There are very few genuine deadlines in financial planning. This is one of them.
On 30 June 2026, unused concessional super cap amounts from the 2020-21 financial year expire permanently. There is no extension mechanism, no exception process, and no recovery option. Once that date passes, any 2020-21 carry-forward amounts that have not been used are gone.
If you under-contributed to super in 2020-21, and your total super balance was below $500,000 at 30 June 2025, you may have carry-forward concessional contribution space available that allows you to make a larger than normal concessional contribution this financial year, claim a significant tax deduction, and have those funds taxed at 15 per cent inside your super fund rather than at your marginal rate.
This article explains exactly how carry-forward contributions work, who is eligible, how to check your available balance, how to act before 30 June 2026, and what conditions apply.
All figures referenced are sourced directly from the Australian Taxation Office.
What Are Concessional Contributions?
Most Australians receive super contributions from their employer as part of their salary package. What is less commonly understood is that you can also make your own additional contributions directly into your super fund, whether from pre-tax income or from your take-home pay.
There are two types of super contributions.
Concessional contributions are made from pre-tax income and are taxed at 15 per cent inside your super fund rather than at your personal marginal rate. They include your employer’s Superannuation Guarantee (SG) contributions, any salary sacrifice arrangements you have in place, and personal contributions for which you later claim a tax deduction. These are subject to an annual cap, which is $30,000 for the 2025-26 financial year.
Non-concessional contributions are made from your after-tax income and are not taxed again when they enter your fund. They are subject to a separate and higher annual cap.
This article focuses on concessional contributions specifically, and how carry-forward rules allow you to make use of unused cap space from prior years before it expires permanently.
How Carry-Forward Concessional Contributions Work
The carry-forward concessional contributions rule was introduced from 1 July 2018. It allows individuals to carry forward unused concessional contribution cap amounts from the previous five financial years and use them in a single higher-contribution year.
The purpose of the rule is to benefit people who had lower income in some years, took time out of the workforce, or did not maximise their super contributions in prior years. It allows those years of under-contribution to be partially recovered in a year when the individual has the income or cash flow to act.
How it works in practice: If you have $20,000 of unused concessional cap space from a prior year, you can contribute your current year’s $30,000 cap plus the $20,000 carry-forward amount, for a total of $50,000 in concessional contributions this financial year. That full $50,000 is taxed at 15 per cent inside your super fund rather than at your marginal tax rate.
All concessional contributions count against your cap, including employer SG contributions and any salary sacrifice. Your personal deductible contributions are made on top of what your employer already contributes.
Source: ATO, concessional contributions cap and carry forward.
Important Note: "Unused concessional contributions can be carried forward for up to five financial years on a rolling basis. Amounts older than five years will expire if not used."
The table below sets out the standard concessional cap and carry-forward eligibility requirement for each year currently within the rolling window.
Financial Year | Standard Concessional Cap | Carry-Forward Eligibility Requirement |
|---|---|---|
2021-22 | $27,500 | Total Super Balance must be under $500,000 at 30 June of the previous financial year |
2022-23 | $27,500 | Total Super Balance must be under $500,000 at 30 June of the previous financial year |
2023-24 | $27,500 | Total Super Balance must be under $500,000 at 30 June of the previous financial year |
2024-25 | $30,000 | Total Super Balance must be under $500,000 at 30 June of the previous financial year |
2025-26 | $30,000 | Total Super Balance must be under $500,000 at 30 June of the previous financial year |
Source: ATO, concessional contributions cap. Note: the 2020-21 financial year (concessional cap $25,000) is also within the current carry-forward window and is the subject of this article. See the table in the section below for the full expiry schedule.
Why 30 June 2026 Is a Hard Deadline for 2020-21 Unused Amounts
The carry-forward rule allows unused amounts to be carried forward for a maximum of five years. After five years, unused amounts from a given year expire permanently.
The five-year window for each year is as follows:
Year the unused cap arose | Last year it can be used | Expiry date |
|---|---|---|
2019-20 | 2024-25 | 30 June 2025 (expired) |
2020-21 | 2025-26 | 30 June 2026 |
2021-22 | 2026-27 | 30 June 2027 |
2022-23 | 2027-28 | 30 June 2028 |
2023-24 | 2028-29 | 30 June 2029 |
Source: ATO, contributions caps.
Unused cap amounts from 2020-21 represent an annual cap of $25,000 minus whatever concessional contributions were actually made in that year. For anyone who under-contributed in 2020-21, this financial year is the final opportunity to use that space. The annual cap for 2020-21 was $25,000, as confirmed by the ATO’s contributions cap table.
