings on assets financing the pension (this exemption will be removed from 1 July 2017); and tax-free pension income for over 60s (which continues beyond 30 June 2017). If you start a TRIP when you're under the age of 60, then you can take advantage of the 15% pension offset on assessable pension income, and this 15% pension offset will remain in place beyond 30 June 2017.

15% pension tax offset remains in place

According to an ATO spokesperson: "From 1 July 2017, the earnings from assets supporting a transition to retirement income stream (TRIS)[TRIP] will no longer be subject to an earnings tax exemption, i.e. will no longer be exempt current pension income. The change is only in relation to the tax treatment at the super fund level – there has been no change to the tax treatment of a TRIS benefit paid to an individual member. Therefore there are no changes to the way tax offsets operate for the individual receiving the TRIS payment. A TRIS [TRIP] will continue to meet the definition of a superannuation income stream in the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 (ITAA), however it will not be a superannuation income stream in the retirement phase under the new section 307-80(3)(a) of the ITAA."

Important: At the risk of repeating this key change to the TRIP rules, note that from 1 July 2017, the government is removing the tax exemption on earnings from assets financing a TRIP, that is, a TRIP will not be considered a superannuation income stream in the retirement phase (although minimum pension payments must still be withdrawn each year) .

Depending on the strategies an individual chooses to use, it is possible to reduce the amount of income tax that a person pays while boosting the super benefit. For example, one of the more popular TRIP strategies is to salary sacrifice into your super fund up to your concessional (before-tax) contributions cap, and replace that income with tax-free (if over 60), or concessionally taxed pension payments (if under 60).

Until 30 June 2017, the right combination of salary and super will depend on your salary level, your age, your tax position, the size of your super benefit and your income needs.

Note that from 1 July 2017, the tax-effectiveness of such a strategy has been lessened due to the cut in the concessional contributions cap from $35,000 to $25,000, and the removal of tax-exempt earnings on TRIP assets.

Before I take a TRIP, what's the catch?

If you're considering starting a TRIP, note that you must have reached your preservation age – anyone born before 1 July 1960 has a preservation age of 55, and anyone born after 30 June 1960, has a preservation age of at least 56 years, and anyone born after 30 June 1961 has a preservation age of at least 57 years. If you were born after 30 June 1964, your preservation age is 60 years.

A TRIP is like any other account-based pension (although from 1 July 2017, a TRIP will no longer be considered a superannuation income stream), except for two important requirements:

  • You can withdraw no more than 10% of your TRIP's account balance each year as pension income, and
  • In nearly all circumstances, you cannot withdraw lump sums from your TRIP until you retire, or until you satisfy another condition of release, such as reaching the age of 65. The one exception to the non-commutable rule (not being able to convert to a lump sum) is when the fund member has unrestricted non-preserved benefits in the TRIP account. You may have this type of benefit if you were a fund member before July 1999. If so, this category of benefits are not preserved and can be accessed as a lump sum without breaking the TRIP rules (until 30 June 2017). If you do withdraw these benefits as a lump sum, the lump sum counts towards the minimum pension payment amount required to be paid each year, but does not count towards the 10% maximum payment limit. Note that treatment of a lump sum as pension payment is only possible until 30 June 2017.

Important: From 1 July 2017, TRIPs will no longer be eligible for the tax exemption on pension asset earnings (15% earnings tax will apply), although pension benefit payments on or after the age of 60 will continue to be tax-free, and minimum payments must continue to be withdrawn from the TRIP.

Note: If an individual runs a self-managed super fund (SMSF) and chooses to salary sacrifice while taking a TRIP, then the SMSF trustees must either segregate the fund's assets, or obtain an actuarial certificate. If a fund does not segregate pension assets from assets representing accumulation phase, then the SMSF trustees must then obtain an actuarial certificate each year to identify the tax-exempt income derived from pension assets.

What happens to my TRIP from 1 July 2017?

If you currently have a TRIP, then you will need to review your circumstances before 1 July 2017, to determine the impact of your TRIP no longer being considered a superannuation income stream in the retirement phase. The most significant implication is losing the tax exemption on the fund earnings from assets financing the TRIP. Moving assets back to accumulation phase, may also mean that assets previously exempt from capital gains tax, will now become assessable.

Capital Gains Tax relief in your Fund

For SMSF trustees in particular, if a pension asset becomes an asset in accumulation phase, then a line will need to be drawn on the value at the time of transfer to ensure previously tax-exempt capital gains are not taxed in the future.

If you are seeking to make changes prior to the end of the financial year, contact us to discuss your options.

