Salary sacrifice – no sacrifice at all

What is a salary sacrifice arrangement?

Salary sacrifice is an agreement with your employer to contribute a certain amount of your pre-tax salary or potential bonus into your super. The aim is to potentially reduce your tax and boost your super balance at the same time.

The word sacrifice doesn’t really make this strategy sound appealing, but it has some great potential benefits.

Salary sacrifice no sacrifice at all

How salary sacrifice works – bringing your taxable income down 

Instead of being taxed at your marginal tax rate of up to 47 per cent including Medicare Levy, these payments are generally taxed at the concessional rate of up to 15 per cent. 

If you’re a high income earner, with combined income and concessional super contributions of more than $250,000, your concessional contributions above the $250,000 will be taxed at an additional rate of 15 per cent (30 per cent in total). However, this is still lower than the top marginal tax rate of 47 per cent (including Medicare Levy).

Salary-sacrificed super contributions are part of your concessional (or before-tax) contributions for the financial year. The concessional contributions cap includes mandatory contributions made by your employer and is $27,500 per year, regardless of your age.

The Government’s MoneySmart website has a great super contributions optimiser calculator. It can give you an idea of how salary sacrificing can affect your super and take home pay.

If you like the idea of salary sacrifice, discuss it with your employer and see if you can make an arrangement with them. You should also seek advice from a tax agent or speak to your financial adviser to determine if this strategy suits your financial situation.

Personal deductible contributions

Similar to salary sacrifice arrangement, you can make personal contributions to super and claim a tax deduction for these contributions. By making a personal super contribution and claiming it as a tax deduction, you’ll reduce your taxable income and invest more in super.

The contribution will generally be taxed in the fund at the concessional rate of up to 15 per cent. This is instead of your marginal tax rate which could be up to 47 per cent including Medicare Levy.

An additional 15 per cent tax applies to concessional super contributions if your combined income and concessional contributions exceed $250,000. Depending on your circumstances, this strategy could result in a tax saving of up to 32 per cent and enable you to increase your super.

We recommend you contact us to discuss whether salary sacrifice or personal contributions would work for you.

Contributing some of your pre-tax salary into super could help you to reduce your tax and invest more for your retirement.

Let’s say you have an income of $60,000 and you chose to salary sacrifice $10,000 over the course of the year. Your taxable income would drop to $50,000. This means you’d pay less in tax. 

Salary sacrifice isn’t for everyone though. It is more effective if you earn over $37,000 and it’s important to remember not to go over the $27,500 before-tax contributions limits otherwise you could be paying extra tax.

You’ll need to remember the new cap for super contributions which from July 1 2023, for before-tax contributions, is $27,500 for everyone, regardless of your age. There are tax penalties if you go over this cap. Remember, compulsory employer contributions are included in your concessional contributions cap.

Get set for the future 

Setting up salary sacrifice is normally a straightforward process. If your employer agrees, you’ll need to arrange with them to have some of your pre-tax income paid straight into your super fund. You can access these funds when you reach your preservation age.

The benefits of contributing extra to your super from your pre-tax pay include easier budgeting. The money is not paid into your bank account, so you’re less likely to miss it. Also, you can receive a capped tax rate of 15 per cent or 30 per cent on the ‘sacrificed’ income.

An additional 15 per cent tax applies to concessional super contributions if your combined income and concessional contributions exceed $250,000.

If you’re serious about getting your super up to speed, then salary sacrifice could be helpful. It’s an effective strategy to maximise your super contributions and lower your taxable income at the same time. Your take-home pay could cover today, your sacrificed salary could help fund tomorrow.

To size-up your savings and set up salary sacrifice, contact your employer. You should also seek advice from us first or tax professional.

Source: NAB

Reproduced with permission of National Australia Bank (‘NAB’). This article was originally published at https://www.nab.com.au/personal/life-moments/work/plan-retirement/salary-sacrifice

National Australia Bank Limited. ABN 12 004 044 937 AFSL and Australian Credit Licence 230686. The information contained in this article is intended to be of a general nature only. Any advice contained in this article has been prepared without taking into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. Before acting on any advice on this website, NAB recommends that you consider whether it is appropriate for your circumstances.

© 2023 National Australia Bank Limited (“NAB”). All rights reserved.

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CFP® Dip FP
Authorised Representative 298494
Interprac Financial Planning Pty Ltd 

Darryl Jopling

Senior Adviser

I have worked in the financial services industry since 1982 and as a Financial Adviser since 1999.

I have worked for large Financial Planning businesses, Membership based organisations and looked after the financial planning needs of clients within an Accounting Practice before starting my own business.

I am married, have 4 older children and a grandson and I am keen golfer with mixed results like many .

I have been through many of the strategies I talk with clients about myself and with my family.

I have been through the journey of seeing my parents move into Aged care and negotiated the difficulties and pitfalls of understanding the system for them and this gives me an excellent insight into what is required to assist families at this difficult time.

In a previous roll I used to run retirement seminars looking at Centrelink and Retirement Incomes and how to make these work for you. I have helped many of my clients with Aged Care advice when their parents needed to move into Nursing Homes. For many clients I assist them with superannuation, building wealth and protecting their loved ones with insurance.

I am supported by his, Licensee, Interprac Financial Planning’s in-house resources and ongoing technical, systems and training.

I am committed to understanding your needs and identifying strategies and products to help you achieve your goals.

My guiding principle as an Adviser is to design plans which help to provide my clients with clarity of purpose and the opportunity to build a solid financial foundation.
I will take the time to listen, explain things clearly and keep you informed throughout the advice process.

My experience is complemented by professional qualifications including:

  • Certified Financial PlannerTM Professional
  • Diploma of Financial Planning

At Choice Financial Advice we work with you along the way on life’s journey.

Whether you are getting married, starting a family, embarking on the trip of a lifetime, planning to enjoy your years after work or assisting elderly parents with Aged Care and Nursing Home placements, we can help.