A self-managed superannuation Fund (SMSF) is a superannuation fund that you create and manage yourself instead of having your superannuation managed by an existing organisation. What you choose to invest in and what insurance is included is up to you. While this provides you with autonomy to operate your fund as you prefer, you also have responsibilities. These responsibilities relate to the fund's success in accumulating wealth and compliance with Australian Taxation Office (ATO) regulations.

An ATO requirement is that an audited SMSF return is lodged each year. An annual return is a critical document covering the tax return, financial statements, auditors report and member contribution reporting.

ATO compliance is compulsory when managing your own super fund. The ATO has the power to change the status of your fund to 'Regulation Details Removed' if you are late to lodge your annual reports. This would mean that the SMSF cannot receive super guarantee payments from employers or rollovers from other funds. The ATO can also issue failure to lodge and administrative penalties if you do not lodge at all.

Let us at Aughey's provide the best value for your SMSF management. We will support you to ensure that lodgements are submitted every year to remain compliant, and so your fund operates effectively.

We recognise that it is also a requirement of an SMSF to have an investment strategy. You need to seek advice from a licensed financial planner for investment strategies and recommendations. We can refer you to licenced financial planners, Harvest Wealth (harvestwealthsa.com.au), for more information on risks and responsibilities that come with managing a SMSF.