#superannuation #earlyretirement #TRIPS #TTR

A win for those carrying student debt

By Clarke McEwan • September 9, 2025
20% reduction in student debt The reduction is expected to benefit more than 3 million Australians and remove over $16 billion in outstanding debt. The 20% reduction will be automatically applied to anyone with the following student loans: · HELP loans (eg, HECS-HELP, FEE-HELP, STARTUP-HELP, SA-HELP, OS-HELP) · VET Student loans · Australian Apprenticeship Support Loans · Student Start-up Loans · Student Financial Supplement Scheme. The reduction will be based on the loan balance at 1 June 2025, before indexation was applied. Indexation will only apply to the reduced balance. The ATO will apply the reduction automatically on a retrospective basis and will adjust the indexation that is applied. No action is needed from those with a student loan balance and the Government has indicated that you will be notified once the reduction has been applied. If you had a HELP debt showing on your ATO account on 1 April 2025 but you paid the debt off after 1 June 2025 then the reduction will normally trigger a credit to your HELP account. If you don’t have any other outstanding tax or other debts to the Commonwealth, then the credit should be refunded to you. The HELP debt estimator is a useful tool to get an idea of the reduction amount, please reach out if you need any help in working out eligibility. Changes to repayments The Government has also modified the way that HELP and student loan repayments operate, primarily by increasing the amount that individuals can earn before they need to make repayments. The minimum repayment threshold for the 2025-26 year is being increased from $56,156 to $67,000. The threshold was $54,435 for the 2024-25 year. Under the new repayment system an individual will only need to make a compulsory repayment for the 2025-26 year if their income is above $67,000. The repayments will be calculated only against the portion of income that is above $67,000. Repayments will still be made through the tax system and will typically be determined when tax returns are lodged with the ATO. For many people the change in the rules will mean they have more disposable income in the short term, but it will take longer to pay off student loans. The main exception to this will be when an individual chooses to make voluntary repayments.

Creating a more dynamic and resilient economy

By Clarke McEwan • September 9, 2025
The Productivity Commission (PC) has been tasked by the Australian Government to conduct an inquiry into creating a more dynamic and resilient economy. The PC was asked to identify priority reforms and develop actionable recommendations. The PC has now released its interim report which presents some draft recommendations that are focused on two key areas: · Corporate tax reform to spur business investment · Where efficiencies could be made in the regulatory space (ie, cutting down on red tape) The interim report makes some interesting observations and key features of the draft recommendations are summarised below. Corporate tax reform The PC notes that business investment has fallen notably over the past decade and that the corporate tax system has a significant part to play in addressing this. The PC is basically suggesting that the existing corporate tax system needs to be updated to move towards a more efficient mix of taxes. The first stage of this process would involve two linked components: · Lower tax rate: businesses earning under $1 billion could have their tax rate reduced to 20%, with larger businesses still subject to a 30% rate. · New cashflow tax: a net cashflow tax of 5% should be applied to company profits. Under this system, companies would be able to fully deduct capital expenditure in the year it is incurred, encouraging investment and helping to produce a more dynamic and resilient economy. However, the new tax is expected to create an increased tax burden for companies earning over $1 billion. Cutting down on red tape The interim report notes that businesses have reported spending more time on regulatory compliance – this probably doesn’t come as a surprise to most business owners who have been forced to deal with multiple layers of government regulation. Some real world examples include windfarm approvals taking up to nine years in NSW while starting a café in Brisbane could involve up to 31 separate regulatory steps. The proposed fixes include: · The Australian Government adopting a whole-of-government statement committing to new principles and processes to drive regulation that supports economic dynamism. · Regulation should be scrutinised to ensure that its impact on growth and dynamism is more fully considered. · Public servants should be subject to enhanced expectations, making them accountable for delivering growth, competition and innovation. These are simply draft recommendations contained in an interim report so we are a long way from any of these recommendations being implemented. However, the interim report provides some insight into areas where the Government might look to make some changes to boost productivity in Australia. The PC is inviting feedback up until 15 September on the interim report before finalising its recommendations later this year.

Non-compete clauses: the next stage

By Clarke McEwan • September 9, 2025
Back in March this year the Government announced its intention to ban non-compete clauses for low and middle-income employees and consult on the use of non-compete clauses for those on higher incomes. The Government has indicated that the reforms in this area will take effect from 2027. This didn’t come as a complete surprise as the Competition Review had already published an issues paper on the topic and the PC had also issued a report indicating that limiting the use of unreasonable restraint of trade clauses would have a material impact on wages for workers. Treasury has since issued a consultation paper, seeking feedback in the following key areas: · How the proposed ban on non-compete clauses should be implemented; · Whether additional reforms are required to the use of post-employment restraints, including for high-income employees; · Whether changes are needed to clarify how restrictions on concurrent employment should apply to part-time or casual employees; and · Details necessary to implement the proposed ban on no-poach and wage-fixing agreements in the Competition and Consumer Act. Treasury makes it clear that the Government is not planning to change the way the rules apply to restraints of trade outside employment arrangements (eg, on sale of a business) or change the use of confidentiality clauses in employment. If the proposed reforms end up being implemented, then this could have a direct impact on a range of employers and their workers. Existing agreements will need to be reviewed and potentially updated. However, it is too early at the moment to guess how this will end up, we will keep you up to date as further information becomes available.

