Each lender that offers SMSF loans may have a different lending policy on how much you can borrow. Typically with a residential home loan you are able to borrow a minimum of $50-100k and up to 80% LVR.
The maximum borrowing rate (LVR) against a house or home is 80-90%. For example, if you wanted to buy a property for $500,000, a deposit of $100,000 and borrowings $400,000 would usually be possible.
Self Managed Super Funds (SMSF) are allowed to borrow to invest in direct property, managed funds or shares as long as a Limited Recourse Borrowing Arrangement is used for the transaction.
The amount you can borrow in an SMSF loan will depend on your financial situation as well as your lender and their policies. Some specialty lenders offer SMSF loans from $100,000 ranging up to $4,000,000. You might need to maintain a minimum amount within your SMSF after the property sale.
If you're going to use your super to buy a car, you need to have met one of the following conditions: You must be 65 years of age. Or, you must meet the definition of retirement. Or, you must start a transition to retirement income stream, allowing you to withdraw between 4-10% of this balance each year.
You can't technically use your superannuation to buy a house. But, first home buyers are eligible to make voluntary contributions towards their super and use it as a deposit. This strategy is called the First Home Super Saver (FHSS) scheme.
So I can't just withdraw all of my super to help buy a house? No, you can't withdraw your existing balance, just the extra contributions you make under the scheme plus any interest accrued on those contributions (minus tax).
So, generally, no, you cannot use your super to buy your first home. However, the FHSS scheme can help you save a deposit for your first home.
If you chose to withdraw a regular income stream from your super savings and are wondering whether you can continue to access these periodic payments, the answer is yes you can - and that's irrespective of whether you return to full or part-time work.
After 20 years, the total combined net value of the property and Super comes to $2,170,000, or $1,300,000 after allowing for inflation. This is $350,000 or 36% better than the Superannuation fund only model. Using an SMSF to borrow funds for property investments can be a very powerful tool.
How To Calculate How Much You'll Need To Retire. A common rule of thumb is that if you want to leave the workforce at 60, you will need about 15 times the amount you have calculated for your annual after-tax retirement expenses. So if you estimate $60,000 per year then you will need $900,000.
According to a 2019 report by the Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia Limited (ASFA), Australians aged between 60-64 are retiring with a median balance of $154,452 for men, and $122,848 for women1.
There's no legal minimum SMSF balance required to buy an investment property, but best practices recommend around $200,000. While the amount of money needed isn't set in stone, having a large enough deposit in place covers the initial fees and operating costs that accompany running the SMSF and property.
There's no minimum balance required to set up an SMSF, but it usually becomes cost-effective once you have a balance of $250,000 or more. You will need to pay the annual supervisory levy to the ATO and arrange for an accountant to prepare the financial statements and tax return, and conduct an independent audit.
Money into superannuation
If they meet the required age and work test criteria, superannuation is a tax effective way to give money to your parents. It can be used to provide a tax-free income stream in an 'account-based' pension.
So being your money you'd like to think you can leave it to whoever you want—but you can't. You can only leave it to a person who is legally classed as your superannuation dependant (described under the Superannuation Industry (Supervision) Act 1993 (SIS Act).
Simply put, so long as you live for more than seven years after you make this gift, your children or family won't have to pay Inheritance Tax on your gift when you die. However, any income or gains made from this gift could have tax implications for the beneficiary, for example, Capital Gains Tax.
Cash Gifts
Another way to transfer funds to your children is to simply gift them the money. By law, you can give a gift of up to $14,000 per person per year without being required to pay the federal tax gift. This amount is $28,000 for couples who are married.
You can make Lump Sum withdrawals whenever you like from your SMSF once you turn 65 or are aged between preservation age and 64 and "Retired", regardless of whether you have commenced a Pension. You cannot make Lump Sum withdrawals from your SMSF if you are aged between preservation age and 64 and are NOT "Retired".
The bottom line
An SMSF is a private super fund you manage yourself, giving you more control over how your retirement savings are invested. However, setting up an SMSF is a big decision that comes with ongoing legal compliance responsibilities, which can be costly and time-consuming.
From 1 July 2022, the capped amount for individuals will increase from $30,000 to $50,000. When you're ready to purchase your first home, you apply to the ATO to request the release of your FHSS savings, (your contributions and associated earnings) from your super account so it's ready to go.
While you can use your SMSF to purchase a residential property, you are not permitted to live in that property while you are still employed, but you can rent it out as an investment property. You are also not permitted to rent the property to any other member of the fund or a relative of any members of the fund.