Total SMSF cash required
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SMSF PROPERTY & LRBA CALCULATOR · POST-REFORM
Model your SMSF property pathway, loan and cash position.
Start with the legal pathway, then model a current SMSF planning rate, governed duty, funds to complete, retained liquidity and downside cash flow in one guided calculator.
legal-path gate firstprotected live SMSF ratesgoverned Australian dutycash flow, liquidity and stress
General information only. The calculator does not decide whether an asset is business real property, whether an arrangement is protected by transition, whether an SMSF strategy is suitable, or whether a lender will approve a loan. Obtain current licensed financial, tax and legal advice before a contract, refinance or material change.
Guided SMSF property modelAbout 4 minutes · advanced settings optional
01
Legal and transaction pathway
Start with the real transaction. The calculator stops a new ordinary residential LRBA before it shows a workable borrowing result.
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Choose the real transaction—not the outcome you hope to obtain. Existing arrangements and refinances need the original chronology.
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“Commercial” is not automatically “business real property”. Mixed use and related-business premises need current legal and tax advice.
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This is not simply the settlement date. A solicitor should confirm the relevant arrangement and contract chronology.
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Transition can depend on the exact documents and dates. This selection is an input for triage only, not a legal conclusion.
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The calculator never substitutes for a current written view on BRP status, transition, purchaser wording, holding trust or refinance protection.
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Corporate trustees are commonly required or preferred by lender policy even where another structure may be legally possible.
02
Fund, property and cash to complete
Add the fund, property and deposit first. Detailed transaction-cost allowances sit under the optional panel.
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Contribution-cap warnings use the number of members only as a general sense check. Each member still needs an individual cap and history review.
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Member age, retirement timing, pension phase and contribution runway can affect lender term and the strategy exit.
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Include the current total fund position before this transaction so concentration and retained liquidity can be viewed at fund level.
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Cash, term deposits and readily realisable investments that can genuinely meet deposit, costs, vacancy, repairs and benefit payments.
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Select the state or territory where the property is located. The official link below changes with the selection. Residential purchases can use the governed Rate Challenge residential duty data; business real property, commercial, mixed-use and uncertain property must use the official calculator or a confirmed professional amount.
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Use the contract or proposed dutiable value for purchase modelling. Refinance results use the current accepted value assumption.
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The proposed loan is value minus this cash contribution. Duty and other costs are added separately.
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For refinance or review, enter the current balance being assessed. Equity release and new money require separate legal and lender review.
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For an ordinary residential purchase, the calculator can use Rate Challenge's governed residential duty data. For business real property, commercial, mixed-use or uncertain property, Rate Challenge does not use its residential duty data: open the official state calculator or obtain a confirmed amount, enter it manually and confirm it below.
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Enter the amount returned by the official state or territory calculator, your conveyancer, solicitor or revenue authority. A confirmed amount of zero is allowed—for example, where the official rules show no duty—but you must still complete the confirmation below. Do not add legal, registration, valuation or lender costs here.
Residential duty sourceOrdinary residential purchases default to the governed Rate Challenge residential duty data. Commercial and business-real-property transactions require the official calculator or a confirmed manual amount.
Transaction-cost allowances — optionalReview legal, valuation, lender and other costs
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Planning allowance for the holding or bare trust, custodian trustee setup and SMSF/LRBA legal review. It excludes financial advice, transfer duty and complex contract repairs. The starting example is $4,000; replace it with a written quote.
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Planning allowance for lender valuation and property due diligence. A straightforward commercial valuation can be lower; specialised property, environmental or building work, multiple tenants and complex leases can cost materially more.
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Planning allowance for application or establishment, SMSF review, documentation and settlement costs. The automatic starting figure is 0.75% of the modelled loan, bounded between $3,000 and $7,500. Some specialist products charge 1.0%–1.25% plus fixed fees.
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Use this for searches, inspections, lease review, registration or other transaction items not already counted. Do not duplicate transfer duty, legal, valuation or lender costs.
Researched purchase-cost profileThe starting allowances are a planning example, not a quote. They update for the modelled loan and transaction path and remain fully editable.
03
Current SMSF rate and loan settings
Use the protected daily planning-rate summary, then change the repayment structure or rate manually when needed.
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When live data is selected this field is populated from the dedicated protected SMSF rate gateway. The match uses SMSF loan use, repayment type, rate type, loan amount, LVR and property scope. The total loan term affects repayments but is not used to filter the product feed.
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Choose the total contractual loan term being modelled. A longer term lowers the scheduled repayment but can leave more debt outstanding later. Lender term may be shortened by member age, lease, property type or exit strategy.
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Loan amount, LVR, repayment type, rate type and property scope affect the live SMSF market match. The total loan term affects the repayment calculation, not the product-feed match. After changing a matching input, use this button to request a fresh protected summary.
Current rate not loaded yetWhy: the calculator waits until you press the button or calculate, then queries the dedicated protected SMSF rate feed using loan amount, LVR, repayment type, rate type and property scope. Total loan term affects repayments, not the product-feed match. Start with Variable + Principal & interest for the broadest current coverage. If no match is found, lower the LVR or use a confirmed manual planning rate.
04
Year-one fund cash flow
Enter the core rent, expenses, contributions and benefit payments. Tax, growth and stress settings remain optional and editable.
