At 30 June 2016, there were almost 1.1 million SMSF members, of whom 53% were male and 47% female. There was a fairly even distribution of males and females across the younger age ranges of 34 years old and under. There were a higher proportion of female members than male members between the ages of 35 and 64, while a higher proportion of males for those 65 years old and over.
SMSFs with two members continue to be the dominant structure of the SMSF sector, representing 70% of SMSFs at 30 June 2015. While SMSFs with a single member made up 23% of funds, those with three and four members each represented 4%.
The proportion of members receiving pension payments from an SMSF continued to trend upwards. In 2015, 41% of members were fully or partially in the pension phase, compared to 34% in 2011. Further, 5% of SMSF members receiving pension payments also reported they were in receipt of the age pension, in line with the five-year average.
In 2015, 38% of SMSF members also had entitlements in non-SMSF funds or mainstream funds, a slight decrease from 39% in 2014, and considerably higher than the average of 21% from 2011 to 2012.
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