What's included

Deed first, then the ATO, then the bank.

An SMSF goes wrong on the small things. One example is a deed that does not match the trustee. Another is a rollover asked for before the fund exists. So we do the steps in this order and check each one.

We give factual information on how an SMSF works and what the law requires. We do not give financial product advice. That means we do not say whether an SMSF suits you or what it should invest in. A licensed financial adviser does that.

We arrange the trust deed and you sign it. It records the fund name, the members and the trustees. Every registration after that matches the deed.
We explain the two trustee types before you choose. The trustees can be people (individual trustees) or a company (a corporate trustee). We talk through the cost, who carries the risk and what happens when a member leaves. If you choose a company, we register the company with ASIC (the companies regulator).
We register the fund with the ATO (the tax office). We apply for its ABN (its business number). We also apply for its TFN (its tax file number). We tell the ATO the fund will follow the super rules. This is called electing to be a regulated fund. If the fund needs GST (goods and services tax) registration, we add that too.
We help you open a bank account in the fund's name. We set up an electronic service address. That is the address other funds and employers use. They use it to send the fund messages about payments. The money itself goes into the fund's bank account. It lets contributions (money paid in) and rollovers (your old super moved into the new fund) arrive.
We explain what the law says the investment strategy must cover. That is the fund's written plan for what it will invest in. We give the trustees a template. The trustees write it and adopt it before the first dollar is invested. What the fund buys is up to the trustees.
The fund may borrow to buy property. If so, we set up a bare trust and its trustee. A bare trust is a separate trust. It holds the property until the loan is repaid. The law requires this for a limited recourse borrowing arrangement (LRBA). Limited recourse means the lender can only take that property if the fund cannot repay.
Each year after, we prepare the fund's financial statements (its yearly accounts). We prepare the SMSF annual return too (the fund's tax return). We also arrange an independent audit with an approved SMSF auditor.

Can and cannot

What an SMSF can and cannot do.

Being a trustee is real work with real rules behind it. Couples often pool their super into one fund with one set of accounts. Some owners want the fund to own the premises the business rents. The table answers the four questions people ask us first.

The fund wants to	Can	Cannot
Buy property with a loan	Yes. It borrows through a bare trust with a limited recourse loan.	No. The one limit: a member or relative cannot live in it.
Pay you before retirement age	No, in normal cases. The money stays in the fund until you retire or reach the set age. The law allows early release only in limited cases, such as serious illness.	Yes. Paying early breaks the super rules and the ATO can fine the trustees.
Lend to a member	No. Not to a member, and not to a relative of a member.	Yes. The auditor usually has to report a loan like that to the ATO.
Hold shares and cash	Yes. Listed shares, term deposits and cash are the usual holdings.	No. As long as the investment strategy covers them.

How it works

From the first call to the first rollover.

We do not draft the deed until you agree the scope (the list of work). After that, each step waits on the one before it.

We check where your super is now.

We talk about where your super sits and what you want the fund to do. Who would the members be? Is property on the plan? We explain the process and the rules, and where a licensed financial adviser comes in.
You get a price and a list of documents.

We put the scope in writing. It lists the documents, registrations and accounts we will set up. It names the trustee type and says whether a bare trust is included. It gives the cost and how long each step should take. You agree to it before any work starts.
We arrange the deed and lodge the registrations.

You sign the deed and the trustee forms. We register the fund with the ATO and apply for its ABN and TFN. Then we open the bank account and send the rollover requests to your old funds.
We do the accounts and arrange the audit each year.

The same team that set the fund up does the accounts and return each year. They arrange the audit and tell you what is due before it is due.

What you get

The file a bank or your old fund will ask for.

All of it sits in one folder, signed and filed. A bank, an employer or your old super fund can have any item on request.

The signed trust deed, each member's application to join and each trustee's consent to act, all filed. The ATO trustee declarations too. That is the form each trustee signs to say they know their duties.
If you choose a corporate trustee, the company registered with ASIC. You also get its constitution (the company's rule book) and certificate of registration.
The fund's ABN and TFN issued, and its ATO registration confirmed.
An electronic service address registered and ready for contributions and rollovers.
The fund's bank account opened by the trustees, and rollover requests sent to your existing funds.
The investment strategy the trustees wrote, adopted and signed, on file.
A bare trust deed and its trustee in place. This applies if the fund will borrow to buy property.
A calendar of what is due each year. It covers the accounts, the annual return and the independent audit.

What we need from you

Names, TFNs and where your super is now.

We send this list after the first call. Each item has a note on where to find it.

Full name, date of birth, address and TFN for every member. The same for every trustee or director.
Proof of identity for each trustee or director. The bank needs it. So do we before we register a company. Each director also needs a director ID (a number from the government) before we can register it.
Details of the super you want to roll in. We need the fund name, member number and rough balance for each.
Your chosen fund name and trustee type, once we have talked both through.
Whether the fund plans to borrow to buy property. If so, we prepare the bare trust at the same time.
Confirmation that each trustee is allowed to act. They must not be bankrupt, have a conviction for dishonesty, or be banned by the ATO from being a trustee.
Your financial adviser's details, if you have one. That way the investment strategy and their advice line up.

Related services

The SMSF may sit next to a business or family trust. If so, we look at the whole picture under Business Structuring.

Trust Setup

A discretionary trust (often called a family trust) or a unit trust. In a unit trust each person holds set units. The deed, trustee and registrations are all in place. We often set one up alongside the fund that holds the family's super.

Trust Setup

Tax & Compliance

The SMSF annual return is one of several forms due each year. BAS is the activity statement you send the ATO, mainly for GST. We lodge income tax, GST and BAS on time. That covers you and every entity (company, trust or fund) you own.

Tax & Compliance

Your own super fund, set up properly.

Deed first, then the ATO, then the bank.

What an SMSF can and cannot do.

From the first call to the first rollover.

We check where your super is now.

You get a price and a list of documents.

We arrange the deed and lodge the registrations.

We do the accounts and arrange the audit each year.

The file a bank or your old fund will ask for.

Names, TFNs and where your super is now.

Trust Setup

Tax & Compliance

Set up your fund with the paperwork right.

Your own super fund, set up properly.

Deed first, then the ATO, then the bank.

What an SMSF can and cannot do.

From the first call to the first rollover.

We check where your super is now.

You get a price and a list of documents.

We arrange the deed and lodge the registrations.

We do the accounts and arrange the audit each year.

The file a bank or your old fund will ask for.

Names, TFNs and where your super is now.

What usually sits beside the fund.

Trust Setup

Tax & Compliance

Set up your fund with the paperwork right.