Preservation Age
Generally, you must reach preservation age before you can access your super. Use the following table to work out your preservation age.
| Date of birth |
Preservation Age |
| Before 1 July 1960 |
55 |
| 1 July 1960 – 30 June 1961 |
56 |
| 1 July 1961 – 30 June 1962 |
57 |
| 1 July 1962 – 30 June 1963 |
58 |
| 1 July 1963 – 30 June 1964 |
59 |
| From 01 July 1964 |
60 |
Taxation of Pension Withdrawals taken when aged over 60
There is no tax payable on Pension Withdrawals after the age of 60.
Taxation of Pension Withdrawals when aged between Preservation Age and 59
Tax may be payable on Pension withdrawals by a Member aged between Preservation Age and 59. By way of background it is important to understand that your Super Benefit is made up of two components, namely a Tax Free Component and a Taxable Component. The Tax Free Component typically comes from after tax personal Non Concessional Contributions made by you over time. The Taxable Component typically comes from Concessional Contributions made by you over time which include Employer Contributions and Salary Sacrifice Contributions.
Any Pension withdrawals must be paid in the same proportion as the Tax Free and Taxable Components of a Member's Super Benefit in the SMSF. This requirement is known as the "Proportioning Rule". Under the "Proportioning Rule" the process to calculate the tax on Pension Withdrawals paid to a Member who is aged between Preservation Age and 59 is as follows:
Step 1: Determine the Tax Free Component of your Super Benefit
Step 2: Determine the Taxable Component of your Super Benefit
Step 3: Total of the Taxable and Tax Free Components
Step 4: Calculate the Tax Free Component percentage equal to Step 1 divided by Step 3
Step 5: Calculate the Taxable Component percentage equal to Step 2 divided by Step 3
Step 6: Multiply the Pension Payment by the Tax Free percentage at Step 4. The result is Tax Free.
Step 7: Multiply the Pension Payment by the Taxable percentage at Step 5. The result is taxed at the Member's tax rate less a 15% Pension Rebate.
Example:
As an example assume you have a Super Benefit of $500,000 made up as follows:
|
$ |
| Tax Free Component: |
$400,000 |
| Taxable Component: |
$100,000 |
| Total Super Benefit: |
$500,000 |
In this example your "Tax Free" percentage is 80% ($400,000/$500,000) and your "Taxable" percentage is 20% ($100,000/$500,000). Under the "Proportioning Rule" this means that 80% of your Pension withdrawals will be tax free and 20% will be taxable where the Pension withdrawals are made between Preservation Age and 59.
Assume you withdraw the minimum pension of 4% per annum on your $500,000 Super Benefit (i.e. $20,000). The Pension withdrawn of $20,000 will be 80% tax free (i.e. $16,000) and 20% taxable (i.e. $4,000). In addition you will be allowed a 15% "Pension Rebate" on the taxable portion of the Pension withdrawn, further reducing your tax liability.
In the above example, assuming you are on the 34.50% personal marginal tax rate, you would be assessable on the $4,000 taxable portion of the Pension withdrawn at 34.50%, resulting in $1,380 in tax. Given you also receive a 15% "Pension Rebate" on the taxable portion of the Pension withdrawn of $4,000 (i.e. 15% of $4,000 or $600), the tax liability is further reduced to only $780. This means you pay tax of $780 on a $20,000 Pension withdrawal in the above example.
Timing of Pension Withdrawals income is important when turning 60
As detailed above no tax is payable on Pension Withdrawals after the age of 60, however some tax may be payable on Pension withdrawals made between Preservation Age and 59. This means that where you are turning 60 in a particular financial year it may be financially advantageous to defer Pension withdrawals until you are over 60.
Example:
Assume you have commenced a Pension of $1,000,000 on 1 July 2023 and are 59 at that time. On 10 March 2024 you will be turning 60. Your Super Benefit is made up of a 100% Taxable Component. You have nominated that you wish to take a Pension of $40,000.
If the Pension amount of $40,000 is taken before 10 March 2024, that is when you are aged 59, then the Pension will be taxed at your marginal tax rate less a 15% "Pension Rebate". Assuming you are on the 39% personal marginal tax rate, you would be assessable on the $40,000 Pension withdrawn at 39%, resulting in $15,600 in tax. Given that you also receive a 15% "Pension Rebate" on the taxable portion of the Pension withdrawn totalling $6,000 (i.e. 15% x $40,000), the tax liability is reduced to $9,600. This means you will pay tax of $9,600 on the $40,000 Pension withdrawal in the above example.
Conversely by deferring accessing the Pension withdrawal until after 10 March 2024, when you turn 60, then the Pension withdrawn will be tax free! The timing of the Pension Withdrawals in the example results in a tax saving of $9,600.
You Should Seek Advice
You should obtain your own independent financial advice as to whether taking any of the above actions is appropriate to your circumstances. There will be important implications which flow from each of the above options including the comparative costs, insurance and performance of different superannuation funds.
Before you choose which option to put in place, you should seek legal accounting and tax advice. ESUPERFUND does not and cannot give you that advice.