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Statistics explanatory notes

Data provided by SMSFs reporting their financial position as at 30 June of the relevant financial year.

Last updated 13 July 2017

Much of the information in the statistical tables is estimated, based on data reported to us. Caution should be taken when using or presenting this data. The estimates have been based on data provided by SMSFs reporting their financial position as at 30 June of the relevant financial year.

Rounding of figures may cause minor discrepancies to totals, for example some proportions are rounded to zero but are not equal to zero.

The SMSF population, asset allocation and establishment tables are updated on a quarterly basis, with the remainder of the tables updated annually when the June quarter updates are published.

Quarterly reports (as at the end of March, June, September and December each year) will generally be published within two months after the end of the quarter.

Additional information

From the June 2016 report, the 2014–15 annual return data has been incorporated into our estimation model – as a result, the estimates are a more accurate reflection of SMSF asset holdings.

From the 2012–13 year, new data is being collected on the SMSF annual return, relating to non-deductible expense items and assets held under limited recourse borrowing arrangements (LRBA). These changes to reporting have resulted in adjustments to our estimates as new data is incorporated into the statistics in each June quarter report

In the September 2015 quarterly report, the methodology used to estimate LRBA assets was improved by applying property indices returns to stimulate growth between the June quarters. This change has been applied from the September 2012 quarter onwards, to reflect the data used in our estimates from the specific LRBA label introduced in the 2012 SMSF annual return.

In addition, the following improvements were made from the June 2016 report:

  • member demographic tables now report additional age ranges (this aligns with age ranges used by APRA for comparability):
    • the 45–54 age range has been split into two age ranges, 45–49 and 50–54
    • the 55–64 age range has been split into two age ranges, 55–59 and 60–64
    • the 65–74 age range has been split into two age ranges, 65–69 and 70–74
    • the >74 age range has been split into two age ranges, 75–84 and 85+
     
  • a new table under the total asset range table with statistics on the proportion (%) of assets held by funds in each asset range. The existing table provides the proportion of funds that hold total assets within the specified ranges.

On 20 December 2016, we released Self-managed superannuation funds: A statistical overview 2014–15. Because the overview is based on historical data, it will differ from the more recent data in this quarterly SMSF statistical report.

See also:

Historical data

To view historical data refer to:

Note: A number of tables no longer report historical data from before 2012. However, statistics from before 2012 may be included in the above reports.

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