Sole trader

If you are a contractor, sole-trader or self-employed, you are responsible for contributing to your superannuation, however, there is no legal obligation to do so.

As a sole trader, paying yourself superannuation is generally last on the list. Cash flow might not be great, or perhaps you are focussing on building assets and feel that super isn’t relevant to your situation. Maybe you’re not quite sure on how to actually pay your own super.

It’s easy to prioritise investing money back into growing the business, such as buying new tools or spending money on marketing. And if business is going well, it may be tempting to draw a higher salary from the business so you can live a great lifestyle now.

Paying into your super fund should be a priority, as it is generally the primary means of retirement income (apart from the Age Pension). By not paying yourself super, you are cheating yourself out of future earnings. If you start paying small, regular amounts now, your money will start earning cumulative interest and your fund will grow much faster.

If may be tempting to not pay super and rely solely on the Age Pension for retirement. Currently, the maximum basic rate payable for a single person is $860.60 per fortnight. This can be a surprising shortfall compared to what you are used to living on, and it’s also about half of what is required to fund a ‘comfortable’ lifestyle in retirement.

This will depend on many things, such as what age you want to retire, if you have a partner, and if you have a mortgage or other debt obligations.

The ASIC website ‘MoneySmart’ has a great retirement planner calculator, which can help you determine how much income you will likely receive from your super fund when you retire:

• Get advice from relevant professionals, such as Super Equity, if you need assistance in planning for Superannuation
• Set up an automatic payment that goes directly to your super fund each month (try to pay the standard super guarantee amount of 9.5% of your income).
• Consider paying a lump sum into your fund at the end of the financial year. You can contribute up to $25,000 of your pre-tax income, and up to $100,000 of your taxed income.
• Check if you are eligible for the super co-contribution payment – this is a government payment of up to $500. This payment is for low to middle-income earners.
• Ensure you only have one active super fund – if you have previously been employed you might have multiple funds. Super Equity can assist with consolidating your funds. 

NOTE: Any advice or information in this article is of a general nature only and has not taken into account your personal circumstances, needs or objectives therefore, before acting on the advice, you should consider its appropriateness to you, having regard to your objectives, financial situation or needs