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Enter the annual arm’s-length market rent from the lease or a current rental appraisal, before vacancy and before expenses. The illustrative business-real-property example starts at 6.5% of value; replace it with actual lease or valuer evidence.
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Enter annual property costs paid by the SMSF after any tenant-recoverable outgoings. Include non-recoverable rates, insurance, management, repairs, strata or body corporate, compliance and irregular costs. Do not include loan interest.
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Enter total employer, salary-sacrifice and deductible concessional contributions expected across all members for a full year. The illustrative example uses $18,000 per member. Member-specific caps, carry-forward amounts and Division 293 are not tested.
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Enter annual pension, lump-sum or benefit payments expected to leave the fund. Use zero only where no payment is expected during the modelled year.
Illustrative starting profileFor the current business-real-property example, rent starts at 6.5% of value, fund-paid property costs at 10% of gross rent with a $6,000 minimum, and concessional contributions at $18,000 per member. Replace these with actual lease, accounts, payroll and adviser-confirmed figures.
Cash-flow and projection assumptions — optionalVacancy, tax, growth and horizon settings
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Percentage of scheduled rent not collected because of vacancy, incentives or downtime. Five per cent is only a starting example; lease expiry or a specialised property may require a materially larger allowance.
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Effective fund tax rate applied only to positive property income. Fifteen per cent is a standard accumulation-phase starting point; pension phase, exempt current pension income, deductions and NALI require tax advice.
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Tax deducted from concessional contributions inside the fund. Fifteen per cent is a common starting point; Division 293 and member-specific treatment are not modelled.
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After-tax contributions expected across all members. Leave zero unless a planned contribution has been checked against each member’s age, total super balance and bring-forward position.
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Future point used for property value, loan balance, equity and cumulative cash-support projections. It is not a recommended holding period or required sale date.
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Annual nominal property-value assumption. The example uses 3%; it is not a forecast. Test zero or negative growth in the downside case.
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Annual nominal growth in gross rent. The example uses 2.5%, below recent one-year Australian rent inflation and recent prime office rent growth, so unusually strong increases are not assumed.
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Annual nominal growth in fund-paid property expenses. The example uses 3%, below current headline inflation but high enough to avoid assuming costs remain flat.
Downside stress test — optionalRate, rent, vacancy, expense, contribution and growth shocks
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Percentage points added to the planning interest rate. A value of 2 turns 7.75% into 9.75% for the downside case.
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Immediate percentage change to gross rent in the downside case. Negative ten means rent is reduced by 10% before vacancy is applied.
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Extra percentage points added to the base vacancy allowance. Five extra points turns a 5% base allowance into 10%.
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Immediate percentage change to annual fund-paid property expenses in the downside case. Ten means expenses rise by 10%.
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Immediate percentage change to both concessional and non-concessional contributions. Negative twenty models a 20% reduction in contribution support.
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Percentage-point change to the base property-growth assumption. Negative three turns a 3% base assumption into 0%.
YOUR INDICATIVE RESULT
Your SMSF pathway and funding result.
Start with the legal outcome, then read the three headline results. Open the detail panels only when you want the full calculation.
Review required
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Fund surplus / shortfall
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Projected property equity
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Rate, loan and liquidity detailOpen the debt, LVR, retained cash and repayment metrics
Planning rate used
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Starting debt position
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Liquid assets after transaction
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Fund cash-coverage ratio
—This is not lender serviceability. It compares estimated fund cash available before debt service with the full modelled payment.
Payment after interest only
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Stress and longer-term detailOpen the downside and horizon metrics
Stressed surplus / shortfall
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Full calculation breakdownsFunding, year-one cash flow, policy diagnostics and horizon tables
Where the SMSF cash goes
| Item | Basis | Amount |
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How the fund result is built
| Item | Treatment | Annual amount |
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What still needs lender and adviser confirmation
What the model projects—not what it promises
| Measure | Planning interpretation | Result |
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Important: this is a transparent planning model, not a borrowing-capacity assessment, legal opinion, investment recommendation, tax calculation, valuation, credit approval or product recommendation. Live-rate matching only confirms that current database records matched the filters used; lender policy, price, fees and availability can change.
SMSF PROPERTY TOOLS & GUIDE
Use the model or open the exact issue that matters.
The SMSF guide holds the detailed policy and legal explanation. These cards take you directly to the relevant section rather than creating overlapping pages.
CalculatorSMSF Property & LRBA Calculator
Model the legal route, rate, duty, cash required, liquidity, cash flow and stress case.
Start modelling → Complete guideSMSF Property Investment GuideRead the post-reform guide covering law, policy, property, fund resilience and implementation.
Open guide → Guide sectionNew LRBA & Business Real PropertySeparate a new BRP transaction from a protected residential arrangement or cash purchase.
Explore section → Guide sectionDeposit, LVR & LiquidityUnderstand funds to complete, valuation risk and liquid assets remaining after settlement.
Explore section → Guide sectionBorrowing Policy & ServiceabilitySee how rent, contributions, expenses, member support and repayment buffers can differ.
Explore section → Guide sectionExisting LRBA RefinanceReview protected refinance, structure changes, new money and document chronology.
Explore section →