The current five-year window available in 2025-26 covers 2020-21 through 2024-25. The annual caps across that window were:
Year | Annual concessional cap |
|---|---|
2020-21 | $25,000 |
2021-22 | $27,500 |
2022-23 | $27,500 |
2023-24 | $27,500 |
2024-25 | $30,000 |
If an individual contributed nothing to super across all five years, the total unused carry-forward space available in 2025-26 would be $137,500, on top of the current year’s $30,000 cap, for a maximum total concessional contribution of $167,500 in a single financial year. The actual figure for any individual will depend on what they contributed in each year. The ATO online services confirm your exact available balance
Who Is Most Likely to Benefit
The carry-forward rule benefits anyone who under-contributed in prior years and now has the income or cash flow to act. In practice, the most common profiles are:
Career gaps or reduced income years. Parental leave, time out of the workforce to care for a family member, a period of self-employment with variable income, or study all commonly result in lower super contributions in the relevant years.
Non-serving partners of ADF members. Frequent postings that require the non-serving partner to leave employment and re-establish in a new location are one of the most consistent sources of super gaps we see. A partner who relocated several times between 2020 and 2025 may have accumulated meaningful unused cap space during those years of disrupted employment.
ADF members with deployment years. For ADF members on deployment in 2020-21 whose income included tax-exempt components, the interaction between employer SG contributions and the $25,000 cap for that year may have left unused cap space depending on their specific contribution position.
People who experienced reduced income due to the COVID-19 period. 2020-21 was a year of significant income disruption for many Australians. Reduced working hours, temporary stand-downs, or self-employed income below normal levels may have resulted in lower super contributions than usual.
Members who came off defined benefit arrangements. ADF members who transitioned from MSBS to ADF Super or another accumulation fund during this period may have had an unusual contribution profile in 2020-21.
"Carry forward contributions can be quite significant for those who have had a career gap, perhaps to look after children, or for ADF partners, as it allows you to contribute up to the current concessional contribution cap and also additionally any unused caps from the last five years. This allows you to catch up on missed super growth and get back on track to preparing for your future."
Unsure whether you have carry-forward super space to use before 30 June?
Lifelong Wealth can review your contribution history and help you determine whether a carry-forward contribution makes sense for your circumstances. Contact our team before the EOFY deadline.
How to Check Your Available Carry-Forward Balance
The ATO online services show your exact carry-forward concessional contribution balance based on what your funds have reported.
To check your balance:
- Log in to myGov and access your linked ATO Online Services.
- Navigate to the Super section.
- Select Carry-forward concessional contributions (this may appear under “Information” or “Manage”).
- Review your available unused concessional cap amounts by financial year.
- Download or save a copy for your records or to share with your adviser.
If the figures shown do not appear correct, or if you believe unused cap amounts from prior years are not displaying as expected, contact your financial adviser or tax accountant before making any contribution decisions based on that balance.
For SMSF members: Your carry-forward balance shown in ATO online services will only be up to date after your SMSF annual return has been processed by the ATO. If your return has not yet been processed, the balance shown may not reflect your most recent year’s contributions. Confirm with your SMSF administrator or accountant before relying on the figure.
The $500,000 TSB eligibility condition: To use carry-forward amounts in 2025-26, your total super balance at 30 June 2025 must have been below $500,000. If your TSB was at or above $500,000 at that date, you are not eligible to use carry-forward amounts in 2025-26, even if unused cap space exists. Your carry-forward space continues to accumulate and may be accessible in a future year if your TSB falls below the threshold.
Source: ATO, concessional contributions cap.
How to Make the Contribution
There are two ways to use carry-forward concessional contribution space.
Personal deductible contribution. Make a personal contribution directly to your super fund from your after-tax bank account, then lodge a Notice of Intent to Claim a Deduction with the fund. The fund then treats the contribution as a concessional (pre-tax) contribution, taxed at 15 per cent inside the fund. You claim the corresponding tax deduction in your personal tax return.
To ensure the deduction applies to 2025-26, your fund must receive the funds before 30 June 2026. The Notice of Intent to Claim a Deduction must be lodged with your fund before the earlier of: when you lodge your 2025-26 tax return, or 30 June 2027. However, lodging the notice before 30 June 2026 is strongly recommended to avoid any administrative risk.
Salary sacrifice. If you have time before 30 June, it may be possible to increase your salary sacrifice arrangement with your employer to direct additional pre-tax income into super before the end of the financial year. The practical window for this is narrowing, given the employer’s payroll cycle. Check with your employer or payroll office as soon as possible if this is the approach you intend to take.
Contribution timing is critical. Your contribution counts in the year your fund receives it, not when you initiate the transfer from your bank. Bank processing times take two to three business days. For a contribution intended to count in 2025-26, initiate the transfer well before the end of June.
"Many super funds will have earlier cut-offs in order to process paperwork in time. It is therefore highly recommended to get in touch with your north Brisbane financial adviser and submit your contributions no later than 12 June (depending on your super fund's cut-off date, which you should be able to find on their website)."
Our Superannuation service can assist with the mechanics of making the contribution and lodging the appropriate documentation correctly.
Key Conditions to Be Aware Of
Total super balance below $500,000. Your TSB at 30 June 2025 must have been below $500,000 to access carry-forward amounts in 2025-26. This figure is your total balance across all super funds and accounts, not just one fund. It is important to check your balance as at 30 June 2025 specifically, not your current balance. Investment market movements since that date may mean your balance today looks different from the figure that determines your eligibility. If your balance at 30 June 2025 was below the threshold, you remain eligible regardless of any changes in value since that date.
