The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) has released important updates for SMSF trustees this month, covering Payday Super changes, TBAR lodgment requirements, and upcoming SMSF annual return due dates. Here’s what trustees need to know to stay compliant and prepared.
Payday Super is now law – get ready today
Resources are now available, including a short video for employers and a factsheet explaining changes to SuperStream.
From 1 July 2026, employers must pay superannuation guarantee (SG) at the same time as salary and wages. The ATO is asking employers to be ready and ensure all SG contributions arrive in employees’ super funds within 7 business days of payday. There are a few exceptions where employers have a bit more time to make super contributions, such as when they have a new employee.
To support employers and trustees to be ready, the ATO has released:
- A short video, where Deputy Commissioner Emma Rosenzweig explains what employers need to know and do to be ready.
- A SuperStream changes factsheet highlighting important changes to software, error messaging, and processing times.
The ATO will continue to add information, guidance and resources to the ATO website and provide updates through its newsletters.
If you’ve had transfer balance account events in the December quarter you must lodge a TBAR by 28 January 2026. All Self-Managed Super Funds (SMSFs) must report Transfer Balance Account (TBA) events on a quarterly basis by lodging a transfer balance account report (TBAR). These events must be reported irrespective of the member’s total superannuation balance. TBARs for the December quarter are due by 28 January 2026. If no TBA event has occurred during the quarter, then no lodgement is required. You may need to lodge a TBAR sooner where your member has exceeded their personal transfer balance cap. Refer to Event-based reporting for SMSFs and the TBAR instructions when preparing your TBAR. The easiest way to lodge is through Online Services for Business. Not all SMSFs will have the same SMSF annual return (SAR) lodgment due date. Some SARs are due 28 February 2026. If your self-managed super fund (SMSF) had assets, such as super contributions or other investments as of 30 June 2025, you’ll need to lodge a SMSF annual return for the 2024–25 financial year. If your fund doesn’t have any assets, you need to either make a return not necessary request or cancel your fund’s registration if you no longer wish to have a SMSF. Not all SMSFs have the same lodgment due date, so check which due date applies to your SMSF. Failure to lodge by the due date can result in penalties and the loss of your SMSFs tax concessions. Information on dates SARs are due: Newly registered SMSFs and SMSFs with overdue SARs for prior financial years (excluding deferrals) should have lodged by 31 October 2025. All other self-preparing SMSFs (unless the ATO asked you to lodge on a different date) need to lodge their SAR by 28 February 2026. If you lodge your SAR through a tax agent, you may have up to the 15 May to meet your lodgment obligation – your agent can confirm this. Make sure you provide your agent with all the information they need to lodge your return well before the due date. You should contact your agent early to make sure they can lodge on time as an extension may not be granted if you have not provided the information in a timely manner. If you’ve engaged a new tax agent, you’ll need to nominate them to confirm they’re the authorised representative for the fund. For further guidance, see How to nominate your registered agent. Failing to lodge your SAR on time can result in the compliance status of your SMSF on Super Fund Lookupbeing changed to ‘regulation details removed’, which may prevent rollovers and employer contributions being made to the fund. You can review Your obligations as an SMSF trustee or visit Help and support for SMSFs for help.
TBAR lodgment reminder for January 2026
Know the date your SMSF annual return is due
Source: Australian Taxation Office
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