---
title: "SMSF wind-up checklist"
url: "https://ailawframework.com/precedents/superannuation/smsf-wind-up-checklist"
type: "precedent"
site: "AI Law Framework"
id: "a27-smsf-wind-up-checklist"
area_id: "A27"
kind: "checklist"
ai_level: "green"
version: 1
task_ids: ["A27-X20261018-2"]
law_stated_as_at: "2026-10-22"
---

# SMSF wind-up checklist

> A step list for winding up a self-managed super fund, from the exit plan and the final audit through to the final return and closing the bank account. It does not decide whether a member has a condition of release.

Canonical page: https://ailawframework.com/precedents/superannuation/smsf-wind-up-checklist  
Law stated as at: 2026-10-22

Site index for agents: https://ailawframework.com/llms.txt

## Key facts

- Kind: Checklist. Steps or checks to work through and tick off.
- Practice area: [Superannuation](https://ailawframework.com/precedents/superannuation.md)
- Jurisdictions: Australia
- AI level: Green. The tool writes the first draft inside a template you have already tested. You check it. Without that test, first drafting starts at Yellow.
- Law stated as at: 2026-10-22
- Status: Maintained. Checked on 2026-10-22 against the 2 authorities it cites, for Australia.

## When to use it

Use when trustees have decided to wind up an SMSF and need the ATO's order of steps. Do not use it to pay a benefit, or to cancel the ABN before the final return is processed. Record-keeping periods and pension minimums were on pages that were not opened.

## Used for these tasks

- [Wind up a self-managed fund and close its reporting](https://ailawframework.com/practice/superannuation/wind-up-a-self-managed-fund-and-close-its-reporting.md)

## How AI may be used

AI may tick the wind-up steps from the trustee minutes and list what is still open. It must not decide that a member can be paid in cash, or that the fund has been wound up.

**AI may:**

- List assets still held, expenses unpaid, and reporting not yet lodged
- Record that each trustee has signed the wind-up agreement, including an electronic signature if that is how it was signed
- Note the final-return questions the page names, without completing the return
- Record who has been told: employers, the tax agent, the auditor and the financial adviser

**AI must not:**

- Must not decide that a condition of release is met, or pay or journal a benefit
- Must not state a supervisory-levy amount or a record-keeping period. Those figures are not on this page
- Must not close the bank account before liabilities, refunds, rollovers and the ATO's confirmation
- Must not write to the ATO to cancel the ABN. Lodging the final return is how the page says the fund is wound up

**The lawyer checks:**

- The deed has been read for how assets may be transferred, and for who must sign
- A member who has not met a condition of release is rolled to another complying fund, not paid in cash
- The final audit is by an approved SMSF auditor and covers every year since establishment, including the final year
- Enough cash is left for professional fees, audit fees and tax after the return is lodged

## Authorities

- [Australian Taxation Office, How to wind up an SMSF, last updated 2 April 2025 (QC103946)](https://www.ato.gov.au/individuals-and-families/super-for-individuals-and-families/self-managed-super-funds-smsf/winding-up-a-self-managed-super-fund/how-to-wind-up-an-smsf)
- [Australian Taxation Office, Rollovers for SMSFs (a final rollover of remaining benefits within 28 days, so it occurs before the ABN is cancelled), last updated 3 July 2026](https://www.ato.gov.au/individuals-and-families/super-for-individuals-and-families/self-managed-super-funds-smsf/smsf-contributions-and-rollovers/rollovers-for-smsfs)

## Full text and drafting notes

The full text and the drafting notes are not part of this public page. Signed-in firm accounts can read them at https://ailawframework.com/precedents/superannuation/smsf-wind-up-checklist and through the signed-in MCP connector https://ailawframework.com/mcp/firm.

*Practice guidance for planning and review. Confirm current primary sources and the requirements of the actual matter. This is general information, not legal advice.*