{"id":4165,"date":"2026-05-26T15:18:10","date_gmt":"2026-05-26T05:18:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wiselinkaccountants.com.au\/eofy-2026-last-minute-tax-moves-individuals\/"},"modified":"2026-05-26T15:18:10","modified_gmt":"2026-05-26T05:18:10","slug":"eofy-2026-last-minute-tax-moves-individuals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wiselinkaccountants.com.au\/zh-hans\/eofy-2026-last-minute-tax-moves-individuals\/","title":{"rendered":"EOFY 2026: 7 Last-Minute Tax Moves for Individuals Before 30 June (Melbourne &#038; Brisbane)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\": \"https:\/\/schema.org\", \"@type\": \"BlogPosting\", \"headline\": \"EOFY 2026: 7 Last-Minute Tax Moves for Individuals Before 30 June\", \"description\": \"Your refund is mostly decided before 30 June. Last-minute EOFY 2026 tax moves for individuals in Melbourne & Brisbane \\u2014 including the unused super cap that expires this year.\", \"image\": \"https:\/\/wiselinkaccountants.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/2026-05-26-eofy-2026-tax-moves-individuals.jpeg\", \"datePublished\": \"2026-05-26T09:00:00+10:00\", \"dateModified\": \"2026-05-26T09:00:00+10:00\", \"inLanguage\": \"en-AU\", \"mainEntityOfPage\": {\"@type\": \"WebPage\", \"@id\": \"https:\/\/wiselinkaccountants.com.au\/eofy-2026-last-minute-tax-moves-individuals\/\"}, \"author\": {\"@type\": \"Person\", \"name\": \"Lily Zhang\", \"jobTitle\": \"Founder & Principal Accountant\", \"hasCredential\": [\"CPA Australia member\", \"Registered Tax Agent\", \"ASIC Registered Agent\", \"NTAA Member\"], \"worksFor\": {\"@type\": \"AccountingService\", \"name\": \"Wiselink Accountants\"}, \"knowsLanguage\": [\"en\", \"zh\"]}, \"publisher\": {\"@type\": \"Organization\", \"name\": \"Wiselink Accountants\", \"logo\": {\"@type\": \"ImageObject\", \"url\": \"https:\/\/wiselinkaccountants.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/logo.png\"}}, \"about\": \"EOFY 2026 last-minute tax planning for individuals in Australia\"}<\/script><\/p>\n<p>For most people, &#8220;tax&#8221; means logging into myGov in July and hoping for a refund. But the truth every accountant knows is this: <strong>your refund is mostly decided before 30 June, not after.<\/strong> Once the financial year ticks over, the easy wins are gone.<\/p>\n<p>With <strong>30 June 2026<\/strong> now weeks away, here are the practical, last-minute moves that individuals in Melbourne and Brisbane can still make to legally lower this year&#8217;s tax \u2014 starting with one that has a hard, use-it-or-lose-it deadline.<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/wiselinkaccountants.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/2026-05-26-eofy-2026-tax-moves-individuals.jpeg\" alt=\"A young woman at home reviewing her tax documents and statements before the 30 June EOFY deadline\" \/><figcaption>A few moves before 30 June 2026 \u2014 topping up super, prepaying deductions, fixing your records \u2014 can meaningfully change your refund.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>First, the one with a real expiry date: your unused super cap<\/h2>\n<p>This is the move most people don&#8217;t know about \u2014 and it genuinely disappears at midnight on 30 June 2026.<\/p>\n<p>The <strong>concessional (before-tax) super contributions cap is $30,000<\/strong> for 2025\u201326. That includes your employer&#8217;s Super Guarantee. But if you didn&#8217;t use your full cap in earlier years, you may be able to <strong>&#8220;carry forward&#8221; the unused amount<\/strong> from the previous five years \u2014 as long as your total super balance was under <strong>$500,000<\/strong> on 30 June 2025.<\/p>\n<p>Here&#8217;s the catch: <strong>the oldest slice of unused cap \u2014 from 2020\u201321 \u2014 expires on 30 June 2026.<\/strong> For someone who has barely touched their cap, that can mean <strong>$80,000+<\/strong> of extra contribution room vanishing this year. Use it or lose it.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\ud83d\udca1 Why it matters: a personal deductible contribution is generally taxed at just <strong>15%<\/strong> inside super, versus your marginal rate of up to <strong>47%<\/strong> outside it. For higher earners, topping up the cap is often the single biggest legal tax saving available before 30 June. <a href=\"https:\/\/wiselinkaccountants.com.au\/superannuation\/\">See our super guide<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Two timing traps to respect:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>The money must be received by your super fund before 30 June<\/strong> \u2014 not just transferred. Many funds have cut-offs in mid-to-late June, so don&#8217;t leave it to the last day.<\/li>\n<li>If you&#8217;re claiming a deduction for a personal contribution, you must lodge a <strong>Notice of Intent to Claim<\/strong> with your fund and have it acknowledged \u2014 or the deduction is lost.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>(One more reason not to wait until next year: from 1 July 2026 the concessional cap rises to <strong>$32,500<\/strong>, but that won&#8217;t bring back the 2020\u201321 room you let expire.)<\/p>\n<h2>2. Bring forward deductible expenses<\/h2>\n<p>If you were going to spend the money anyway, spending it <em>before<\/em> 30 June brings the deduction into this year&#8217;s return. Common examples for individuals:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Work-related purchases<\/strong> \u2014 tools, a laptop, professional memberships, subscriptions, union fees.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Income protection insurance<\/strong> premiums (held outside super) \u2014 prepay before 30 June.