Tax advice and planning to grow your wealth

Who it is for

• Employees who want to make the most of their take-home pay and work-related deductions.
• Property and share investors weighing up loans, ownership and the timing of capital gains.
• Sole traders and small businesses planning equipment purchases and year-end decisions.
• Families and business owners using companies, trusts or a self-managed super fund.
• Anyone starting a business who wants the structure right from day one.

You are only as good as what you can prove

When it comes to tax, you are only as good as what you can prove. Getting into the habit of keeping invoices, receipts and bank statements pays off, and we help make those records work as hard as possible for you.

From your salary to your investments and home loans, we look at the whole picture and look for the structure and strategy that can leave you with more after tax.

Planning looks forward, not back

A tax return records what has already happened. Tax planning happens earlier, while there is still time to make choices: when to buy a business asset, how much to put into super, which name an investment is held in, and when to sell an asset that has grown in value.

The Australian financial year runs from 1 July to 30 June, so most planning conversations happen in the months before 30 June. Bigger decisions, such as choosing a business structure, setting up a trust or refinancing an investment loan, are best looked at before you commit, because they can be hard and costly to unwind later.

Every strategy has to sit inside the law and suit your own situation. The figures on this page are general information for 2026–27, not personal advice, and the right plan for you depends on your income, assets, family and goals.

Income tax rates for 2026–27

The 2026–27 resident rates are lower at the bottom end: the 16% rate that applied in 2025–26 has dropped to 15% from 1 July 2026. The ATO confirms this tax cut is now law, and a second stage takes that rate to 14% from 1 July 2027. The thresholds themselves have not changed.

These rates assume you are an Australian resident for the whole year and entitled to the full tax-free threshold. Based on the rates alone (before offsets and the Medicare levy), a taxable income of $45,000 or more attracts $268 less tax in 2026–27 than the same income did in 2025–26. Knowing which bracket your next dollar falls into is the starting point for most planning, for example when comparing salary sacrifice, the timing of a bonus or who in a couple earns investment income. See our guide to income tax rates for 2026–27.

The new $1,000 standard deduction

From the 2026–27 income year, Australian residents who earn labour income such as wages, director fees or parental leave pay can receive a standard deduction of up to $1,000 for work-related expenses. The ATO applies it automatically, and it is not available in 2025–26 returns. The Treasurer announced on 25 June 2026 that the bill containing this "instant tax deduction" had passed Parliament.

The standard deduction is capped at the lower of $1,000 and your total labour income. Any work-related expenses you claim that it covers, such as car, uniform, laundry or working from home costs, reduce it dollar for dollar. That creates a real planning choice for 2026–27:

• If covered work expenses are under $1,000, claiming them reduces the standard deduction by the same amount, so the total deduction stays at $1,000. Not claiming them means records are not needed for those expenses, although the ATO still suggests keeping them in case costs end up higher than expected.
• If covered work expenses are above $1,000, claiming them in full can give a bigger deduction, but written evidence such as receipts is then needed for every work-related expense claimed. From 1 July 2026, the $300 work-related expense and $150 laundry record keeping exceptions no longer apply to anyone.
• Some deductions sit outside the standard deduction and are still claimed as normal, including gifts and donations, the cost of managing your tax affairs, union fees, and income protection insurance premiums.

More detail is in our standard deduction guide.

Super contributions: caps for 2026–27

Super is one of the main tax planning tools for individuals, but contributions above the caps can mean extra tax. Both caps rose from 1 July 2026.

All concessional contributions to all of your funds count towards one cap. If your total super balance was under $500,000 on 30 June of the previous financial year, you may also be able to use unused concessional cap amounts from earlier years; each unused amount is available for up to 5 years before it expires. The non-concessional cap is nil for a year if your total super balance at the end of the previous financial year was at or above the general transfer balance cap. See our guide to super contribution caps.

Business assets: the $20,000 instant asset write-off

From 1 July 2026, the $20,000 instant asset write-off is permanent for small businesses. It was announced in the 2026–27 Budget on 12 May 2026, and the ATO states the measure is now law. The same $20,000 limit already applied from 1 July 2025 to 30 June 2026.

• It is available to businesses with aggregated turnover under $10 million that use the simplified depreciation rules.
• The limit applies per asset, so several assets that each cost less than $20,000 can all be written off. New and second-hand assets qualify.
• The deduction is claimed in the year the asset is first used or installed ready for use, so the timing of delivery around 30 June matters, not just the purchase date.
• Assets costing $20,000 or more go into the small business pool, depreciated at 15% in the first year and 30% each year after. A pool balance under $20,000 at the end of the year can be written off.
• The rule stopping a business from re-entering simplified depreciation for 5 years after opting out remains suspended until 30 June 2027.

A write-off brings a deduction forward; it does not make a purchase free. We look at cash flow and whether the asset is genuinely needed before recommending a year-end purchase.

Capital gains: what applies now and from 1 July 2027

For 2026–27, the 50% CGT discount still applies. Generally, an Australian resident who has owned an asset for at least 12 months can reduce the capital gain by half. Australian trusts can also use the 50% discount, complying super funds get 33.33%, and companies get no discount. For property, the CGT event usually happens on the contract date, not at settlement, which matters when a sale is signed close to 30 June.

Bigger changes are coming. The ATO states that reforms announced in the 2026–27 Budget are now law and apply from 1 July 2027:

• For individuals, trusts and partnerships, the 50% CGT discount will be replaced with cost base indexation and a 30% minimum tax rate on capital gains. The new rules only apply to gains that accrue after 1 July 2027.
• Negative gearing for residential property will be limited to new builds. Properties held at 7:30pm AEST on 12 May 2026 are exempt from this change.

These changes do not affect Tax Time 2026, but they make the timing of sales, valuations and record keeping more important for anyone holding property, shares or business assets. Our capital gains tax guide explains the basics.

With the 50% CGT discount still available in 2026–27 and new rules for gains accruing after 1 July 2027, it is generally worth reviewing assets and records well before 30 June 2027.

How it works

1. 1
   Talk it through

   Tell us about your income, investments, loans, super and any plans for the year ahead, such as buying property, selling assets or starting a business.

2. 2
   Review the whole picture

   We look at your current structures, records and past returns to see where tax is being lost and which 2026–27 rules apply to you.

3. 3
   Plan before 30 June

   We set out the options, with the tax effect of each, so decisions on super, assets and timing are made while they can still count.

4. 4
   Put it in place and keep records

   We help you act on the plan and keep the paperwork that proves every claim, then carry it through to your tax return.