No doubt noting the growing trend for people to rent out property for short-term accommodation, the ATO has withdrawn a 40-year old ruling and replaced it with a new draft Taxation Ruling accompanied by two draft Practical Compliance Guidelines that between them cover everything relating to renting out all or part of your property without carrying on a business, including income and deductions in a variety of circumstances.

Most people think of superannuation as money they can’t touch until retirement, but there are important exceptions. One significant exception is the permanent incapacity condition of release, which can allow people who are totally and permanently disabled to access their super earlier.

If you find yourself in the position of having bought yourself a new home before you sold your existing home, there are important CGT issues to consider – and these centre on the fact that under the CGT rules, you cannot have two or more CGT exempt homes at the same time.

Superannuation rules are always evolving, and 2026 is shaping up to be another year of important changes. Some of these updates may only affect a small group of people, while others could impact almost everyone with super.

Sometimes it can be, but only in limited circumstances.

The tax deductibility of expenditure on clothing is subject to strict ATO guidelines. These cover occupation-specific clothing, compulsory or registered non-compulsory uniforms and protective items.

If your SMSF owns a beach house, country cottage or apartment that feels like the perfect Christmas getaway, this is your friendly end-of-year reminder: you and your family can’t use it over the Christmas and New Year period, not even “just for a week,” and not even if it’s sitting vacant. It’s one of the most common SMSF traps, and it can lead to serious penalties. Here’s why, in plain English.

There is much in the media about how the 50% capital gains tax (CGT) discount has contributed to the housing affordability problem in Australia (although no doubt the problem is a lot more complex than attributing it mainly to any taxation measure or measures).

Most of us keep a close eye on our bank accounts. But superannuation can be easier to lose track of, especially if you’ve changed jobs, moved house, changed your name, or simply set up a new fund and assumed everything followed you.

In Australia, the law recognises that a will maker may sometimes fail to make adequate provision for close family or dependants. In that situation, certain people can ask the Supreme Court for a share, or a larger share, of the deceased’s estate. This is usually called a family provision claim or a claim against a deceased estate.

This piece is aimed at self-employed clients, so if you’re a salary earner or a retiree you can safely move on to the next item.

With the festive season fast approaching, business owners will be turning their mind to year-end celebrations with both employees and clients.

Knowing the rules around Fringe Benefits Tax (FBT), GST credits and what is or isn’t tax deductible can help keep tax costs to a minimum.

Let’s say you’ve just sold the house you inherited from your parents 12 years ago for $1.3 million. You’ve been renting it out for most of that time, but the property market has been hotting up and you were told by several real estate agents that they could get you a good price. But what about the tax consequences?

Big news for anyone with a large super balance – the government has gone back to the drawing board on the controversial Division 296 tax, and the changes are a big step toward fairness and common sense.

For many older Australians, having wealth tied up in the family home can make day-to-day expenses challenging. The Home Equity Access Scheme (HEAS) is a government-backed program that allows eligible seniors to unlock some of the value in their home without selling it.

With summer just around the corner and beach holiday homes back on the agenda, perhaps it is time to revisit a few tax matters about their use. And the big issue is how you claim expenses if your holiday home is only rented for part of the year.

In contrast to holiday homes, what happens where you use all or part of your home to produce assessable income? Well, there will be important capital gains tax (CGT) consequences – the most important of which is that you will be likely to lose some of your CGT exemption on the home.

With more than $4 trillion in superannuation, it’s no surprise scammers see it as a goldmine. ASIC has warned Australians to be on high alert after a rise in pushy sales tactics and false promises designed to lure people into risky super switches. Since your super is one of the biggest investments you’ll ever make, protecting it is crucial. Here’s what you need to know to keep your nest egg safe.

The tax advantages of using a family trust are well known – in particular, the ability to split income among family members so that a lower effective tax rate applies to the income. This is unlike the case where one person derives all the income or the trust itself is liable to pay tax on it.

If you run a small business and sell it – or some of its asset(s) – and make a capital gain, the CGT “retirement exemption” may be invaluable to reduce or eliminate the tax payable on the gain.

If you want to give your children a head start on saving for their first home, the First Home Super Saver Scheme (FHSSS) is worth considering. It offers a tax-effective way for young people to grow a deposit more quickly and is open to anyone who meets the eligibility rules and has never owned property.