Keeping and maintaining SMSF records

Trustees of SMSFs have been put on notice by the ATO that keeping and maintaining good records is one of their key responsibilities and legal obligations. Good record keeping ensures trustees can ensure accurate and timely SMSF accounts, audits and income tax return lodgments.

As a result, the ATO has recently confirmed that even where SMSF trustees rely upon super or tax professionals to administer their SMSF, each trustee remains personally responsible for good
record keeping.

If trustees are unsure of their obligations, the ATO has encouraged them to view the ATO’s record-keeping videos available on their website
(refer to QC 23333) and undertake an approved education course (refer to QC 41142) to improve their understanding and knowledge.

Editor: Talking about SMSFs… The ATO has recently released some interesting statistics, outlined in the article below. These statistics were taken from the information provided in the 2020 SMSF annual return lodgments.

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