Payday super: what could it mean for your small business?

Back in 2023, the Australian Government announced that from 1 July 2026, employers will be required to pay their employees’ super at the same time as their salary and wages.

‘Payday super’ will move payment of super from the quarterly cycle that businesses are used to and switch it to a process where employees’ super will be paid within seven business days of their usual payment cycle, whether weekly, fortnightly or monthly.

But why the change? And what are the potential effects of moving to payday super?

Impact of payday super for your employees

From 1 July 2026, as an employer, you’ll be required to pay your employees’ super at the same time as their salary and wages.

This change will make it easier for employees to keep track of the super and will boost their overall super fund at retirement. It will also remove the problem of casual workers habitually missing out on quarterly super payments under the current system.

By switching to payday super, a 25-year-old median income earner currently receiving their super quarterly and wages fortnightly could be around $6,000 or 1.5 per cent better off at retirement.

Impact of payday super for your business

Moving to a super system where employer contributions are made in line with the employees’ regular payment cycle may not seem like a huge shift. But moving away from the current quarterly system could have a significant effect on your administration time and cashflow.

Let’s look at the potential downsides of payroll super for your business:

An increased administrative burden

Paying superannuation with each pay cycle, rather than quarterly, will increase the frequency of your super payments. The added frequency of super payments will add to your administrative and payroll workload, stretching the already limited resources of your small business.

You will have an extended timeframe to pay contributions in certain circumstances, for example when contributing to a superannuation fund for the first time, including for new employees.

Potential for late-payment penalties

The bill states that employers will be penalised for late payments, even if the delays are outside of their control. External issues with super funds or clearing houses could create a risk of unfair penalties that are beyond your control as the business owner.

The penalty assessment is reduced to nil if an exceptional circumstances determination covers the employer for any part of the relevant period, even if made after the period itself.

Out-of-Cycle or Bonus Payments: These payments can be included in the next regular pay cycle’s superannuation contributions. This does not apply when the employee is terminated and no future Qualifying Earnings payments will be made.

Closure of the Small Business Superannuation Clearing House

The government plans to close the Small Business Superannuation Clearing House from 1 July 2026. This free online service for managing your super contributions is a vital resource for small employers. Closing it down has been met with a serious backlash from small businesses, with many wondering how their business will manage its superannuation commitments

Talk to us about getting your payroll system ready for payday super

If your payroll process and software systems are lagging behind the requirements for payday super, now’s the time to talk to our team and to update your payroll procedures.

Contact your Johnsons MME advisor today.