(03) 9020 2905PORTFOLIO POINT: Non-concessional contributions have a mighty powerful impact on your super balance for those who make them.
You can’t point to too many areas of superannuation that have contained any semblance of stability in recent years.
But for all the huffing and puffing, changes to the law and threats to do so, politics and power plays, one area of superannuation has stayed relatively constant.
Non-concessional contributions.
The headline level of $150,000 has been steady, while concessional contributions were cut from $100,000 to $50,000 to $25,000 (and go back up to $35,000 for the over 60s from 1 July).
Sure, inflation should have taken them higher by now. And, somewhere down the track, they will be lifted in line with increases to the concessional contributions rate. But, for now, at least they haven’t been cut dramatically.
They don’t garner the same focus that concessional contributions do. And that’s largely because they’re a lot more “optional” than concessional contributions, which most people have made for them compulsorily.
So, what are they and why would you consider them?
The basics
Non-concessional contributions are contributions made with after-tax dollars. They are contributions for which you are not claiming a tax deduction elsewhere (such as the self-employed claiming for concessional contributions).
They might be straight cash that you have lying around, the proceeds of the sale of assets or money received from an estate. In any case, they aren’t taxed on the way into super because they have been previously taxed.
(Concessional contributions haven’t been previously taxed. This includes the 9% Superannuation Guarantee contributions and most other contributions for which a tax deduction will be claimed, either by a business or the individual personally.)
There is a general limit of $150,000 a year for everyone that is able to contribute. If you’re under 65, then there are few restrictions. If you are over 65, then you generally need to meet the “work test”, which is 40 hours in a 30-day period during the financial year.
What counts as NCCs?
NCCs can be personal contributions not claimed as a tax deduction, spouse contributions, contributions for a child (except those made as employer contributions and amounts transferred from foreign super funds.
NCCs also flow over from excess concessional contributions (CCs). That is, if you exceed your concessional contributions amount, the excess automatically becomes an NCC.
The pull-forward rule
And unlike the rules for concessional contributions, you can actually use future years’ limits in the current financial year.
This is known as the “pull forward” rule. It allows you to contribute, potentially, this year’s NCC limit, plus the next two years worth to use in the same year.
That is, you could put in $150,000 for FY14, then put in another $300,000 for the FY15 and FY16 years. That would be $450,000 worth of contributions for the current financial year. In that example, you would not be able to make another NCC until 1 July, 2016, which would then count towards the 2016-17 financial year.
Why wouldn’t you want to?
The Labor Government has said that it is intending to tax individual super accounts that generate more than $100,000 worth of income each year at 15% a year.
The government estimates that this will largely only impact on super accounts worth more than $2 million. I disputed this assertion in this column (10/4/13).
This was announced prior to the budget. However, it is increasingly looking like this will not be passed into legislation, for several reasons. The Opposition have said they will support other aspects of the government’s super reforms, but have said that aspect of the laws needs to be removed. The government subsequently said that it would take that proposal to the election.
And the industry says the rules are simply going to be unworkable. See this column (20/5/13).
But if you believe that Labor is likely to be returned on 14 September, then this needs to be taken into consideration.
While NCCs are untaxed, the income they generate generally will be.
NCCs – the real reason to contribute
While NCCs aren’t taxed on the way into super, the earnings they generate are. So, why would you make these contributions.
It still comes down to super not being taxed as heavily as earnings in your ordinary name. If you have $150,000 in your own name earning 5% a year ($7500), you will lose up to $3487.50 of that in income tax.
If that $150,000 is earning the same return in a super fund, then it will lose no more than $1125 in income tax.
Each and every year. Compounding is, at its essence, the most powerful thing about super.
And NCCs should, if you can make the most of them, can become a very powerful part of your future.
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The information contained in this column should be treated as general advice only. It has not taken anyone’s specific circumstances into account. If you are considering a strategy such as those mentioned here, you are strongly advised to consult your adviser/s, as some of the strategies used in these columns are extremely complex and require high-level technical compliance.
Bruce Brammall is director of Castellan Financial Consulting and the author of Debt Man Walking. E: bruce@castellanfinancial.com.au