FEDERAL BUDGET 2025-26

Lowe Lippmann Chartered Accountants

SUMMARY AND FULL COMMENTARY UPDATES

The 2025-26 Federal Budget was handed down by Federal Treasurer, Dr Jim Chalmers on the evening of Tuesday 25 March 2025.


Lowe Lippmann is pleased to provide the following commentaries, explaining the key issues released in the budget.

Read Summary Read Full Commentary

This Federal Budget has been unique, compared to recent years, being very light on proposed tax changes. This is due to the impending Federal Election in the next few months, with substantial proposed tax changes likely being withheld for now to be used as election promises. For now, there are minimal tax changes that will have significant impact today, but we expect (and encourage) some significant tax reform be considered by the current Federal Government sooner rather than later.


For further clarification, contact your Relationship Partner at Lowe Lippmann.

Please do not hesitate to contact your Lowe Lippmann Relationship Partner if you wish to discuss any of these matters further.

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Tax Alert - Preparing your business for Payday Super changes starting 1 July 2026

January 21, 2026
Preparing your business for Payday Super changes starting 1 July 2026 From 1 July 2026, employers will have to pay their employees’ compulsory Superannuation Guarantee ( SG ) contributions at the same time as they pay their salary and wages (ie. ordinary time earnings, OTE ). This is a change in the frequency of the payment rather than its calculation. With less than six months remaining, we believe it is very important to start preparing your business for these changes. We will outline some actionable steps that can be taken now to help manage the process to be compliant with the new changes leading up to 1 July 2026. These changes will apply to all Employers, whether they have pay cycles weekly, fortnightly, monthly or irregularly. SG contributions must generally arrive in an employee’s chosen super fund within 7 business days of each payday . Please note that in November 2025 we released a Tax Alert after the payday super rules received Royal Assent and became law summarising the changes employers need to be aware of - to read click here .

Tax Alert - Christmas Parties & Gifts 2025

December 7, 2025
Christmas Parties & Gifts 2025 With the well-earned 2025 holiday season on the way, many employers will be planning to reward staff with a celebratory party or event. However, there are important issues to consider, including the possible FBT and income tax implications of providing 'entertainment' (including Christmas parties) to staff and clients.

Practice Update – December 2025

December 2, 2025
Alternative providers to the Small Business Superannuation Clearing House Employers should start preparing for the permanent closure of the Small Business Superannuation Clearing House ( SBSCH ) on 1 July 2026. By acting now to find an alternative service, employers will: have an established process in place to pay super guarantee ( SG ) for the March and June quarters (if they currently pay quarterly); reduce the risk of late payment of SG for the June 2026 quarter due date (28 July), as the SBSCH will be already closed; have more time to set up their business cash flow to enable frequent payments of SG; and have finalised payments and downloaded any reports from the SBSCH before it closes permanently. Employers that are still using the SBSCH should be aware of the following key dates. 10 December 2025 — Super payments, along with instructions, must be received by 5.30 pm AEDT on this date. The ATO says payments received after this time will be processed from 2 January 2026. 28 January 2026 — December 2025 SG quarterly payments due date. February to March 2026 — Employers should move to an alternative option to the SBSCH. 28 April 2026 — March 2026 SG quarterly payments due date. 30 June 2026 — Final day for employers to use the service, make any final payments and download reports.  1 July 2026 — SBSCH is no longer available. Employers may already have other options readily available so they can exit from using the SBSCH ahead of time. They should check their existing software and payroll packages, as they may already include super functions they can use to pay SG. Otherwise, employers can look for options from super funds or digital service providers offering payroll services, software or commercial clearing houses.
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