Private ruling: Applicable fund earnings
Date of advice: 30 June 2025
Published: 15 September 2025
Ruling period: 1 July 2023 to 30 June 2024

Ruling: Q1: Is any part of the lump sum payment received by you from The Pension Scheme assessable as applicable fund earnings under section 305-70 of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 (ITAA 1997) | A1: The applicable fund earnings are AUD X.

Relevant facts and circumstances: 1. While living in the foreign country, you became a member the foreign pension scheme (the Fund). 2. You became a resident of Australia for taxation purposes. 3. You do not know the value of your benefits in the Fund at residency date. You agreed with our estimated amount. 4. There have been no contributions into the Fund since you became an Australian resident for tax purposes. 5. There have been no transfers into the Fund since you became an Australian resident for tax purposes. 6. During the 2023 financial year, you received a lump sum payment from the Fund. The RBA exchange rate on this date was AUD $1 = XXX

Relevant legislative provisions: Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 section 305-70 | Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 section 305-75 | Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 section 305-80 | Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 section 960-50 | Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 subsection 995-1(1) | Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 subsection 770-10

Reasons for decision: Detailed Reasoning - Applicable fund earnings: When a person receives a lump sum from a foreign superannuation fund more than six months after they became an Australian resident, then broadly, the earnings on their foreign superannuation during the period when they were a resident of Australia is included in their assessable income as 'applicable fund earnings' under section 305-70 of the ITAA 1997. The applicable fund earnings amount is worked out in, relation to a lump sum paid from a foreign superannuation fund, under either subsection 305-75(2) or subsection 305-75(3) of the ITAA 1997. Subsection 305-75(2) of the ITAA 1997 applies where the person was an Australian resident at all times during the period to which the lump sum relates. Subsection 305-75(3) of the ITAA 1997 applies where the person was not an Australian resident at all times during the period to which the lump sum relates. In this case, the fund to which the lump sum relates, was established before you became an Australian resident. As you were not an Australian resident at all times during the period, subsection 305-75(3) of the ITAA 1997 will apply. Subsection 305-75(3) of the ITAA 1997 states, if you become an Australian resident after the start of the period to which the lump sum relates (but before you receive it), the amount of your applicable fund earnings is the amount (not less than zero) worked out as follows: a) work out the total of the following amounts: i. the amount in the fund that was vested in you just before the day (the start day ) you first became an Australian resident during the period; ii. the part of the payment that is attributable to contributions to the fund made by or in respect of you during the remainder of the period; iii. the part of the payment (if any) that is attributable to amounts transferred into the fund from any other foreign superannuation fund during the period; b) subtract that total amount from the amount in the fund that was vested in you when the lump sum was paid (before any deduction for foreign tax); c) multiply the resulting amount by the proportion of the total days during the period when you were an Australian resident; d) add the total of all previously exempt fund earnings (if any) covered by subsections (5) and (6). The effect of section 305-75 of the ITAA 1997 is that only the income earned in respect of the foreign superannuation fund since Australian residency, less any contributions made in that period, is assessed. Further, any amounts representative of earnings during periods of non-residency, contributions and transfers into the paying fund do not form part of the taxable amount when the lump sum is paid. An amount of applicable fund earnings may also include amounts of previously exempt fund earnings which occur where an amount in a foreign super fund is transferred to another foreign super fund before being received in Australia. These earnings would not otherwise be included and are set aside until the lump sum is transferred to you, or your complying Australian super fund. | Detailed Reasoning - Foreign currency conversion: The foreign currency translation rules for lump sums paid by foreign superannuation funds are explained in ATO Interpretative Decision ATO ID 2015/7 Foreign currency translation rules in working out 'applicable fund earnings' under section 305-75 of the ITAA 1997 (ATO ID 2015/7). For the purposes of working out your applicable fund earnings in relation to a superannuation lump sum under section 305-75 of the ITAA 1997, the correct rule for translating foreign currency into Australian dollars is the rule described in Item 11A of the table in subsection 960-50(6) of the ITAA 1997 (as modified by regulation 960-50.01(1) of the Income Tax Assessment (1997 Act) Regulations 2021 ). This means that the exchange rate at which it is reasonable to translate amounts into Australian currency for the purposes of section 305-75 of the ITAA 1997, is the exchange rate applicable at the time of receipt of the relevant superannuation lump sum directly by you or your complying superannuation fund. Specifically, under subsection 960-50(4) of the ITAA 1997, each amount or component that is denoted in a foreign currency must be translated into an Australian dollar equivalent first before any calculations are undertaken. | Detailed Reasoning - Transfer to you:: As you became a member of the Fund before you became a resident of Australia, the growth will be worked out in accordance with subsection 305-75(3) of the ITAA 1997. As discussed above, any amounts are translated into Australian dollars using the exchange rate applicable on the date of receipt. In this case the relevant exchange rate was AUD $1 = XXXX. Where applicable fund earnings (AFE) are greater than the lump sum amount, the AFE is attributed to the amount of the lump sum payment, AUD X.