Managing the transition to Payday Super
In just a few weeks, Payday Super will finally go live. From 1 July 2026, quarterly super contributions for employees will end. Instead, employees’ super will need to be paid at the same time as their salary and wages, with payments typically due in employees’ super accounts within seven business days after payday.
But with such a big change on the horizon, employers need to know the process for settling their employees’ super obligations for the quarter ending 30 June 2026, and how to smoothly transition to the new Payday Super rules from 1 July 2026.
Settling super for the quarter ended 30 June 2026
The quarter ended 30 June 2026 is the last period for which the current quarterly super payment rules apply. Employers will need to calculate their employees’ super based on their ordinary time earnings and pay that amount in full, on time, and to the correct fund by 28 July 2026.
If an employer misses the 28 July deadline, a super guarantee charge (SGC) statement will need to be filed and any SGC paid for the quarter ended 30 June. Note that the late payment offset is not available for this final quarterly payment.
Crucially, keep in mind that any super payments received on or after 29 July will be applied under the new Payday Super rules, even if the employer intended these payments to be made for any super owed for the June quarter.
Running payroll under Payday Super
From 1 July 2026, Payday Super is in effect, with super guarantee payments based on an employee’s qualifying earnings from 1 July 2026 (even if the work that earned that pay was done before 1 July).
Under Payday Super, super guarantee payments should generally arrive within an employee’s super account within seven business days after payday (there are times when this deadline is longer, for example in the case of a new hire).
Be aware though, any contributions received into an employee’s fund on or before 28 July will actually reduce any super owing for the quarter to 30 June 2026 in the first instance. Once super for the June quarter has been settled, any remaining contributions will then be counted towards the amount due under Payday Super. While this is an important quirk in the rules, the reality is that if an employer pays the correct amount for both their June quarter and first Payday Super payment, then both sets of contributions will be made on time, and there won’t be any risk of incurring penalties for late payment.
Ready for Payday Super?
Do you have any last-minute questions about Payday Super, or worried about how to handle the changeover period? Speak to a member of our team today – we’d be happy to help.