PWF integrates legal tax minimisation strategies — negative gearing, depreciation, entity structuring — directly into your wealth plan. So every dollar works harder before it leaves your hands.

Most Australians overpay tax their entire working life. Not because they earn too much — because no one showed them how to structure differently.

PWF integrates legal tax minimisation strategies — negative gearing, depreciation, entity structuring — directly into your wealth plan. So every dollar works harder before it leaves your hands.

45%

Top marginal tax rate for income over $180K (ATO 2024-25)

$0

Additional cash outlay for depreciation to start saving

100%

Legal — every strategy PWF uses is ATO-compliant


What most high-income earners are missing

A dual-income couple earning $180,000 combined, with one investment property and no tax structuring in place, typically leaves $8,000-$15,000 in legitimate tax savings unclaimed each year — through unused depreciation schedules, suboptimal loan structuring, and incorrect ownership entity selection.

 

Over 10 years, compounded with investment growth, that gap represents significantly more than the unclaimed tax alone.

 

Source: ATO Tax Statistics 2022-23. Individual figures depend on income, property type, structure and professional advice.

The problem

The timing problem

Tax is determined by decisions made throughout the year — entity ownership, loan structure, depreciation claims. By the time your accountant files your return, these decisions are locked. PWF builds the tax plan before those decisions are made.

The isolation problem

Most people manage tax separately from their mortgage, investment strategy and retirement plan. PWF designs them as one integrated strategy — so the tax outcome serves the wealth plan, not the other way around.

Three legal strategies. One integrated plan.

Negative gearing

Negative gearing occurs when the costs of holding an investment property — interest repayments, management fees, maintenance, insurance — exceed the rental income it generates. The resulting loss is deductible against your other taxable income, reducing the tax you pay.

For a dual-income couple in the 37-45% tax bracket, this means the government effectively subsidises a portion of investment property holding costs. When combined with capital growth, negative gearing can significantly accelerate the net return on a correctly selected property.

Property depreciation

Investment properties depreciate over time — and the ATO allows investors to claim that depreciation as a tax deduction, even though no cash leaves their pocket. Division 43 covers the building structure; Division 40 covers plant and equipment.

A depreciation schedule prepared by a qualified quantity surveyor documents every claimable item. For a new or near-new property, annual depreciation deductions of $8,000-$20,000 are common — reducing taxable income significantly with no cash outlay.

Entity structuring

Who owns your investment property determines how income and capital gains are taxed. Individual ownership, joint ownership, company, trust and SMSF structures each carry different tax implications — for income tax, capital gains tax, land tax and estate planning.

The right structure is not universal. It depends on income level, retirement timeline, risk appetite and estate planning intentions. PWF works with specialist tax advisors to ensure ownership structure is determined before the purchase contract is signed.

How PWF integrates tax into your wealth plan

  • Tax is not a separate conversation at PWF. It is built into the plan from day one.

  • Before any investment recommendation, we review your current income, tax bracket, existing deductions and the tax profile of any properties you already hold. This identifies where leakage is and what structuring changes would have the most impact.

  • For existing investment properties, we commission a depreciation schedule review — ensuring every claimable item is captured and correctly valued. For new purchases, a schedule is arranged before settlement so deductions begin from day one.

  • We work with your accountant or refer to a specialist tax advisor partner to determine the optimal ownership structure for each property — individual, joint, trust or SMSF — based on your complete financial picture. This conversation happens before contract, not after.

  • The way your investment loan is structured affects how much interest is tax-deductible and how debt recycling can be applied. PWF and our mortgage broker partners design loan structure to maximise legitimate deductibility within ATO guidelines.

  • Tax laws change. Your income changes. Your portfolio grows. PWF reviews the tax position of every client portfolio annually — updating depreciation schedules, reassessing structures, ensuring the strategy reflects the current ATO environment and your personal circumstances.

Client outcome


"We had owned an investment property for four years and never had a depreciation schedule. We did not know we were leaving money with the ATO every year."

PWF Client, Brisbane — dual-income couple, 47 and 45. Combined income $192,000. One investment property purchased in 2020, held in the higher earner's name, no depreciation schedule in place.

PWF commissioned a depreciation schedule and identified $11,400 in annual deductions previously unclaimed. A tax advisor partner reviewed the ownership structure and recommended a change ahead of the next purchase. Combined with the Wise Wealth Plan, the couple's effective annual tax position improved materially — funds redirected to accelerate their mortgage offset.

 


"We were sceptical. But everything PWF said would happen, did. They earnt our trust from day one."

— Ros Hardy

"The entire process co-ordinated by PWF was seamless, with very little involvement required of ourselves beyond execution of the contract... because like many people, we are busy professionals with a young family and not much free time."

— Trevor & Michelle Sim