Calculate the costs of setting up and running a Self-Managed Super Fund and whether it makes financial sense for you.
Updated October 2026Built and checked by MaverickHow it's calculatedReport an error
Annual running cost
$3,559
0.71% of balance
Annual saving
$1,441
vs current super fund
One-off setup
$2,000
legal docs + ATO registration
Break-even balance
$355,900
below this, SMSF loses
Large funds charge mostly a percentage of the balance; an SMSF's costs are largely fixed, so they weigh less as the balance grows.
From your quotes, plus the ATO supervisory levy ($259 a year; $518 in a new fund's first year). An annual independent audit is compulsory.
A self-managed super fund puts you in charge of how your super is invested, and makes you responsible for the paperwork, the yearly audit and the rules. Most of its costs are fixed, so they weigh far more on a small balance than on a large one. Put in your balance and the costs you've been quoted to see how they compare with what your fund charges now.
Across 50 MySuper products, the typical return over the ten years to 30 June 2026 was 8.0% a year after fees and tax, and the typical fee on a $50,000 balance was $408 a year, from APRA's data.
Mark and Julie have a combined $800,000 in super in a fund charging 0.9% ($7,200 a year). Their quotes for a shares-only SMSF: $2,500 a year of accounting and administration and $800 for the audit.
With the $259 ATO levy, the SMSF would cost $3,559 a year (0.44% of $800,000), $3,641 a year less than their fund, before setup costs and any difference in returns or insurance.
Greg has $150,000 in a fund charging 0.8% and has the same quotes as Mark and Julie.
The SMSF would cost $3,559 a year, 2.37% of his balance, against $1,200 in his fund: about $2,359 a year more. The costs would only break even at a balance of about $445,000.