User Guide - Division 296 Tax Hub

The Division 296 Tax Hub is now live on the Smarter SMSF platform. This dedicated resource centre brings together everything accountants and advisers need to understand, calculate and manage Division 296 tax for their SMSF clients — FAQs, calculators, fact sheets, client communication templates, legislative references, a glossary, and AI-powered support.

Division 296 applies to in-scope SMSF members whose Total Superannuation Balance exceeds $3 million, taxing the portion of annual earnings above that threshold at 15% (or 25% above $10 million). The laws are effective from 1 July 2026.

Webinar:

Smarter SMSF held a webinar to launch the Division 296 tax hub on 23 April 2026 - you can watch it here:

Hub Resources

The hub is organised into seven resource categories, with both free and premium resources available

Free resources:- available for any used logged into the Smarter SMSF platform
Premium resources:- available to CPD & document subscription holders with Smarter SMSF. Can also purchase access to the premium resources via a 12 month subscription.

The following sections outlined below are available on the Div 296 tax hub, and are shown as either free or premium resources:

❓	Smarter Answers — FAQ Library (Free) 50 of the most commonly asked Division 296 questions, organised across 10 topics with live search. Topics cover: The Basics, Calculating the Tax, Pension Accounts, CGT Reset, Couples & Survivor Scenario, Death Benefits, Payment & Release Authorities, Contributions & Withdrawals, Estate Planning, and Strategies & Planning Responses.
🧮	Calculators & Tools (Premium) Three purpose-built Division 296 calculators available as both interactive online tools and downloadable Excel workbooks: (1) Div 296 Tax Estimator — calculate annual liability and project across multiple years; (2) CGT Reset Saver — model the tax saving from making a cost base reset election at 1 July 2025; (3) Survivor Modeller — project the Div 296 exposure arising when a death benefit flows to a surviving spouse.
📄	SMSF Fact Sheet Series (Premium) Nine comprehensive fact sheets covering every aspect of Division 296 for SMSF members: Overview & Introduction; Statutory Calculation Formula; CGT Cost Base Reset Election; Pension Accounts & Retirement Phase; Death Benefits & Reversionary Pensions; Couples — Survivor Exposure; Contributions & Withdrawal Adjustments; Payment, Release & Debt Accounts; Strategies & Planning Responses.
📬	Client & Adviser Resources (Premium) Six white-label Word document templates ready to customise and send: in-scope client letter; not-yet-in-scope client letter; survivor exposure letter (couples); adviser covering note; CGT reset election explainer; and strategy summary. All documents are fully editable.
📑	SMSF Documents (Coming Soon) Order SMSF legal and administrative documents directly through Smarter SMSF — including deed upgrades, CGT cost base reset elections, pension commutations and more. Available via subscription or pay-as-you-go.
⚖️	Legislative References (Free) Direct links to the Act (Treasury Laws Amendment (Building a Stronger and Fairer Super System) Act 2026), draft regulations, explanatory materials, and ATO guidance — updated as new material is released.
📖	Glossary of Terms (Free) Plain-language definitions of 30+ key Division 296 terms including TSB, ECPI, Division 296 fund earnings, release authority, and debt account.