5-Year Catch-Up Super Contributions: The Tax Saving Hiding in Your MyGov

The concessional contribution cap for 2025-26 is $30,000. That's how much you can put into super each year as a tax-deductible contribution — employer Super Guarantee, salary sacrifice, and personal deductible contributions all count toward the same cap.

What most Australians don't know: if your total super balance is under $500,000 at 30 June of the previous financial year, you can carry forward unused cap from the last 5 financial years. The carry-forward rule has been in effect since 1 July 2018, so right now (in the 2025-26 year) you can use unused cap from 2020-21, 2021-22, 2022-23, 2023-24 and 2024-25.

For someone on $80,000 with only employer SG going into super, that's potentially $30,000-$120,000+ of additional tax-deductible contribution room sitting in their MyGov account, unused.

Use the FWM EOFY Super Top-Up Calculator to see how much catch-up room you have, and the dollar tax saving on contributing the full amount before 30 June.

1. Log into myGov and select Australian Taxation Office.
2. From the menu, choose Super → Information → Carry-forward concessional contributions.
3. You'll see a table showing your unused cap by financial year (oldest first). The total at the bottom is what you can carry forward this year on top of the standard $30,000.

The unused cap "expires" after 5 years — so the 2020-21 amount is the one to use first if you want to top up. From 1 July 2026, the 2020-21 amount will be gone forever.

You'll also see your total super balance at 30 June last year. If it's $500,000 or more, the carry-forward rule doesn't apply this year and your cap is the standard $30,000 only.

Lisa earns $130,000 (37% marginal tax rate). Her employer paid $15,600 SG this year. Her total super balance at 30 June 2025 was $180,000 — well under $500,000, so she qualifies for catch-up.

From MyGov: $80,000 of unused cap carried forward from the past 5 years.

Her total contribution room: $30,000 (standard cap) − $15,600 (SG already used) = $14,400 standard room, PLUS $80,000 catch-up = $94,400 of tax-deductible contribution room available before 30 June 2026.

If Lisa can find the cash to top up the full $94,400 from after-tax savings or an inheritance:

• She gets a tax deduction worth $94,400 × 37% = $34,928 off her tax bill
• The contribution is taxed at 15% inside super: $94,400 × 15% = $14,160 inside-super tax
• Net tax saving: $20,768 of cash she keeps that she would have otherwise paid in tax
• Plus $80,240 added to her retirement savings, earning compound returns

Even partial top-ups produce material savings. A $10,000 personal deductible contribution at the 37% bracket saves $2,200 in tax compared with taking the money as ordinary income.

Personal deductible contributions require one extra step: lodging a Notice of Intent to Claim a Deduction (NOI) with your super fund. Without it, the ATO will reject your deduction at tax time.

1. Make the contribution into your super fund before 30 June.
2. Download your fund's NOI form (most funds have it online). It's also available from the ATO website as form NAT 71121.
3. Fill in the form with the date, amount, financial year, and how much you want to claim as a deduction.
4. Submit it to your super fund before you lodge your tax return for that year (and before you withdraw or roll over the contribution).
5. Your fund will acknowledge the NOI in writing — keep that acknowledgement.

Salary sacrifice contributions do NOT need an NOI — your employer handles those before tax already, so the deduction is automatic. The NOI is only for personal contributions you made out of after-tax money and want to claim as a deduction.

Going over the cap. If you top up too much and exceed the cap (including catch-up), the excess is added back to your taxable income and taxed at your marginal rate (the inside-super 15% you already paid is credited). You also pay an excess concessional contributions charge — interest on the excess. Always leave a small buffer.

Division 293 tax. If your income plus concessional contributions exceeds $250,000, you pay an extra 15% Division 293 tax on the portion above the threshold. That cuts your effective tax saving from 22% (37% − 15%) down to 7% (37% − 30%) on the contributions in the higher band. Still worth doing for many earners, but the maths is less compelling.

Timing risk. Contributions must be RECEIVED by your fund before 30 June, not just sent. Most funds need 5+ business days to process BPAY or direct deposit. Leave at least a week. If you contribute on 30 June and your fund receives it on 1 July, it counts in the wrong financial year and is wasted.

The $500K total super balance check. Eligibility for catch-up is determined at 30 June of the PREVIOUS year. If you've just crossed $500K but were under at 30 June 2025, you're still eligible for 2025-26. From 30 June 2026 onwards, you'll need to be under $500K at that date to use catch-up in 2026-27.

The window closes 30 June 2026. Here's a 4-step plan:

1. Check your unused cap. MyGov → ATO → Super → Carry-forward concessional contributions. 1 minute.
2. Model the saving. Use the FWM EOFY Super Top-Up Calculator with your YTD SG (from your latest payslip), your marginal rate, and the unused cap figure. It shows you exactly how much room you have and the tax saved on the full top-up.
3. Make the contribution. Most super funds accept BPAY or direct deposit. Allow at least a week for the fund to receive it before 30 June.
4. Lodge the Notice of Intent. Through your fund's website or paper form. Must be acknowledged in writing before you lodge your tax return.

If you only do one tax-planning thing before 30 June 2026, this is the highest-leverage move available to most Australian PAYG earners with a sub-$500K super balance.