“Should I be thinking ahead about super contributions now, knowing the caps are increasing from 1 July 2026?”

From 1 July 2026, the annual super contribution caps are increasing again, which gives some people a bit more room to top up their super and improve their long-term tax position.

The key changes are:

• The concessional contribution cap is increasing from $30,000 to $32,500
• The non-concessional contribution cap is increasing to $130,000

For the right person, that can create some useful planning opportunities.

Concessional contributions

These are your pre-tax contributions and can include:

• Super guarantee
• Salary sacrifice
• Personal deductible contributions

If your compulsory employer contributions are still below the cap, there may be room to add more and reduce your personal tax bill along the way.

Some people may also be able to use the carry-forward concessional contribution rules, depending on their total super balance. The current source notes this may be available where the prior 30 June balance was below $500,000.

Non-concessional contributions

These are after-tax contributions. They do not usually create an immediate deduction, but they can still be powerful because earnings inside super are generally taxed more favourably than money held personally.

The source also notes that from 1 July 2026, it may be possible to bring forward two extra years and contribute $390,000 at once, depending on your total super balance and earlier contributions.

What to watch

This is where people can trip up. Not everyone gets the same cap.

Your available contribution room can change depending on:

• Your total super balance as of 30 June
• Whether you have already triggered the bring-forward rules
• And whether you have unused concessional cap amounts from prior years

Final thought

This is not a blanket message that everyone should rush to put more into their super. It is more of a reminder that the rules are changing, and for some people, that opens the door to smarter contribution planning.

If boosting super is already on your radar, now is a good time to map out this year and next year together, rather than making ad hoc contributions and hoping they fit.