From 1 July 2026, the amount you can put into super — and the amount you can move into a tax-free retirement-phase pension — both get bigger. Four-yearly indexation has caught up with wages growth, lifting contribution caps and the transfer balance cap in the same round.

This is general information only — it isn't personal financial or tax advice. Whether and how to use the extra contribution room depends on your own circumstances, so speak with a licensed adviser or registered tax agent before acting.

What's rising, and by how much

Cap2025–262026–27 (from 1 July 2026)
Concessional contributions$30,000$32,500
Non-concessional contributions$120,000$130,000
Non-concessional bring-forward (3 years)$360,000$390,000
Non-concessional bring-forward (2 years)$240,000$260,000
General transfer balance cap$2.0 million$2.1 million

See the ATO's contributions caps page for the official figures.

Why caps move: AWOTE indexation

The concessional cap is indexed to Average Weekly Ordinary Time Earnings (AWOTE), rounded down to the nearest $2,500. Wages growth was strong enough over the past year to trigger a full $2,500 step, taking the cap from $30,000 to $32,500. The non-concessional cap is set at four times the concessional cap, so it moves in lockstep — $120,000 to $130,000. For background on the mechanism, see AusTaxTools' rundown of the 2026–27 tax changes.

The bring-forward rule gets a bit more headroom

The non-concessional bring-forward rule lets you make up to three years' worth of non-concessional contributions in a single year — but how much you can bring forward depends on your Total Super Balance (TSB) at 30 June 2026:

  • TSB under $1.84 million — full 3-year bring-forward, up to $390,000
  • TSB $1.84 million to under $1.97 million — 2-year bring-forward, up to $260,000
  • TSB $1.97 million to under $2.1 million — no bring-forward; standard annual cap of $130,000 only
  • TSB $2.1 million or more — no non-concessional contributions can be made at all

Full detail is on the ATO's non-concessional contributions cap page.

The transfer balance cap: $2.0m → $2.1m

The general transfer balance cap governs how much you can move into a tax-free retirement-phase pension over your lifetime. It's rising to $2.1 million from 1 July 2026 — but your own personal transfer balance cap depends on your history: if you start your first retirement-phase pension on or after 1 July 2026, you get the full $2.1 million; if you already have a personal cap and haven't used all of it, you're entitled to a proportional increase based on your unused cap space. Anything above your personal cap must stay in accumulation phase (taxed at 15% on earnings) or be held outside super.

See the ATO's general transfer balance cap indexation page and upcoming personal transfer balance cap changes page for how to check your own figure — it isn't expected to display in myGov until mid-July 2026.

What this means if you run an SMSF

Higher contribution caps mean more room to build your SMSF balance through concessional and non-concessional contributions, while the higher transfer balance cap gives trustees more room to move assets into the tax-free pension phase. If your SMSF's asset mix needs a rethink as balances grow, our earlier piece on SMSF diversification beyond property is a good place to start.

Before 30 June 2026 vs after 1 July 2026

Caps apply by financial year, not by the date you happen to make a contribution relative to when you read this. A contribution made on 30 June 2026 counts against the 2025–26 caps ($30,000 / $120,000); the same contribution made on 1 July 2026 counts against the new 2026–27 caps ($32,500 / $130,000). If you're close to a cap and have flexibility over timing, it's worth checking which side of 1 July 2026 a contribution falls on.

Don't confuse the bring-forward tiers above with the separate $500,000 Total Super Balance threshold for carry-forward of unused concessional cap — that threshold is unrelated to this indexation round and remains unchanged for 2026–27.

Sources

More contribution room is only useful if it fits your broader plan — how much you can afford to contribute, your total super balance, and your timeline to retirement all matter more than the cap itself.