Low income superannuation tax offset

You may be eligible for a low income superannuation tax offset (LISTO) payment from the government into your super account if you earn less than $37,000 a year.

What is the LISTO payment?

The LISTO ensures that low-income earners don’t pay more tax on their super contributions than they do on their take-home pay, by offsetting the tax paid on contributions.

How much is it?

The LISTO is 15% of the before-tax (concessional) contributions paid into your super during a financial year. These include:

• compulsory super guarantee (SG) contributions paid by your employer
• salary sacrificed contributions and
• contributions you’ve claimed a tax deduction for.

The maximum amount you can receive in a financial year is $500 and the minimum is $10.

Who’s eligible?

To be eligible for a LISTO payment:

• you or your employer must pay before-tax (concessional) contributions to a complying super fund life Tasplan

• your actual or estimated adjusted taxable income must be $37,000 or less

• you haven’t held a temporary resident visa at any time during the relevant financial year

• 10% or more of your total income comes from business and/or employment if you lodge a tax return or 10% of your income from eligible employment only, if you don't lodge a tax return.

How do you receive your LISTO payment?

You don’t need to do anything to receive the LISTO payment.

The ATO will determine whether you’re eligible for the LISTO and will pay contributions directly into your super account.

More information about the LISTO can be found in our Boosting your super with government help fact sheet.

• You haven’t held a temporary resident visa at any time during the relevant financial year.

  New Zealand citizens in Australia are eligible for the payment.