Division 7A Dividend

A Division 7A dividend in the Australian tax system is an amount treated by the Australian Tax Office (ATO) as an assessable dividend of a shareholder of a private company that attempts to make a tax-free distributions of profits to the shareholder, or an associate of the shareholder.

Division 7A applies to payments, loans and debts forgiven on or after 4 December 1997. However, it may also apply to loans in place before this date, where the amount of the loan is increased or its term extended on or after 4 December 1997. Division 7A applies to debts forgiven on or after 4 December 1997, regardless of when the debt was created.