Property investment and superannuation are two major investment strategies for Australians. For most people, property and super are separate investments — but they don’t have to be. We highlight everything you need to know about investing in property using your super in Australia. Can I buy property in super? You can buy an investment property inside super, but only if you have your own self-managed super fund (SMSF). As the name suggests, an SMSF is a fund that you manage yourself. One of the benefits of setting up a self-managed super fund is that you have total control over what assets you are investing in, provided you comply with Australia’s superannuation laws. Unlike retail and industry funds, SMSFs can invest in property provided that four conditions are met: the property must be bought solely as an investment to provide for your retirement (this is known as the sole purpose test). It must not be bought from a related party. You cannot live in the property (and nor can a related party). You cannot rent residential property yourself (and you cannot rent it to any of your relatives). However, you can lease commercial property back to yourself or a relative for business use, provided the lease payments reflect current market rates. The benefits of buying an investment property inside your self managed super fund There are four major potential benefits of buying property inside your SMSF: 1) tax savings Super is an extremely tax-effective investment in Australia. Any earnings (including SMSF property income) are taxed at only 15%. Australians on an average income pay tax at a marginal rate of 32.5%. Australia’s top earners pay a marginal rate of 45%. So you’ll pay less tax when you buy property inside your SMSF if you’re still earning other taxable income. The more you earn, the more tax you’ll save. 2) reduced capital gains tax (CGT) Provided you hold your SMSF property for at least 12 months, you will be entitled to a 33% CGT discount on any profit you make when you sell the property. This means you will only pay 10% tax on your selling profit, rather than 15%. 3) increased buying power if your SMSF has more than one member Since 1 July 2021, SMSFs in Australia can have up to six members (the previous limit was four members). If your fund has two or more members, you can pool your funds to buy higher value, higher-quality properties. This can…