Superannuation guarantee: due dates and considerations for employees and employers

By Clarke McEwan • September 9, 2025
On 1 July 2025 the superannuation guarantee rate increased to 12% which is the final stage of a series of previously legislated increases. Employers currently need to make superannuation guarantee (SG) contributions for their employees by 28 days after the end of each quarter (28 October, 28 January, 28 April and 28 July). There is an extra day’s allowance when these dates fall on a public holiday. To comply with these rules the contribution must be in the employee’s superannuation fund on or before this date, unless the employer is using the ATO small business superannuation clearing house (SBSCH). The ATO has been applying considerable compliance resources in this space in recent years which can have an impact on both employees and employers. Employers To be eligible to claim a tax deduction on SG contributions the quarterly amount must be in the employee’s super account on or before the above quarterly due dates. The only exception to this is where the employer is using the ATO SBSCH. In that case a contribution is considered made provided it has been received by the SBSCH on or before the due date. Employers using commercial clearing houses should be mindful of turnaround times. Commercial clearing houses collect and distribute employee contributions and may be linked to accounting / payroll software or provided by some superannuation platforms. Anecdotally it seems that turnaround times for some clearing houses could be up to 14 days, so it is recommended that employers allow sufficient time before the quarterly deadlines when processing their employee SG contributions. If these deadlines are missed (yes even by a day!) that will trigger a superannuation guarantee charge (SGC) requirement which will result in a loss of the tax deduction and other penalties. The SGC requirements are outlined in the ATO link below: The super guarantee charge | Australian Taxation Office Employers do have the option to make SG payments more frequently than quarterly and this is something that employers will need to become used to if the proposed ‘payday’ superannuation reforms become law. This change is proposed to commence from 1 July 2026 and would require SG to be paid at the same frequency as salary or wages. There is some discussion on the payday super proposal at this link (noting that this is not yet law). The SBSCH will close at this time so employers using this service should start to consider transitioning to a commercial clearing house, please let us know you would like assistance with this. Employees It is recommended that you regularly check your superannuation fund statements and reconcile employer contributions to the amounts listed on your pay slips. Where SG contributions are not received on time (or at all!) employees are encouraged to discuss this first with their employer. Should this not result in a satisfactory conclusion, employees can consider bringing this to the attention of the ATO. There is some helpful discussion on this process at the following link .

RBA cuts rates to 3.60%: what this means for you

By Clarke McEwan • September 9, 2025
In a widely anticipated move on 12 August 2025, the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) delivered a 25 basis point rate cut, lowering the cash rate from 3.85% to 3.60%, the third reduction this year. This rate is now at its lowest level since March 2023 signaling renewed monetary easing amid persistent economic fragility. Governor Bullock emphasised that the decision was unanimous and that larger cuts weren’t considered. She did however leave the door open for further action if conditions warrant it. The unanimous decision was made because: · Headline inflation has eased to 2.1% year on year and the RBA’s preferred trimmed mean measure sits at just 2.4–2.7%, comfortably within the desired 2–3% range. So, it’s now within target. · There’s still soft economic growth, quarter 1 saw GDP grow 0.2% and unemployment has gone up slightly to roughly 4.3%. This is a welcome move for many with flow-on impacts across a wide section of the community. Borrowing and mortgages: a borrower with a $600,000 mortgage can expect monthly repayments to fall by around $89, saving over $1,000 annually. Refinancing: the latest cut has triggered a wave of refinancing, Canstar estimates monthly savings of around $272 on a $600,000 loan, potentially taking years off the loan term and saving tens of thousands in interest expenses. Housing and lending: the cut may revive home buying sentiment, though the risks of swelling property prices remain. Borrowers and buyers alike are feeling the relief. Currency and markets: the Australian dollar did weaken moderately following the decision. On the ASX 200, financial stocks, particularly the Commonwealth Bank, took a hit as investors fretted over shrinking interest margins. While there are always winners and losers with a decision like this, for many Australians this is a positive change. Either way, please do reach out if we can help you understand how to best manage your debt, exploring refinance options, adjust pricing models or evaluating investment readiness.

The ABC's of Bookkeeping

By Clarke McEwan • September 5, 2025
Why is good bookkeeping so vital for your financial management? We’ve got some top hacks for maximising your bookkeeping, and the options for outsourcing this job to the professionals. #SmallBiz #SMB #accounting #bookkeeping
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