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Investment property<\/strong> \u2014 bring forward repairs, maintenance, or prepay interest where appropriate.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Self-education<\/strong> directly related to your current job.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>3. Get your work-from-home claim right<\/h2>\n<p>The ATO&#8217;s <strong>fixed rate is 70 cents per hour<\/strong> for 2025\u201326, covering electricity, gas, internet, phone and stationery. To use it, you need a <strong>record of the actual hours you worked from home across the whole year<\/strong> \u2014 a continuous diary or roster, not an estimate. Start that record now if you haven&#8217;t kept one; a four-week sample is no longer enough.<\/p>\n<h2>4. Make tax-deductible donations<\/h2>\n<p>Donations of <strong>$2 or more to a registered deductible gift recipient (DGR)<\/strong> are deductible \u2014 but only if you have the receipt and the gift is made before 30 June. Buying raffle tickets or items at a charity auction generally doesn&#8217;t count.<\/p>\n<h2>5. Check your private health insurance before 30 June<\/h2>\n<p>If you&#8217;re a higher earner without an appropriate level of private hospital cover, you may be hit with the <strong>Medicare Levy Surcharge<\/strong> (1%\u20131.5% of income). Taking out hospital cover before 30 June can avoid the surcharge for the days you&#8217;re covered \u2014 and often costs less than the surcharge itself.<\/p>\n<h2>6. Get your records right \u2014 because the ATO is watching closely<\/h2>\n<p>The ATO has been explicit about its <strong>2026 focus areas<\/strong>, and both hit individuals directly:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Overstated work-related deductions.<\/strong> The ATO&#8217;s data-matching is more sophisticated every year. Claim what you genuinely spent, keep the receipts, and apportion private use honestly.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Omitted income.<\/strong> With data flowing in from banks, employers and digital platforms, the ATO automatically cross-checks your income. The things people forget: <strong>bank interest, side-gig and platform income (rideshare, delivery, online selling), rental income, and crypto gains.<\/strong> Even small amounts left off can trigger a review.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\ud83d\udca1 A note for our community: if you have <strong>overseas income or offshore assets<\/strong>, Australia exchanges financial-account information with dozens of countries. Foreign income of Australian tax residents is reportable here. If you&#8217;re unsure how your overseas situation fits, <a href=\"https:\/\/wiselinkaccountants.com.au\/free-call\/\">talk to us<\/a> before you lodge \u2014 voluntary disclosure is always cheaper than an audit.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h2>7. Don&#8217;t get caught out by the &#8220;$1,000 instant deduction&#8221;<\/h2>\n<p>You may have seen headlines about a <strong>$1,000 standard deduction for work expenses with no receipts<\/strong>. It&#8217;s a real proposal \u2014 but it applies from the <strong>2026\u201327<\/strong> income year, it&#8217;s <strong>not yet law<\/strong>, and it does <strong>not<\/strong> apply to the return you&#8217;ll lodge for 2025\u201326. For this year, the old rule stands: no receipts, no claim.<\/p>\n<h2>Your 30 June 2026 quick checklist<\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li>Ask us whether you have <strong>unused super cap<\/strong> worth using \u2014 especially the 2020\u201321 slice that expires this year.<\/li>\n<li>If contributing, allow for your fund&#8217;s <strong>cut-off date<\/strong> and lodge a <strong>Notice of Intent<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Bring forward any <strong>deductible expenses<\/strong> you&#8217;d spend anyway.<\/li>\n<li>Start (or finalise) your <strong>work-from-home hours<\/strong> record.<\/li>\n<li>Make <strong>DGR donations<\/strong> and keep the receipts.<\/li>\n<li>Review <strong>private hospital cover<\/strong> if you&#8217;re a higher earner.<\/li>\n<li>Pull together <strong>all<\/strong> your income \u2014 interest, side gigs, rent, crypto, overseas.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Planning a sale of shares or property, or running a small business? Our <a href=\"https:\/\/wiselinkaccountants.com.au\/pre-eofy-2026-strategic-tax-decisions-melbourne\/\">Pre-EOFY 2026 strategic decisions<\/a> guide and the <a href=\"https:\/\/wiselinkaccountants.com.au\/instant-asset-write-off-2026-small-business-eofy\/\">$20,000 instant asset write-off<\/a> guide go deeper. And once July arrives, see <a href=\"https:\/\/wiselinkaccountants.com.au\/tax-return-melbourne-2026-ato-focus-areas\/\">how to prepare your 2026 tax return<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>Frequently asked questions<\/h2>\n<h3>What is the super contribution cap for 2025\u201326?<\/h3>\n<p>The concessional (before-tax) cap is $30,000, which includes employer Super Guarantee and salary sacrifice. The non-concessional (after-tax) cap is $120,000. From 1 July 2026 the concessional cap rises to $32,500.<\/p>\n<h3>What is &#8220;carry-forward&#8221; super and why does 30 June 2026 matter?<\/h3>\n<p>If your total super balance was under $500,000 on 30 June 2025, you can use unused concessional cap from the previous five years. The unused amount from 2020\u201321 expires on 30 June 2026 \u2014 after that it&#8217;s gone permanently.<\/p>\n<h3>How much can I claim for working from home in 2025\u201326?