EOFY 2026: the money moves worth making before 30 June

The Australian financial year ends on 30 June, and the few weeks before it are the only window where some of the most useful tax and super moves are still on the table. Miss the date and they roll off until next year. Here's a practical checklist — what to look at, why it matters, and the deadlines that bite.

This is general information, not personal financial or tax advice. Everyone's situation is different — check the current figures on the ATO website and talk to a registered tax agent or licensed adviser before acting.

1. Top up super (the big one)

Concessional (before-tax) contributions are taxed at 15% inside super rather than your marginal rate, which is why topping up before 30 June is the move most people leave money on the table by skipping.

• The concessional cap is $30,000 for 2025–26 (employer contributions count toward it — confirm the current cap on the ATO site, as it's indexed).
• Carry-forward unused cap: if your total super balance was under $500,000 at the previous 30 June, you can use unused concessional cap from the past five years. This is how people make a large, fully-deductible contribution in a high-income year.
• The deadline is real: the money has to be received by your fund before 30 June — not just sent. Leave a few business days; don't do it on the 30th.
• Claiming a personal deduction? You need to lodge a notice of intent to claim with your fund and get their acknowledgement before you lodge your return.

If your income is over $250,000, be aware of Division 293 — an extra 15% tax on concessional contributions — before you assume the full benefit.

2. Bring forward deductible expenses

If you can reasonably prepay a deductible cost before 30 June, the deduction lands this financial year instead of next:

• Income protection insurance premiums (when held outside super)
• Interest on an investment loan
• Professional subscriptions, work-related courses, tools and equipment
• Donations to registered charities (keep the receipt)

Working from home? Decide between the fixed-rate method and the actual-cost method, and make sure your records back up whichever you choose.

3. Review your investments before year-end

For shares, ETFs and crypto held outside super:

• Capital gains timing. A gain realised on 1 July falls into the next financial year — sometimes worth it, sometimes not.
• Held something for more than 12 months? You may qualify for the 50% CGT discount on the gain.
• Tax-loss selling. Realised losses can offset realised gains, but the ATO takes a dim view of selling purely to crystallise a loss and buying straight back in ("wash sales"). Have a genuine reason.

4. Private health and the Medicare Levy Surcharge

If you're a higher earner without an appropriate level of private hospital cover, the Medicare Levy Surcharge can apply. For some people, holding cover for the full year costs less than the surcharge — worth checking your dates before year-end.

5. Get your records straight

The cheapest tax saving is the deduction you don't forget to claim. Pull together your receipts, work-from-home log, charity donations, and any investment income statements now, while the year is fresh — not next October.

A new year starts 1 July

Once the new financial year ticks over, it's the natural moment to reset: recheck your salary and tax, revisit your savings rate, and update the recurring income and bills your budget runs on. That's exactly what Bickie is built for — Australian tax and super rules baked in, your recurring money modelled as dated entries, and a long-run view of where it all lands. You can even flag recurring items as tax-deductible so next EOFY is a sorted folder rather than a scramble.

Whatever you do, do it before the 30th. The deadline doesn't move.