Transitioning to retirement can seem like an ideal way to ease into your golden years. Many Australians view the ability to cut back their work hours while still earning income as an appealing “best of both worlds” scenario.
The transition to retirement (TTR) programme allows those over preservation age (55-60 years old) to open a retirement account while still working in order to supplement their reduced salary.
However, utilising the TTR scheme has notable financial, lifestyle, and administrative disadvantages to weigh before moving forward. If these potential downsides don’t align with your individual situation, you may need to consider whether transitioning to retirement is the best approach.
So, here are a few things you should keep in mind.
What is the Transition to Retirement Programme?
The transition to retirement (TTR) scheme is an Australian government programme that allows people over preservation age (between 55-60 years old) to access some of their superannuation savings while continuing to work.
There are two main strategies people use with a TTR:
- Reduce work hours: The most common approach is to cut back work hours to part-time status while withdrawing super payments to supplement the reduced salary. This allows older Australians to ease into full retirement gradually.
- Remain working full-time: It’s also possible to keep a full-time job and salary sacrifice a portion of your employment income into superannuation. The TTR pension payments can then provide additional tax-optimized income. This boosts total savings in preparation for eventually leaving the workforce completely.
The most touted benefits are the tax savings and optimisation opportunities. By salary sacrificing into superannuation or utilising other tax minimisation strategies, it’s possible to boost pension income and savings during the TTR period. There are also tax incentives when drawing a pension from the TTR account.
Additionally, the ability to cut back on working hours while still earning income allows people to enjoy more leisure time leading up to full retirement. This helps older Australians gradually adjust to not working at all. The TTR scheme provides the flexibility to find the right work-life balance during the retirement transition.
Disadvantages You Need to Consider
While the transition to a retirement scheme can be appealing, the disadvantages can outweigh these positives for some people based on their financial situation, job role, health status, and retirement time horizon. So, you need to weigh them against these benefits.
Financial
The key financial risks include:
- Reduces total retirement savings: By accessing superannuation early, less money has the potential to accumulate for full retirement. This diminishes the nest egg.
- Risk of depleting super too early: Drawing down retirement funds while still working increases odds of prematurely draining super savings before retiring completely.
- Limits on withdrawals and contributions: Complex regulations around TTR payments and contributions can restrict options to maximise tax and savings optimisation.
- Tax changes have reduced benefits: Recent tax reforms have reduced the tax benefits previously associated with transitioning to retirement. For example, prior to 2017, earnings from assets supporting a transition to retirement income stream (TRIS) were tax-exempt. However, from July 1, 2017, earnings from assets supporting a TRIS are no longer eligible for exempt current pension taxation and are now taxed at the relevant tax rate
Lifestyle
There are also lifestyle and job-related disadvantages, such as:
- Employers may not agree to reduced hours: Cutting back work hours relies on employer approval, which is not guaranteed. This can derail TTR plans.
- Loss of structure going from full-time to part-time: Dropping from full-time to part-time work results in major lifestyle adjustments that some people struggle with.
- Health issues may still force full retirement: Illnesses and injuries can interfere with phased retirement plans, forcing people to stop working altogether sooner than intended.
Administrative
Finally, making use of the TTR system comes with administrative burdens like:
- Complex to set up and manage: Understanding eligibility, paperwork, asset testing, pension payments, taxes and more rules is complicated.
- You need to monitor super balance and taxes closely: Consistent tracking of balances, investment earnings, and tax obligations is a must when drawing a pension.
- Less flexibility to access super early or as a lump sum: TTR rules restrict options for emergency early access and lump sum withdrawals compared to traditional super.
Key Takeaways
- The transition to retirement programme offers older Australians an appealing path to cut back on working hours and supplement income from superannuation savings. This phased approach can allow for more leisure leading up to full retirement.
- However, it also carries risks like diminished retirement funds, premature super depletion, burdensome administrative complexities, and potential denial of reduced hours from employers.
- Plus, recent tax reforms have eroded some of the touted financial advantages.
- The decision of whether to transition into retirement requires careful reflection on your specific financial situation, career trajectory, health outlook, and retirement timeline.
The best approach is to seek professional advice to understand if the TTR scheme aligns with your long-term retirement goals and lifestyle vision. While a phased retirement transition may work well for some, it carries notable downsides that make it the wrong path for others. Proceed with eyes wide open about the potential pitfalls.
Contact KNS Accountants and Business Advisors today to find out how we can help put together the right retirement strategy for you.
FAQs
What Are the Tax Implications of Transition to Retirement?
The income tax implications of TTR depend on your age. If you are 60 or older and receive pension payments from a TTR account, these payments are generally tax-free. However, if you are under age 60, transitions to retirement pensions are taxed at your marginal tax rate minus a 15% tax offset. So you typically pay more tax the larger your TTR pension withdrawals, reducing the net income benefit.
Is a TTR Worth It?
Whether transitioning to retirement is worthwhile depends on your personal financial situation, planned retirement timeline, job flexibility for reducing hours, and more. The tax optimisation benefits have declined in recent years. Carefully weighing whether you need to boost your super savings further versus start drawing down retirement funds now is essential. Seek professional advice to decide if TTR alignment with your goals outweighs risks like diminished retirement savings.
Can You Cancel Transition to Retirement?
Yes, it is possible to cancel the transition to retirement arrangements if you change your mind or realise the downsides outweigh the benefits for you. You can simply notify your super fund to stop the pension payments. Any unspent funds and new contributions would then remain preserved in your regular super account rather than the TTR account until you meet a condition of release, such as retiring after preservation age.
Do You Pay Your Marginal Tax Rate on Your Retirement Income Stream?
Yes, most Australians pay their marginal tax rate on income received from a retirement income stream such as a superannuation, account-based pension or annuity. In other words, your retirement pension isn’t tax-free.
Disclaimer
Please note that every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided in this guide is accurate. You should note, however, that the information is intended as a guide only, providing an overview of general information available to contractors and small businesses. This guide is not intended to be an exhaustive source of information and should not be seen to constitute legal or tax advice. You should, where necessary, seek your own advice for any legal or tax issues raised in your business affairs.