<\/h3>\n<p>The ATO fixed rate is 70 cents per hour, covering energy, internet, phone and stationery. You must keep a record of the actual hours you worked from home across the full year.<\/p>\n<h3>Is the $1,000 instant work deduction available this tax time?<\/h3>\n<p>No. It is proposed to apply from the 2026\u201327 income year, is not yet law, and does not apply to your 2025\u201326 tax return. For 2025\u201326 you still need records to support your claims.<\/p>\n<h3>What is the ATO focusing on for individuals in 2026?<\/h3>\n<p>Two things in particular: overstated work-related deductions, and omitted income such as bank interest, side-gig and platform earnings, rental income and crypto gains, which the ATO cross-checks through data-matching.<\/p>\n<h2>Sources<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Australian Taxation Office, <em>What&#8217;s new for individuals<\/em> and <em>Working from home expenses \u2014 fixed rate method<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Australian Taxation Office, <em>Contributions caps<\/em> and <em>Key superannuation rates and thresholds<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Australian Government, election commitment \u2014 <em>$1,000 instant work-expense deduction<\/em> (from 2026\u201327, not yet law)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>About the author<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Lily Zhang<\/strong> is the founder of Wiselink Accountants, a Camberwell-based CPA firm serving 500+ Australian individuals and SMEs since 2013. She is a CPA Australia member, Registered Tax Agent, ASIC Registered Agent and NTAA Member. Lily and the Wiselink team service Greater Melbourne and Brisbane in English and Mandarin.<\/p>\n<p>Want to know which of these moves is actually worth it for your situation \u2014 especially the super cap that expires this year? <a href=\"https:\/\/wiselinkaccountants.com.au\/free-call\/\"><strong>Book a free 20-minute call<\/strong><\/a> with a Wiselink CPA before 30 June. Servicing <a href=\"https:\/\/wiselinkaccountants.com.au\/accounting-and-tax\/\">Melbourne<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/wiselinkaccountants.com.au\/brisbane-accountants\/\">Brisbane<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><em>This article is general information, not personal advice, and is current as at 26 May 2026. Tax and super outcomes depend on your individual circumstances. Liability limited by a scheme approved under Professional Standards Legislation.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\": \"https:\/\/schema.org\", \"@type\": \"FAQPage\", \"mainEntity\": [{\"@type\": \"Question\", \"name\": \"What is the super contribution cap for 2025\\u201326?\", \"acceptedAnswer\": {\"@type\": \"Answer\", \"text\": \"The concessional (before-tax) cap is $30,000, including employer Super Guarantee and salary sacrifice. The non-concessional (after-tax) cap is $120,000. From 1 July 2026 the concessional cap rises to $32,500.\"}}, {\"@type\": \"Question\", \"name\": \"What is carry-forward super and why does 30 June 2026 matter?\", \"acceptedAnswer\": {\"@type\": \"Answer\", \"text\": \"If your total super balance was under $500,000 on 30 June 2025, you can use unused concessional cap from the previous five years. 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For 2025\\u201326 you still need records to support your claims.\"}}, {\"@type\": \"Question\", \"name\": \"What is the ATO focusing on for individuals in 2026?\", \"acceptedAnswer\": {\"@type\": \"Answer\", \"text\": \"Two things in particular: overstated work-related deductions, and omitted income such as bank interest, side-gig and platform earnings, rental income and crypto gains, which the ATO cross-checks through data-matching.\"}}]}<\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Your refund is mostly decided before 30 June \u2014 not after. Seven last-minute EOFY 2026 tax moves for individuals in Melbourne &#038; Brisbane, starting with the unused super cap that expires this year. By Lily Zhang, CPA.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":4164,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,17,61,18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4165","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-topics","category-business-solutions","category-english-post","category-business"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wiselinkaccountants.com.au\/zh-hans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4165","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wiselinkaccountants.com.au\/zh-hans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wiselinkaccountants.com.au\/zh-hans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wiselinkaccountants.com.au\/zh-hans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wiselinkaccountants.com.au\/zh-hans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4165"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wiselinkaccountants.com.au\/zh-hans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4165\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wiselinkaccountants.com.au\/zh-hans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4164"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wiselinkaccountants.com.au\/zh-hans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4165"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wiselinkaccountants.com.au\/zh-hans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4165"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wiselinkaccountants.com.au\/zh-hans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4165"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}