Estate Planning Adelaide | Super, CGT and Tax Advice
Avoidable tax costs Adelaide families more than they realise. We advise on super death benefits, CGT on inherited assets, and estate distributions so your beneficiaries keep more of what you built.
What Most Adelaide Families Get Wrong About Estate Planning
When most people think about estate planning, they think about writing a will. A will matters. But in Australia, a will does not control one of the most significant assets most families hold, superannuation. Super is paid in accordance with the fund's trust deed and your binding death nomination, not your will. If you have not made a binding death nomination with every fund where you hold a balance, the trustee decides who receives your super. That decision may not match your wishes.
Beyond superannuation, inheriting assets in Australia can trigger real tax obligations that beneficiaries do not know about until they receive an unexpected tax bill. Adult children who inherit super from a non-dependent parent pay up to 17% tax on the taxable component.
None of this is the domain of a solicitor. The legal aspects of estate planning, writing a valid will, granting powers of attorney, applying for probate, require a qualified lawyer. The tax and financial aspects require an accountant. Most Adelaide families have one without the other. We provide accounting and tax services, and coordinate with your legal advisers where required.
What Is Estate Planning in Australia?
Estate planning is the process of organising your financial affairs so that when you die or become incapacitated, your assets pass to the people you intend, in the most tax-effective way possible, with minimal disruption and cost to your family.
In Australia, estate planning has a legal side and a financial side. The legal side covers your will, powers of attorney, advance care directives, and probate. The financial side covers superannuation death nominations, CGT planning on assets in your estate, testamentary trust structures, and income tax on estate assets during administration.
The two sides interact. A decision you make about your super nomination affects how much tax your adult children pay. A decision about holding assets in a trust versus personally affects both the CGT your estate faces on death and how income is taxed after your estate is distributed. Getting the legal and financial sides coordinated is what separates properly executed estate planning from a will written without considering tax consequences.
Our Estate Planning Services in Adelaide
The Kalculators provides the accounting and tax components of estate planning for Adelaide individuals, families, and SMSF trustees. We coordinate with your solicitor on the legal components and with your financial planner on investment and retirement strategy.
Superannuation Death Benefit Planning
Superannuation paid to a non-dependent adult child is taxed at up to 17%. On a $500,000 balance, that is $85,000. We advise on nominations, recontribution strategies, and pension phase timing to reduce this before death.
Binding Death Nominations
Without a valid BDBN, your fund trustee decides who receives your super, not your will. Standard nominations lapse every three years. We advise on the correct nomination type and keep yours up to date.
Testamentary Trusts
Income from a testamentary trust is taxed at adult marginal rates, even when distributed to minor beneficiaries, not at the 66% penalty rate. We advise on whether your estate benefits from one and how to distribute from it.
CGT on Inherited Assets
No CGT applies when you inherit assets, only when they are sold. The tax treatment depends on when the deceased bought the asset, whether it was their main residence, and how long you hold it. We advise you before you sell.
Deceased Estate Tax Returns
A deceased estate is a separate taxpayer during administration. If it earns rent, dividends, or interest before distribution, a tax return must be lodged each year. We prepare and lodge all returns for Adelaide executors.
Pre-Death Tax Planning and Wealth Transfer Strategy
We coordinate super contributions and withdrawal timing, asset ownership structures, testamentary trust provisions, and CGT planning years before they are needed alongside your wealth management and financial planning.
What Our Clients Say (Real Adelaide Stories)
Raj Singh
Adelaide, Australia
We had no idea our adult children would pay 17% tax on the super they inherited from my husband. The Kalculators reviewed our nomination structure, implemented a recontribution strategy over two years, and the tax on his passing was a fraction of what it would have been. We wish we had done it ten years earlier.
