Key Highlights

  • The annual levy every self-managed super fund pays to the ATO would rise from $259 to $295 under a consumer-protection package the government announced in August, according to reports of the accompanying Treasury fact sheet.
  • Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Financial Services Daniel Mulino announced the package at the National Press Club on 19 August 2026. it responds to the Shield and First Guardian collapses.
  • Treasury published "Protecting Consumers and the Promise of Superannuation in an Evolving Financial Ecosystem" on the same day, along with a fact sheet.
  • The levy figures have been reported by specialist publications and advisory firms, including SuperGuide, Pitcher Partners and Grow SMSF.

The annual levy every self-managed super fund pays to the ATO would rise from $259 to $295 under a consumer-protection package the government announced in August, according to reports of the accompanying Treasury fact sheet. The change is a proposal only and no bill has been introduced, but with federal Parliament sitting from 12 October 2026, SMSF trustees and advisers are watching for the next step.

What the Government Has Proposed

Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Financial Services Daniel Mulino announced the package at the National Press Club on 19 August 2026. it responds to the Shield and First Guardian collapses.

Treasury published "Protecting Consumers and the Promise of Superannuation in an Evolving Financial Ecosystem" on the same day, along with a fact sheet. The publication page itself describes the reforms only in general terms, saying they will make the financial system safer "by strengthening protections across the superannuation, advice and investment ecosystem".

The levy figures have been reported by specialist publications and advisory firms, including SuperGuide, Pitcher Partners and Grow SMSF. All describe the measures as proposals that are not yet law, and none gives a start date.

Most of the reported measures apply at the point where a fund is set up, rather than to the day-to-day running of established funds.

The Levy: $259 to $295, and Paid Upfront by New Funds

Under the proposal, the SMSF supervisory levy would increase from $259 a year to $295, a rise of $36, or about 13.9%. which attributes the details to the Treasury fact sheet, it would be the first increase since 2013.

New funds would also pay at a different time. newly established SMSFs would be required to pay the levy when the fund is established, while existing funds would keep paying it when they lodge their annual return.

Currently, a new SMSF pays a double levy with its first annual return, which at today's rate comes to $518, or two lots of $259. How the upfront payment would interact with that arrangement is one of the details still to be confirmed.

Hypothetical example: An existing SMSF paying $259 a year would pay $295 under the proposal, an extra $36 a year. Over 10 years, assuming the levy did not change again, that would add up to $360 more in levies.

The Other Measures in the Package

Alongside the levy, measures reported for new and existing SMSFs include:

Powers for the ATO to block rollovers into newly established SMSFs where it has concerns about fraud, misconduct or consumer harm

A Written Investment Strategy from Establishment

Disclosure to the ATO of the advisers involved in setting up a fund, and of advice fees

SuperGuide also reports that the ATO could give low-balance members information comparing their returns with APRA-regulated funds.

On education, new trustees would need to complete it, possibly including testing, before their fund is registered, and that the government will also support industry-led efforts to lift trustee knowledge. Further industry consultation is planned on improving the quality of investment strategies.

The rollover power is likely to attract close attention. more detail is needed on how legitimate rollovers into new funds would be handled if the ATO is given greater ability to stop them.

What to Watch Next

Federal Parliament sits from Monday 12 October 2026, but no bill to implement the SMSF package has been identified, and consultation on the detail is expected first.