PAYG reporting dates approach

Changes have been made throughout the year regarding SMSFs and their pay-as-you-go (PAYG) withholding. As the end of the financial year and the due date for PAYG reporting approaches, SMSF trustees should be checking whether they are meeting new withholding obligations for capped defined benefit income streams paid to their members.

If you have PAYG withholding obligations in 2018–19 you must provide your members with a PAYG payment summary by 14 July 2019 and lodge a PAYG withholding payment summary annual report with the ATO by 14 August 2019.

SMSFs have PAYG withholding obligations for super benefits paid to members who are:

• Under 60 and the benefit is an income stream (pension) or a lump sum.
• Under 60 and the death benefit is a pension which is a capped defined benefit income stream where the deceased was 60 or over when they died.
• 60 or over and the benefit is a pension which is a capped defined benefit income stream.

Capped defined benefit income streams include life expectancy and market linked pensions which were payable before 1 July 2017 and reversionary income streams paid to beneficiaries.

SMSF trustees who are paying a capped defined benefit income stream to a member must ensure to meet all obligations. These include registering for PAYG, providing your member and the ATO with payment summary information, and making sure to comply with the withholding obligations of your activity statement.

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News

Becoming socially conscious of where you super invest

February 28, 2020

Whether you are a newcomer to the workforce or have been working full time for 30 years, you must have come across the concept of superannuation. Chances are, you’ve already been steadily building your retirement funds in one of the 500 Australian superannuation funds but are still unfamiliar with how exactly your super is being managed and where your super fund is investing your money in.

With the beginning of a new decade and social issues on the rise, it is time to take a more conscious stance on what you are doing with your super and what causes you are supporting through the employment of your money through your super fund.

A recent investigation into Australian super funds by the Australian Centre for Corporate Responsibility (ACCR), released in February 2020, found that 50 of the largest super funds in Australia are proxy voting against local climate-change initiatives. These organisations are instead approaching climate change from a global perspective, whilst ignoring more pressing domestic challenges to reduce carbon emissions..

The lack of support from Australian super funds for localised climate action is growing problematic, as Australia fails to address its appalling record on carbon emissions and is falling behind new-age global goals to fight against environmental degradation and climate change.

In contrast, some of Australia’s most environmentally and socially conscious super funds lack the reputation to attract long-term users. To look for more environmentally friendly Australian super funds, the Responsible Investment Association Australasia (RIAA) grades supers based on their ethical contributions and makes this information available to the public.

Instead of mindlessly joining Australian super funds that are neglecting growingly problematic domestic climate change issues, Australians need to become more conscious of our indirect actions and super investments. Rather than investing in an unethical super fund, looking into self-managed super funds may be another good option. We need to learn to take matters into our own hands and become more socially conscious of where exactly our money goes.

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