Division 293 for higher-income earners. Concessional contributions are taxed at 15 per cent inside the fund. However, for individuals whose income plus concessional contributions exceeds $250,000, an additional 15 per cent Division 293 tax applies to the concessional contributions above the threshold. This effectively increases the contributions tax to 30 per cent for the relevant portion. If a large carry-forward contribution would push your combined income and concessional total above $250,000, factor this into the net benefit calculation before acting. It is worth noting that even at a combined rate of 30 per cent, concessional contributions remain materially more tax-efficient than receiving that income at the top marginal tax rate of 45 per cent. Source: ATO, Division 293 tax.
The carry-forward rule is applied automatically. Once your concessional contributions exceed the current year’s standard cap, the ATO automatically applies carry-forward amounts from the earliest available year first. You do not need to nominate which year’s unused amounts to use. The ATO applies the oldest available amounts first and progresses to more recent years as needed.
This does not affect your non-concessional contribution cap. Carry-forward concessional contributions are separate from the non-concessional contributions cap. Using carry-forward space has no impact on your $120,000 NCC cap for 2025-26.
For ADF members considering whether a carry-forward contribution is the right use of their deployment surplus, see our Debt Management page for a broader discussion of how to prioritise surplus funds.
"It is vital to speak with your financial adviser to ensure that you are making the right decision for your situation. At times it might not be the most advantageous to you in making the contributions if it will mean you are in financial distress, or you have reached the threshold, or if it ties up your monies that could be better invested elsewhere or put towards paying off some of your debts."
Frequently Asked Questions
They expire permanently. There is no extension, carryover, or recovery mechanism. The ATO has confirmed that unused amounts are available for a maximum of five years, after which they expire. This is a hard legislative deadline with no discretion.
No. The eligibility condition requires your TSB to have been below $500,000 at 30 June 2025. If your TSB was at or above $500,000 at that date, you cannot access carry-forward amounts in 2025-26. Your unused carry-forward space continues to accumulate, and you may be able to access it in a future year when your TSB falls below the threshold.
This depends on the cost of the debt relative to the tax benefit of the contribution. If you are carrying high-interest debt, directing funds towards debt reduction may produce a better financial outcome than locking them away inside super. For lower-rate debt, the tax benefit from concessional contributions, particularly when accessing carry-forward space, can outweigh the interest cost. There are also situations where a contribution is not the right move at all: if it would create financial pressure, or if those funds could be better placed elsewhere in your overall financial position, contributing may need to wait.
Stuart Bates: “At times it might not be the most advantageous to you in making the contributions if it will mean you are in financial distress, or you have reached the threshold, or if it ties up your monies that could be better invested elsewhere or put towards paying off some of your debts. Speak with your financial adviser before the end of the financial year to confirm which approach is right for your situation.”
Defined benefit members have a different concessional contributions framework. Their contributions are measured using a notional taxed contributions figure rather than actual contribution amounts. If you are a defined benefit member, check your specific contribution arrangements with your fund or a financial adviser before making assumptions about your carry-forward eligibility. Our article on understanding your MSBS Military Super covers the MSBS framework.
Your partner’s carry-forward balance is visible through their own myGov account linked to the ATO. If your partner had career gaps due to postings, parental leave, or reduced working hours between 2020 and 2025, they may have meaningful unused cap space. The carry-forward rule applies to each individual separately. Spouse contributions from the serving member are non-concessional contributions in the receiving partner’s fund. They do not use the partner’s personal carry-forward space, but they are also not taxable as concessional contributions. It is also worthwhile confirming that the partner’s super beneficiary nominations are current and binding, particularly if circumstances have changed. Our Estate Planning service can assist with a review of super nominations alongside any estate documents. Our Superannuation service can assist with a joint review of both partners’ contribution positions.
Your Next Step
The 30 June 2026 deadline for 2020-21 carry-forward amounts is permanent and is now rapidly approaching.
If you have not already checked your carry-forward balance and assessed whether a contribution before 30 June makes sense, now is the time to act. Checking your balance through myGov takes a few minutes. Determining whether the contribution is the right financial move, given your TSB, income, existing debt position, and retirement timeline, is where advice adds real value.
Lifelong Wealth works with ADF members, military families, and Brisbane professionals on exactly these decisions. Our Superannuation and Retirement Planning teams can review your carry-forward position and help you determine the most effective action before 30 June.
The 30 June 2026 deadline for your 2020-21 super cap cannot be extended.
Schedule a complimentary appointment with Lifelong Wealth to check your carry-forward balance and confirm whether acting before EOFY is the right move for your circumstances.
Disclaimer: This article provides general information only and does not constitute personal financial advice. All figures are sourced from the Australian Taxation Office and are current as at the date of publication. Carry-forward eligibility depends on your individual super balance, contribution history, and income. Before making any contribution decision, consider whether it is appropriate for your circumstances and consult a qualified financial adviser. For current ATO guidance on carry-forward contributions, visit ato.gov.au.
