By Paul Feeney, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Otivo

The end of the financial year is a natural checkpoint to review superannuation. Common considerations as 30 June approaches include reviewing concessional contributions against the $30,000 general cap for 2025–26, checking carry-forward eligibility, lodging a valid notice of intent for any personal deductible contributions, and confirming personal details with the fund.

For many Australians, the months leading up to 30 June are when small super decisions can have the biggest impact. Concessional caps reset on 1 July, contribution paperwork has hard deadlines, and the rules don't wait for a busy week. This article walks through the most common EOFY super tweaks people consider — what they are, how the rules work, and where it's worth pausing to think.

Why is EOFY a good time to review super?

Superannuation runs on a financial-year calendar. Contribution caps, eligibility tests, and several documentation deadlines all hinge on 30 June. That makes the weeks before EOFY a useful checkpoint — not because anything dramatic happens at midnight, but because a handful of decisions can only be acted on inside the financial year they relate to. Once 1 July rolls around, the year's caps and concessions are locked in.

A simple way to frame an EOFY super review is around four levers: how much is going in, how those contributions are classified for tax, what documentation the fund needs, and whether anything carried forward from previous years is about to expire. Most of the EOFY checklist falls into one of those four.

How do the concessional contributions caps work?

Concessional contributions are amounts that go into super from pre-tax income — taxed at 15% inside the fund (or 30% above certain income thresholds — more on that below). They cover three things combined:

• Employer super guarantee (SG), currently 12% as at May 2026, following the final step in the legislated phased increase from 1 July 2025
• Salary sacrifice contributions
• Personal contributions claimed as a tax deduction

The general concessional contributions cap is $30,000 for 2025–26. According to the ATO, this cap covers all three categories together — not separately. So someone already receiving SG of around $18,000 a year has roughly $12,000 of cap headroom remaining for salary sacrifice plus any personal deductible contributions combined.

The cap is set by the ATO and indexed to Average Weekly Ordinary Time Earnings (AWOTE) in $2,500 increments, which is why it tends to step up every few years rather than annually. The 2025–26 figure of $30,000 is unchanged from 2024–25.

For some people, the effective cap in a given year is higher than $30,000 because of unused cap space carried forward from previous years.

What's the carry-forward unused cap rule?

The carry-forward rule lets unused concessional cap space from previous years be added to the current year's cap. It's been available since 1 July 2018 and is often underused.

How the mechanics work

• Unused concessional cap amounts can be carried forward for up to 5 financial years.
• Unused amounts are used oldest-first.
• Amounts older than 5 years expire and can't be recovered.

Who is eligible — all three conditions must be met

• Total Super Balance (TSB) below $500,000 on 30 June of the prior financial year.
• Unused concessional contributions cap space in one or more of the previous 5 financial years.
• Eligible to make super contributions, which generally means being under age 75. Funds can accept contributions up to 28 days after the end of the month a member turns 75.

Carry-forward is particularly relevant for people whose income — and capacity to contribute — varies year to year. A common scenario is someone returning to higher earnings after parental leave, a career break, or a lower-income period. Their accumulated unused cap may give them meaningfully more room to contribute concessionally this year than the headline $30,000 figure suggests.

How does Division 293 affect higher income earners?

Concessional contributions are normally taxed at 15% inside the super fund. For higher income earners, an additional 15% applies.

Division 293 kicks in when an individual's combined income and concessional contributions exceed $250,000 in a financial year. Above that threshold, an additional 15% tax applies to the concessional contributions that take the total over $250,000, bringing tax on those contributions to 30% rather than 15%. The $250,000 threshold has been unchanged since the measure was introduced in 2012–13.

"Income" for Division 293 purposes is broader than salary. It includes taxable income, reportable fringe benefits, net investment losses, and the concessional contributions themselves.

It's worth noting that at 30%, concessional contributions remain concessional for anyone on the top marginal rate of 45% plus the Medicare levy. Division 293 reduces the tax advantage — it doesn't remove it.

What's the notice of intent for personal deductible contributions?