Estate Planning: What an Accountant Does vs What a Solicitor Does
Most Adelaide families do not realise that estate planning requires both a solicitor and an accountant. Here is how the responsibilities are divided:
The Kalculators handles:
- Superannuation death benefit tax advice and binding death nominations
![icon]()
- Testamentary trust tax planning and annual tax return preparation
![icon]()
- CGT advice on inherited assets and deceased estate distributions
![icon]()
- Deceased estate income tax returns during administration
![icon]()
- Pre-death tax planning, including recontribution strategies and pension phase timing
![icon]()
- SMSF death benefit and succession planning integrated with fund compliance
![icon]()
Your solicitor handles:
- Drafting and witnessing a valid will under South Australian law
![icon]()
- Enduring Power of Attorney - appointing someone to manage your financial and legal affairs if you lose capacity
![icon]()
- Advance Care Directive - documenting your medical treatment preferences
![icon]()
- Applying for probate and administering the estate as executor
![icon]()
- Contesting a will or handling family provision claims
![icon]()
Why Adelaide Families Choose The Kalculators for Estate Planning Tax Advice
Founded by Kaleem Ullah, The Kalculators has been advising South Australian families on tax and financial planning for over 10 years. Estate planning tax is an area where getting the advice early produces better outcomes than coming to us after the fact. Our team integrates accounting, SMSF administration, and financial planning so that your estate planning tax strategy is coordinated with your retirement income plan and investment strategy.
What sets us apart from traditional financial planning firms in Adelaide is integration. Our financial advisers work within the same team as our chartered accountants, tax agents, and bookkeeping professionals. This means your wealth management strategy is always informed by your real tax position, your actual cash flow, and your complete financial picture, not an isolated view of your investments alone.
Over 10+ years, that approach has built a firm that serves 20,000+ clients annually across 7+ Adelaide locations. We hold IPA Practice of the Year (SA & NT 2025), IPA Member of the Year (SA/NT, 2019 and 2025), and four AusMumpreneur Awards for Business Excellence and Customer Service. We are also a Xero Gold Partner, and our multilingual, multicultural team serves clients from every background with the same standard of care.
IPA Practice of the Year
(SA & NT – 2025)
Xero Gold Partner
AusMumpreneur Awards
– Business Excellence
Member of the Year 2019 –
Institute of Public Accountants
Member of the Year 2025 –
Institute of Public Accountants
Tax Practitioners Board
Registered Agent
Australian Accounting
Awards (2019)
Australian Accounting
Awards (2020)
Australian Accounting
Awards (2021)
0k+
Returns Annually0+
Tax Consultants$0M+
In Claimed Deductions0+
Office Locations
How We Work With Adelaide Estate Planning Clients
From your first consultation to your annual review, every step is designed to reduce the tax your estate and beneficiaries face. Here is how we work with Adelaide estate planning clients.
Free Initial Consultation
We review your current super nominations, asset structure, and estate planning documents or the absence of them. We identify the key tax risks in your current position and advise on what needs to be addressed. This conversation is free and without obligation.
Free Initial Consultation
We review your current super nominations, asset structure, and estate planning documents or the absence of them. We identify the key tax risks in your current position and advise on what needs to be addressed. This conversation is free and without obligation.
Tax and Financial Planning
We assess your super balance, the composition of taxable and tax-free components, the structure of your assets, and the likely beneficiaries. We model the tax outcome under your current arrangements and identify specific strategies to reduce the tax your estate and beneficiaries will face.
Tax and Financial Planning
We assess your super balance, the composition of taxable and tax-free components, the structure of your assets, and the likely beneficiaries. We model the tax outcome under your current arrangements and identify specific strategies to reduce the tax your estate and beneficiaries will face.
Implementation and Coordination
We implement the accounting and tax components, superannuation recontribution strategies, SMSF nomination structures, testamentary trust tax advice and coordinate with your solicitor on the legal documents they need to reflect the agreed plan.
Implementation and Coordination
We implement the accounting and tax components, superannuation recontribution strategies, SMSF nomination structures, testamentary trust tax advice and coordinate with your solicitor on the legal documents they need to reflect the agreed plan.
