Any ordinary and statutory income a self-managed super fund (SMSF) earns from assets held to support retirement phase income streams is exempt from income tax – this income is commonly referred to as Exempt current pension income (ECPI).
This form of income does not include assessable contributions or non-arm’s length income.
Individuals can choose to claim their ECPI in the SMSF annual return. However, to do so, they must ensure their SMSF assets are valued at current market value. This requirement also applies when a transition to retirement income stream (TRIS) moves into retirement phase.
There are two methods an individual can use to calculate their ECPI – they are the segregated method and the proportionate method.
Generally, an individual uses the segregated method when their fund is 100 per cent in retirement phase (provided the assets are not disregarded small fund assets). If the fund has disregarded small fund assets, then the proportionate method must be applied.