A personal contribution to the super fund — one made in the member's own name, separate from employer SG and salary sacrifice — can be claimed as a tax deduction in many circumstances. To do that, a valid notice of intent has to be lodged with the fund.

The notice has two strict requirements:

1. Timing. A valid notice must be lodged with the fund before the earlier of: the day the individual lodges their tax return for that financial year, or the end of the financial year after the contribution was made. Both limbs apply — whichever happens first becomes the deadline.
2. Acknowledgement. The fund must acknowledge the notice in writing before the deduction can be claimed on the tax return.

Missing the notice is one of the most common — and most avoidable — EOFY super issues. The contribution itself is fine; it just can't be deducted without the paperwork.

A note on terminology: personal contributions exclude salary sacrifice. Personal deductible contributions are a subset of personal contributions where the member intends to claim a deduction. The categories matter because they're treated differently for cap and documentation purposes.

Age rules also apply. Under 67, personal deductible contributions can be made without meeting a work test. Between 67 and 74, the work test (40 hours of gainful employment in 30 consecutive days) — or the work test exemption — must be met in the year the contribution is made, to claim the deduction. From age 75 onwards, voluntary contributions are generally not permitted, with limited exceptions such as mandated employer contributions and downsizer contributions.

What other tweaks are worth considering before 30 June?

Beyond the contributions side, a few other items often appear on EOFY super checklists:

• Confirming personal details with the fund. Out-of-date Tax File Numbers, contact details, or beneficiary nominations can cause issues that take months to unwind.
• Reviewing insurance inside super. Checking the type, level, and cost of any default cover periodically is something many Australians find useful.
• Reviewing the investment option. Investment option choice is one of the levers that affects long-term outcomes. Otivo's super investment options module can help people understand the relationship between option choice, fees, and historical returns.
• Watching for excess contributions. If concessional contributions exceed the cap, the excess is included in the individual's assessable income and taxed at their marginal rate, with a 15% tax offset for the tax already paid by the fund. An excess concessional contributions charge also applies, and individuals can elect to release up to 85% of the excess from their fund.

Otivo holds AFSL and Australian Credit Licence No. 485665, and our digital advice covers concessional contributions, investment options, and retirement planning. Our salary sacrifice contributions module helps people work out whether redirecting part of their salary into super makes sense given their age, income, household expenses, and retirement goals.

Frequently asked questions

When is the deadline for super contributions to count for this financial year?

Contributions need to be received by the super fund by 30 June to count for the current financial year. The date the payment is sent doesn't matter — the date the fund receives it does. Processing times vary by fund and payment method, so allowing several business days of buffer is a common approach.

Can salary sacrifice be set up retrospectively for the financial year?

No. Salary sacrifice arrangements have to be set up prospectively, between the employee and the employer, before the income is earned. Backdating is not permitted by the ATO. For amounts already earned, a personal deductible contribution — with a valid notice of intent — is often the equivalent route.

Does the $30,000 concessional cap include the superannuation guarantee?

Yes. The general concessional cap covers all concessional contributions combined — SG, salary sacrifice, and personal deductible contributions. SG already counts towards the cap, which is why people on higher salaries can have less salary sacrifice headroom than they might initially expect.

What happens if a personal contribution is made but no notice of intent is lodged?

The contribution is still a valid super contribution — it just can't be claimed as a tax deduction. Without a valid acknowledged notice, it sits as a non-concessional contribution instead, which has its own separate cap of $120,000 for 2025–26.

For tailored guidance on how these EOFY considerations could apply to specific circumstances, Otivo's retirement planning module helps people see how contribution decisions interact with their broader retirement position, including age pension eligibility and projected income in retirement.

Disclaimer

The information in this communication is current as at May 2026 and has been prepared by Otivo Pty Ltd ABN 47 602 457 732, AFSL and Australian Credit Licence No. 485665. This content is general information only and has been prepared without taking into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. It is not personal financial or taxation advice and should not be relied on as such. Before acting on any information, you should consider its appropriateness having regard to your personal circumstances. This material must not be reproduced in whole or in part, or posted on any social media platform, without the prior written consent of Otivo Pty Ltd.