Australia Tax Optimisation

Australia Tax Optimisation

Compare lawful options using the taxpayer's circumstances, cash requirements and total tax cost. This guide covers 2026–27 planning, with sources checked on 8 September 2026. Keep historical calculations separate and check the application provisions of recent legislation.

Build the baseline

Record residency, entity structure, expected income, deductible expenditure, losses, assets, contributions and amounts already withheld or paid. Prepare the existing position before modelling a change. Compare cash available personally, cash retained in an entity, superannuation preserved for retirement, implementation costs and future tax on distributions.

For a full-year Australian resident individual in 2026–27, basic income tax is:

Resident income tax 2026–27 (ATO: resident income tax rates)

Taxable income	Tax before Medicare levy and offsets
$0–$18,200	Nil
$18,201–$45,000	15% of the excess over $18,200
$45,001–$135,000	$4,020 plus 30% of the excess over $45,000
$135,001–$190,000	$31,020 plus 37% of the excess over $135,000
Above $190,000	$51,370 plus 45% of the excess over $190,000

• Adjustments and prior-year rates — Apply Medicare levy, surcharge, offsets, study loan repayments and other adjustments separately. For comparison, the basic tax on $180,000 taxable income in 2025–26 is $47,938, before Medicare levy and offsets. Do not carry that year's rates into 2026–27. (ATO: resident income tax rates)

Review deductions and the new standard deduction

• Actual expenses substantiation — For actual expenses, establish the connection to assessable income, private use, capital treatment and substantiation. A receipt proves payment, without necessarily proving deductibility. Keep separate records for work travel, equipment, professional expenses and working from home. Use the method and rate applicable to the year, and avoid claiming the same cost under both a fixed rate and actual expenses.
• Standard deduction section 25-130 — For 2026–27, section 25-130 introduces a standard deduction for qualifying assessable labour income. It starts with the lesser of $1,000 and that income, then reduces by specified actual deductions, to a minimum of zero. It is not an extra $1,000 on top of all work expenses. Certain insurance premiums and trade, business or professional association memberships are excluded from that reduction. Check the statutory definition of labour income and the changed substantiation provisions. (ITAA 1997, section 25-130)
• Self-education $250 reduction — The former $250 reduction for self-education expenses no longer applies to expenses incurred from 1 July 2022. The expense must still meet the deduction conditions, including its connection with current income-earning activities. (ATO: self-education expenses)

Compare structures and distributions

• Incorporation and base rate entity — Do not recommend incorporation from profit alone. Include company tax, personal tax on remuneration and distributions, superannuation, payroll obligations, administration and access to cash. Company money retained after tax is not the shareholder's after-tax spending money. Check base rate entity eligibility for the relevant year rather than assuming that all small companies pay the lower rate.
• Personal services income — Test personal services income before relying on a company or trust to retain or distribute income from an individual's work. The PSI rules can attribute net income to the individual, subject to the personal services business and other exceptions. (ATO: TR 2022/3)
• Trusts and section 100A — For trusts, inspect the deed, beneficiary eligibility, valid resolutions and who receives the economic benefit. Section 100A can alter present entitlement for tax purposes and expose the trustee to tax where a reimbursement agreement applies. It does not simply make every distribution to a lower-income beneficiary legally void. Do not backdate resolutions. (ATO: TR 2022/4)
• Division 7A — Review private company payments, loans and debt forgiveness under Division 7A. Check loan documentation, deadlines, interest and minimum repayments before treating an advance as tax-free access to company profits. (ATO: Division 7A decision tool)

Capital expenditure and losses

• Asset purchase and deductions — Buy assets for a business need supported by cash flow. A deduction reduces taxable income; it does not reimburse the purchase price. Check total asset cost, business use, GST credits, installation date, exclusions and the depreciation regime before applying an immediate deduction.
• Instant asset write-off threshold — The Treasury Laws Amendment (Tax Reform No. 2) Act 2026 was assented to on 26 August 2026. Its schedules commence on 1 October 2026. It legislates the ongoing $20,000 instant asset write-off threshold, with application provisions covering relevant first use or installation from 1 July 2026. Eligibility for simplified depreciation and its taxable-use rules still apply. AUD (2026 tax reform Act No. 2, Schedule 2)
• Non-commercial business loss — For a sole trader's non-commercial business loss, the ordinary test pathway requires both the statutory income requirement of less than $250,000 and one of the four activity tests. The tests cover assessable income, profits, real property and other assets. Exceptions and Commissioner discretion provide separate pathways. It is incorrect to defer a loss only when both income exceeds the threshold and all four tests fail. (ITAA 1997, section 35-10)
• Corporate loss carry-back — Company carry-forward losses need continuity or business continuity analysis. The new corporate loss carry-back regime applies to assessments for income years starting on or after 1 July 2026, following its 1 October 2026 commencement. It permits eligible corporate tax entities that are not significant global entities to carry qualifying losses to either or both of the preceding two years, subject to choice, lodgement, tax liability, franking and integrity conditions. Do not use the former temporary regime's $5 billion turnover test. (2026 tax reform Act No. 2, Schedule 1)

Superannuation and investment planning

• Concessional contribution cap — The general concessional contribution cap is $32,500 in 2026–27, compared with $30,000 in 2025–26. Add contributions across funds, including employer and salary sacrifice contributions. Unused cap amounts from up to five earlier years can be available where total super balance was below $500,000 at the preceding 30 June. Check fund receipt dates and the actual unused amounts. AUD (ATO: concessional contributions cap)
• Personal contribution deduction — Before claiming a personal contribution deduction, establish eligibility and complete the required notice and acknowledgement process. Compare contributions tax, possible Division 293 tax, personal tax effects and preservation of the money. Do not equate a reduction in taxable income with an equal increase in accessible cash. (ATO: personal super contributions)
• CGT and rental reforms — Model capital gains and rental deductions for the actual transaction year. The 2026 reforms change CGT from 1 July 2027 and restrict excess residential rental deductions from 2027–28, with transitional rules and exceptions. The working Australians tax offset also starts from 2027–28, so do not include it in a 2026–27 forecast. (2026 tax reform Act No. 1, subsequent amendments in Act No. 2)
• GST treatment — For GST, establish registration, creditable purpose and supporting invoices. Going-concern and margin-scheme treatment require their own conditions; neither is an automatic election that makes any business or property sale cheaper.
• Documentation and integrity — Keep a dated comparison with assumptions, eligibility evidence, implementation deadlines and whole-year tax and cash effects. Do not fabricate expenses, defer already derived income by changing invoice dates, or assume a transaction is acceptable merely because its documents use a tax-effective label.

Contributed by Ryan Duguid.