Pitfalls of “late” super payment
A taxpayer has been unsuccessful before the AAT in arguing that the Commissioner should exercise his discretion and reallocate excess super contributions to a previous financial year.
The taxpayer had used an electronic funds transfer on 30 June 2007 to transfer the funds, but they were not credited to the super fund’s account by the bank until 2 July 2007, thereby pushing the transfer into the next financial year. The excess concessional contributions for the 2008 financial year amounted to almost $54,000 and the Commissioner imposed excess contributions tax of around $17,000.
In rejecting the taxpayer’s arguments, the AAT noted the Commissioner’s practice to deem contributions as having been made “when the funds are credited to the superannuation provider’s account”.
The AAT also disagreed that there were “special circumstances” that would allow the Commissioner to exercise his discretion. It noted that the taxpayer was in the same situation as every other taxpayer and that it was incumbent upon the taxpayer to ensure that the electronic funds transfer was effective and completed at the right time.
Amounts contributed and counted in the “wrong” financial year, causing an investor to exceed the relevant superannuation contributions cap, could lead to an excess contributions tax bill. Investors should consider planning any extra contributions early and should not leave transfers to the “last minute”. Note that this year, 30 June 2012 falls on a Saturday.
The Commissioner may only exercise his discretion to reallocate or disregard excess contributions if “special circumstances” exist and the making of a determination is consistent with the object of the superannuation law. Please contact our office for more information.
