Keziah Sedgwick (Principal) and Louise Chen (Manager) recently attended Heffron’s Annual Super Intensive Day, presented by Meg Heffron, Lyn Formica, Annie Dawson and Leigh Mansell.

With the 2026-27 Federal Budget tax reforms now legislated, this year’s program was less about tinkering at the edges and more about rethinking where clients should be holding wealth at all.

Strategy update

Meg Heffron opened with modelling on how the proposed changes to trusts, capital gains tax and property investment shift the balance between superannuation and other structures. The key question for advisers: do the new settings favour holding particular assets inside super versus outside it — and does the answer change for clients affected by Division 296?

Contributions — now and next

Lyn Formica walked through the CGT changes commencing 1 July 2027: the 50% CGT discount for individuals and trusts is replaced with cost base indexation, a 30% minimum tax on capital gains is introduced, and the new rules apply prospectively to gains accruing from that date, including on pre-CGT assets. Carve-outs remain for new residential dwellings and affordable housing, and the small business turnover threshold lifts from $2m to $10m. Importantly, complying super funds keep their own separate treatment — including the one-third discount — which is precisely why contribution timing and structuring conversations need to start now, not in 2027.

Death and super

Annie Dawson revisited the “as soon as practicable” cashing requirement, confirming the widely-cited six-month rule was only ever an ATO rule of thumb from a 2015 webinar. Practical takeaway: where benefits aren’t cashed by 30 June, document the reasons for the audit file — and start collecting deed, nomination and pension commencement documents at onboarding rather than after a death.

Can I really do that?

Leigh Mansell tackled residency traps for members living overseas — central management and control, the active member test — plus release authorities paid from pension accounts.

In the trenches

The day closed with real client scenarios: late SMSF annual return lodgements and Super Fund Lookup status, section 66 related-party acquisition breaches, deferred allocation strategies, and the treatment of compensation payments received by funds.

A valuable day, and plenty for our super team to work through before 1 July 2027.