EOFY 2026 · Australia

EOFY 2026 Checklist: What to Do Before 30 June

By Lee · MoneyHackHQ founder · Last updated 22 May 2026

The Australian financial year ends on 30 June, and a handful of money moves are only available if you act before then. Most of them are simple, but they share one trap: the deadline is a hard legal line, not a soft suggestion. This is a plain-English checklist of what is worth doing before 30 June 2026, roughly in order of how much it can save you.

1. Top up your super (the biggest lever)

Concessional (before-tax) super contributions are taxed at 15% inside super instead of your marginal rate, which is why this is usually the highest-impact EOFY move for anyone on a decent income. For 2025–26 the concessional cap is $30,000, and that figure includes your employer’s contributions plus any salary sacrifice and personal deductible contributions.

If you haven’t used your full cap in recent years, the carry-forward rule lets you scoop up unused cap from up to five previous years — but only if your total super balance was under $500,000 on 30 June of the prior year. For self-employed people and sole traders, personal deductible contributions are one of the most commonly missed deductions, but you must lodge a Notice of Intent to Claim with your fund before you lodge your tax return.

Note: the concessional cap rises to $32,500 from 1 July 2026, so if you’re close to the limit it’s worth deciding whether to act this year or wait.

2. Crystallise capital losses to offset gains

If you’ve sold investments at a profit this financial year, you’ll likely owe capital gains tax. One way to reduce that bill is to realise losses on investments that are underwater before 30 June — those capital losses offset your capital gains for the year, and any unused losses carry forward to future years.

This only works if the sale settles within the financial year, so don’t leave it to the final days. A few honest cautions: never let the tax tail wag the investment dog — only sell something you actually want out of. And be aware the ATO takes a dim view of “wash sales,” where you sell purely for the tax loss and buy the same asset straight back. If you manage your own shares or ETFs, this is the kind of housekeeping you can do yourself on your investing platform.

3. Prepay deductible expenses

If you have legitimately deductible expenses, paying for them before 30 June brings the deduction into this financial year instead of next. Common examples include income-protection insurance premiums, professional subscriptions or memberships, and — for investors and the self-employed — up to 12 months of prepaid interest on an investment loan under the prepayment rules.

This is most useful if you expect to earn less next year, or simply want to bring the benefit forward. If your income is rising, the opposite can be true, so think about which year the deduction is worth more in before you prepay.

4. Get your deductions and records in order

The deductions you can actually claim are the ones you can substantiate. Before the year closes, pull together your work-related expenses, home-office records, charitable receipts, and any investment or income statements. Doing this now — rather than scrambling in October — means you won’t leave money on the table simply because you couldn’t find a receipt.

5. Donate to charity before 30 June

Donations of $2 or more to a registered deductible gift recipient (DGR) are tax-deductible — but only in the financial year you actually make the gift, regardless of when the receipt arrives. If you were planning to give anyway, doing it before 30 June pulls the deduction into this year. Keep the receipt, and check the charity has DGR status (most well-known ones do).

6. Plan what to do with your refund

This one isn’t a deadline item, but it’s worth deciding now so the money doesn’t just evaporate. If a refund is coming, the highest-value uses are usually paying down high-interest debt, topping up an emergency fund, or investing it. A few options depending on how hands-on you want to be:

• Hands-off ETF investing: Betashares Direct lets you invest in diversified ETFs (including all-in-one funds like DHHF) with no brokerage on its own funds — a simple way to put a refund to work.
• Just getting started / micro-investing: Raiz rounds up your spending and invests the spare change into diversified portfolios — an easy on-ramp if investing feels intimidating. You both get a $5 bonus after your first investment.
• Parking it somewhere that earns: a high-interest savings account beats leaving it in a transaction account. Options like Up and Ubank pay competitive rates with no monthly fees.

Whichever you choose, investing involves risk and returns aren’t guaranteed — read the relevant PDS and consider whether it suits your situation before committing.

A quick word on next year

This EOFY (30 June 2026) is mostly business as usual. The bigger date on the horizon is 30 June 2027, which is shaping up to be the most significant tax-planning deadline in years — it’s the last financial year before announced changes to negative gearing and the capital gains tax discount take effect. If you’re a property investor or hold investments with large unrealised gains, that’s worth getting advice on well ahead of time. We’ll cover it in detail closer to the date.

The bottom line

Most of the EOFY wins come down to timing: super topped up and received by your fund, losses crystallised, expenses prepaid, donations made, and records organised — all before 30 June. None of it is complicated, but all of it disappears once the clock ticks over to 1 July. Start with super if you have the cash and the cap room, since that’s usually where the biggest saving sits, and work down from there.