Smarter SMSF updates – 1 July 2026

On 1 July each year, the Smarter SMSF team implements a range of changes across the platform, including order forms and generated documents. Whilst it might not look like much from the outside, these changes are crucial to ensure that your orders remain current and up-to-date with the ever-changing super and tax laws.

This year is bigger than most. Alongside our usual document and fee updates, 1 July 2026 also marks the start of new AML/CTF obligations for Smarter SMSF as a platform provider, and a significant deed upgrade supporting the now-enacted Division 296 tax. We have also started to migrate a number of orders across to our new cloud-based document generation server (improving delivery).

The list below outlines the various changes we’ve made on the Smarter SMSF platform from 1 July 2026.

AML/CTF Tranche 2

From 1 July 2026, Australia’s anti-money laundering laws extend to professional services firms — including platform providers like Smarter SMSF that facilitate trust and company formations. Smarter SMSF is now a reporting entity under the AML/CTF Act, with obligations to verify the identity of firms and individuals involved in designated services, maintain records for seven years, and report to AUSTRAC where required.

The good news: the vast majority of Smarter SMSF documents are completely unaffected. AML/CTF applies only to trust and company formation documents:

New SMSF Establishment
LRBA (Bare Trust) Setup
LRBA Loan Facility Agreement
Discretionary (Family) Trust
Fixed Unit Trust
Company Incorporation (including Special Purpose)
Change of Trustee (all variations)

Pension documents, BDBNs, investment strategies, deed variations and all other standard SMSF administration documents are unaffected — it’s business as usual.

For affected documents, verification runs through one of two pathways depending on whether your firm already holds its own AUSTRAC-registered AML/CTF program:

VerifiMe pathway — for trust and company formations, this will required per-order client verification. Your client completes a 2–5 minute digital identity check via VerifiMe, and the document releases automatically once verified. Repeat clients don’t need to re-verify for 12 months.
Reliance Agreement pathway — firms with their own AML/CTF program can apply for Reliance Membership via the new AML Compliance Hub – this will require the firm’s directors (and key beneficial owners) to complete a one-time verification (both KYC & KYB). Once completed, orders can then be completed via a simple attestation for each order that their own client due diligence has been done. No client action required.

Existing members can set this up now via Admin Console → Reliance Membership (around 15 minutes). New members are guided through it during sign-up.

Read the full AML/CTF Tranche 2 explainer

ASIC fees

ASIC’s company incorporation fee has increased by $25 from 1 July 2026 in line with CPI. Separately, our API partner’s per-company administration fee has increased from $61 to $65, reflecting the cost of the new AML/CTF verification requirements for company formations. As a result, company incorporation fees on the Smarter SMSF platform from 1 July 2026 are:

	Members (with document subscriptions)	PAYG
Company Incorporation	$701 (ASIC fee + $65)	$811
Special Purpose Company Incorporation	$701 (ASIC fee + $65)	$811

Read more in our recent blog post: ASIC fees from 1 July 2026

Order forms & documents

The team at Smarter SMSF has made a number of changes and updates across various documents for the 2026-27 financial year — a summary is below.

New SMSF (incl. QROPS):

Updated Governing Rules to version 2026-07 — incorporating the Division 296 tax deed amendments (Rules 18–21 and 25, plus new Rule 31 definitions) now that Division 296 is enacted law, along with mechanisms supporting the new AML/CTF obligations. Details of the changes are available for members to review within the SMSF deed changelog for the Smarter SMSF Deed. The changelog and revised sample documents can be found within the Smarter SMSF knowledge base (member-only access, or send us a request to review a sample document).
Updated QROPS PDS and ancillary documents — reflecting the UK Normal Minimum Pension Age increase from 55 to 57 (effective 6 April 2028) and the enacted Division 296 tax laws.
Updated PDS to version 2026-07 — reflecting the final Division 296 tax laws and regulations (registered 18 June 2026), replacing references to the earlier exposure draft.

Deed of Variation (incl. QROPS):

Governing Rules updated to version 2026-07, reflecting the Division 296, QROPS & AML/CTF amendments above.
Revised sample documents available within the Smarter SMSF knowledge base.

LRBA Loan Facility Agreement:

The order form has been updated for the LRBA safe harbour interest rates for the 2026-27 year in accordance with PCG 2016/5 (9.35%/11.35%) — see the ATO’s key superannuation rates and thresholds. We have also created a new LRBA loan repayment calculator within our new ‘Tools’ section that links to the LRBA loan facility agreement order form.
- Note: following the Government’s deal with the Greens as part of the CGT and negative gearing law changes, LRBAs will no longer available for residential property after 10 August 2026. Commercial (Business Real Property) LRBAs are unaffected. Read our full analysis: The LRBA Residential Property Ban: What It Means for SMSFs.
- Further deed changes reflecting the residential property LRBA prohibition will follow after 10 August 2026, once the enabling legislation has passed. We’ll notify members as soon as those updates are live.
LRBA Loan Facility Agreement and LRBA (Bare Trust) Setup orders are also within scope of the new AML/CTF verification requirements (see above).

Pension Commencement / Lost Pension Deed:

Pension PDS updated for the 2026-27 financial year, with the schedule reflecting the final Division 296 tax laws and new super tax rates and thresholds from 1 July 2026.
- Coming soon: for pensions being paid under the Smarter SMSF deed, we will shortly be releasing a new ABP & TRIS pension agreement in addition to the trustee resolutions options.

Upcoming Webinar

Join us for the Smarter SMSF – July 2026 update webinar, where Aaron Dunn will walk through AML/CTF Tranche 2, the 1 July 2026 deed upgrade, new platform tools (including the Division 296 Tax Hub), and a preview of what’s coming next — including the Admin Console, Smartie AI and the new SMSF Advanced Course.