Taking care of business

With the government proposing to introduce Payday super on 1 July 2026, employers will face more frequent payment obligations, tighter deadlines, and higher compliance risks. Payday super is not yet law, but would mean you’d need to pay employees’ super at the same time as their wages.

Payday super aims to create a fairer super system

While most employers do the right thing, Australian workers are losing $110 million each week in unpaid super¹. So it’s no surprise that a recent survey reported 70% of workers support the change and want Payday super laws to come into effect next year¹.  

Payday super will help address unpaid super by: 

• Helping ensure that super contributions are made on time
• Giving workers better visibility of when their super is paid and a clearer picture of their retirement savings
• Ensuring super payments are in member’s accounts earlier, which means any investment returns will apply sooner.

How to prepare for Payday super and meet your super obligations 

Review your payroll systems

Speak to your payroll provider to integrate super payments into your payroll software. Many systems already support automated payday super processing. Employer Online allows you to lodge super contributions to multiple employees and multiple funds. 

Make sure your employee details and super fund information is accurate and up to date to avoid delays.

Update your cash flow forecast 

Reassess cash flow projections to account for more frequent super payments. This may help you identify periods of potential cash shortfalls and plan ahead. 

Speak with your teams and stay up to date

Talk about the changes and provide training if needed. While there’s no doubt this is causing more work for employers and payroll teams, it’s good news for employees so keep them updated on the change and how it will benefit their super.

You should also speak to employees if you believe the new pay cycle might affect their before-tax contribution caps, especially in year one of the change. Making extra contributions more often may put an employee’s before-tax contributions over the limit.  

Get the right information

The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) has a range of tools and guides about super. If and when payday super becomes law, the ATO should be your key source of information. 

We can help build your team’s super knowledge  

We’ve designed a Super Training session to provide your Payroll, HR, and Finance teams with updated information on super. This training aims to support staff in developing a proactive approach to managing super processes.

What we’ll cover:

• different types of super contributions
• your super obligations as an employer 
• administering super and dealing with challenges
• when employees can access their super and your role as an employer, and
• tools and support available. 

This one-hour session can be tailored to the specific needs of your team and can be run in person or virtually, depending on where your team is located.  

¹ Australians call for urgent payday super legislation as unpaid super bill blows out further, Super Members Council, smcaustralia.com/news/australians-call-for-urgent-payday-super-legislation-as-unpaid-super-bill-blows-out-further