New technology, new reform, old thinking? Why we’re revisiting the Future of SMSF

The SMSF sector is at a junction again. The last time we stood here, it changed how many practices ran their SMSF business.

In 2018, I described much of the sector as a square peg in a round hole. Practices had moved to cloud-based SMSF software, but most hadn’t changed the business model sitting underneath it. Eight years on, the technology has moved again, and this time it’s arriving alongside some of the most significant legislative and regulatory reform the sector has seen for a decade.

That’s why we’re bringing back the Future of SMSF for 2027.

Why now

Look at how technology has shaped the sector over the past decade. It hasn’t been a straight line, it’s been a series of S-curves.

Desktop software with manual data entry gave way to data feeds. Cloud-based platforms took over, then an ecosystem of API integrations and connectivity services drove the next lift in performance. The first stages of robotic process automation (RPA) then followed.

Now we’re on the steep part of the next curve: machine learning and AI moving off the vendor roadmap and into day-to-day practice.

On its own, that’s a big enough shift. But it isn’t happening on its own. Division 296 is now law. Payday super started on 1 July 2026. The debate over how SMSF advice is licensed and delivered, including execution-only services, hasn’t gone away, and the regulators remain focused on how funds are established and who is advising on them.

Translated: practices are being asked to absorb a new wave of technology and a new wave of reform at the same time.

We’ve seen this combination before.

What the earlier research told us

The first Future of SMSF report was published in August 2014, built on 430 responses from SMSF professionals. One of its calls was that moving to cloud SMSF software would deliver efficiency gains of around 40% within three years of a successful implementation.

By 2018, with 488 respondents, the reported gain over the same period had doubled to 81.9%.

That sounds like a success story. In part it was. But when we dug into the 2018 data, the efficiency was mostly coming from the software, not from changes practices had made themselves. Only 69.2% had updated their client engagements after migrating to new technology and working through the super reforms. When we asked why change hadn’t happened, one answer stood out.

“Too many other changes happening at the same time.”Survey respondent, Future of SMSF Report 2018

Sound familiar?

That gap between how fast technology moves and how slowly organisations change is what Martec’s Law describes. Technology changes exponentially. Organisations change logarithmically. Leave the gap long enough and a business eventually needs a reset – on its own terms or someone else’s.

The 2018 findings went on to shape our ‘5 Stages of an SMSF Business’ framework. More importantly, they gave practices evidence to make decisions with, rather than gut feel. That’s what the sector needs again now.

What the 2027 research will cover

Future of SMSF 2027 is about you – the practitioners and service providers who make the SMSF sector work. Accountants, advisers, auditors, administrators, and the specialist businesses that support them. It isn’t a trustee survey; it’s focused purely on the professionals servicing SMSFs.

We’re running the survey in three waves, so each part is quicker to complete and can go deeper:

1. 1
   Opens Monday 16 November 2026

   Your practice today

   Who you are, how your SMSF business runs, your services, pricing and growth.

2. 2
   Opens Monday 7 December 2026

   The digital SMSF landscape

   The software, data, automation and AI you’re using, and what’s actually working.

3. 3
   Opens Monday 18 January 2027

   Regulation, people and the outlook

   Reform readiness, workforce and capacity, and where you see the sector in 2030 and beyond.

All three waves close together in late January, with the findings released around the SMSF Association National Conference in February 2027. We’ll also compare the results with 2014 and 2018 – a view of how the sector has changed over more than a decade.

I won’t claim this is the only research on the SMSF sector. It isn’t, and there’s some excellent data out there. But no one else goes to this level of detail on how practices actually run their SMSF business. That depth is the point.

What’s in it for you

The survey is anonymous. Every professional who takes part receives the full flagship report free. You simply leave your details once you’ve completed the survey.

Alongside the report, we’ll publish an interactive dashboard, and we’re building tools so you can benchmark your practice against the final results. In my view, that’s where the real value sits. Knowing where the sector is heading is useful. Knowing where your practice sits against it is what drives decisions.

Partner with us

Research at this depth isn’t done alone. Both previous editions were supported by industry partners, and we’re inviting a small number of organisations to partner on the 2027 report.

Founding partners need to confirm by Friday 13 November to have input into the Wave 1 questions. If your organisation would like to be involved, find out about partnering on the report.

Final word

Every time the sector has reached a junction like this, the practices that came out ahead weren’t the ones with the best software. They were the ones that changed how they ran their SMSF business model to make the most of it.

Wave 1 opens on Monday 16 November. About 10 minutes of your time will help give the whole sector, including your own practice, a clearer view of what comes next.

We believe smart people learn together. Here’s to shaping a smarter SMSF future.

Aaron Dunn

CEO and Founder of Smarter SMSF and author of the Future of SMSF reports since 2014. SMSF Association Chair Award 2023, recognised for his outstanding contribution to the SMSF sector, having made significant contributions to sector growth and sustainability.