Ongoing Review
Estate planning is not a one-time event. Super balances change, family circumstances change, and tax law changes. We review your estate planning tax position annually alongside your individual tax return and SMSF administration to ensure the strategies in place remain optimal.
Ongoing Review
Estate planning is not a one-time event. Super balances change, family circumstances change, and tax law changes. We review your estate planning tax position annually alongside your individual tax return and SMSF administration to ensure the strategies in place remain optimal.
Superannuation and Estate Planning - The Area Most Families Get Wrong
Superannuation is usually the largest asset in an Australian household and the one most commonly handled incorrectly. Super is not governed by your will. Without a current binding death nomination, the trustee decides who receives it. When paid to a non-dependent adult child, super is taxed at up to 17% on a $700,000 balance, that is $119,000 in tax a dependent spouse would not pay.
Strategies to reduce the super death benefit tax are all implemented before death:
- Recontribution strategy withdraw super and recontribute as non-concessional contributions to convert taxable to tax-free components, reducing the taxable proportion subject to death benefits tax
![icon]()
- Direct to dependent spouse structure nominations so super flows to a tax-dependent spouse rather than non-dependent adult children, eliminating the death benefits tax entirely
![icon]()
- Move to pension phase assets supporting an account-based pension may be paid tax-free to a dependent reversionary beneficiary on death, depending on the fund and the total super balance rules
![icon]()
- SMSF specific strategies SMSFs have additional flexibility in how death benefits are paid and how the fund's pension phase is managed in the lead-up to a member's death
![icon]()
These strategies require coordination with your super fund and, where applicable, your SMSF trustee. Our SMSF administration team handles this integration for SMSF clients. For retail and industry fund clients, we advise on strategy and coordinate directly with the fund.
Estate Planning Tax Situations We Advise On
Every estate is different. Whether you hold large super balances, run an SMSF, or are managing a deceased estate as executor, we advise on the tax side of your specific situation, not a generic plan.
Families with Large Super Balances
Super balances above $500,000 carry the highest estate tax risk. We model the tax impact across different nomination structures and advise on the optimal approach to reduce what non-dependent beneficiaries owe.
SMSFs and Multi-Member Funds
SMSF members have additional flexibility and complexity on death. Death benefit rules, reversionary pension nominations, and pension phase assets all interact. We cover both compliance and estate planning strategy.
Blended Families and Complex Distributions
Blended families need precise nomination and distribution planning to ensure super reaches the right people and investment assets minimise total family tax across both sides of the family after death.
Business Owners Approaching Succession
Business owners face CGT, small business concessions, super contribution timing, and succession structure decisions that all intersect. We advise on the tax side alongside your legal and succession arrangements.
Executors and Estate Trustees
Executors managing a deceased estate have real tax obligations during administration. We handle deceased estate returns, CGT on asset disposals, and final distribution advice so nothing is missed or lodged late.
Not sure which category applies to you? Contact us for a no-obligation consultation. Every estate is different.
Trusted by Thousands Across South Australia
Our Branch Locations
Salisbury Branch
salisbury@thekalculators.com.au
182 Salisbury Highway, Salisbury, SA 5108
Frequently Asked Questions
Ready to Protect Your Estate From Unnecessary Tax? Talk to Adelaide's Estate Planning Accountants.
Whether you want your superannuation nominations reviewed, your estate's CGT position assessed, a testamentary trust explained, or a deceased estate tax return prepared, The Kalculators has the expertise and the team to handle it correctly.
With 3 offices across Adelaide, Blair Athol, Salisbury, and Morphett Vale, plus online service across South Australia, including Murray Bridge, Woodville, Melrose Park, Port Augusta, Prospect, and Brighton, we are accessible to every Adelaide and SA client. Monday to Friday, 9:00 am to 6:00 pm. Our services extend across SMSF administration, wealth management, financial planning, capital gains tax advice, and individual tax returns, so your estate planning tax is always considered alongside your complete financial picture.
Contact our team today for a no-obligation consultation.
