Payday Super is Coming. What You Need to Know
By Raylene Sobik
June 2026
From 1 July 2026, new superannuation rules known as Payday Super will come into effect. These changes are designed to make sure employees receive their super more regularly and on time, but they will also mean some important adjustments for businesses.
What is Payday Super?
Currently, many employers pay super on a quarterly basis. Under the new rules, super will need to be reported and paid at the same time as each payroll.
This means that super contributions must be received by the employee’s fund within 7 business days of each payday. This is why it is recommended to process and pay the super to the clearing house on payday as the process can take 4-5 business days through the clearing house.
Why the change?
The goal of Payday Super is to reduce unpaid or late super, improve transparency for employees and help the tax office identify issues earlier.
What will change for your business?
More frequent payments: Super will move from quarterly payments to every pay cycle, which may impact cash flow.
Tighter deadlines: It’s not enough to process the payment—you need to ensure the funds are received by the super fund within 7 business days.
New calculation method: Super will be based on Qualifying Earnings instead of Ordinary Time Earnings. This means more types of payments may attract super, including all commissions, salary sacrifice amounts and some contractor payments.
Tax Office Small Business Clearing House Closing
The Tax Office’s Super Clearing House will close on 30 June 2026. Any businesses using this will need to ensure they either move to payroll software to something like Xero or MYOB or use a commercial clearing house such as Australian Super or Prime Super. If you are using the tax office clearing house you should also ensure all data is exported before it closes.
Are there any exceptions?
A few timing exceptions will apply:
1. For your new employees you will have up to 20 business days to process their first lot of super.
2. You will also have up to 20 business days for any employees who change super funds; and
3. If you process any out-of-cycle payments (such as a once-off bonus), the superannuation payments on these are only due with the next regular pay cycle.
What happens if you’re late?
Late payments may result in a Super Guarantee Charge, this includes additional charges, interest and potential penalties. The tax office will be automatically applying these fees and charges to any late payments. The late fees and charges will include an administrative uplift of up to 60% (this can vary depending on the employers history of meeting super guarantee obligations) and a Penalty of 25% or 50% of the unpaid super guarantee will also be added (again this depending on any prior penalties).
What’s not changing:
The super rate remains at 12 percent. Employers still need to meet their super obligations and penalties still apply for non-compliance.
What should you do now?
1. Review your cash flow to manage more frequent payments
2. Check your payroll system is set up correctly
3. Make sure employee details and super funds are up to date
4. Plan to transition away from the Tax Office Clearing House
5. Strengthen your internal processes to meet deadlines
6. Communicate the changes with your staff
Payday Super is a significant change in both the timing and calculation of super. Starting early will help make the transition smoother and reduce the risk of penalties.
Please do contact us to discuss how this effects your personal situation.
Upcoming AML/CTF Changes. What You Need to Know
From 1 July 2026, certain services provided by accounting firms will become subject to Australia’s Anit-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing (AML/CTF) Laws.
These reforms are being introduced by the Australian Government and administered by AUSTRAC, Australia’s financial intelligence and AML regulator. As part of these changes, we may be required to collect, verify and maintain certain information about our clients when providing designated services.
What does this mean for you?
For most existing clients, there will be little or no immediate impact. However, there may be circumstances where we are required to request additional information or documentation to comply with our legal obligations.
This may include:
Confirming your identity
Confirming your business ownership structure
Confirming directors, shareholders, trustees or beneficiaries
Seeking information on the purpose of a transaction or engagement
We understand that no one enjoys extra paperwork, so our focus will be on keeping any changes as efficient and simple as possible.
Fees may apply for AML/CTF verification and compliance procedures we are required to undertake.
Why is this happening?
Money laundering and financial crime can affect businesses, communities and the broader economy. The new AML/CTF requirements are designed to help professional service providers:
Better understand who they are acting for
Identify and manage potential risks
Protect legitimate businesses from misuse
Support the integrity of Australia’s financial system
How will your information be protected?
Any information collected as part of our AML/CTF obligations will be handled in accordance with our privacy obligations and applicable laws.
We will only request information that is reasonably required to meet our legal and regulatory responsibilities.
Will existing clients need to be re-verified?
In most cases, no. Existing clients will generally not be required to immediately provide new identification documents simply because the laws have changed.
However, there are situations where we may need to update or verify information we hold. This will typically occur when there is a change in circumstances or when additional verification is required under the AML/CTF legislation.
What do you need to do now?
Nothing. At this stage, no action is required unless we contact you directly. If we do need additional information in the future we will explain what is required and why.
When we might need additional information
We may contact you if:
Your business ownership or control changes, eg new directors, new shareholders, new trustees, changes in beneficiaries or controlling individuals.
Information differs from our existing records: we may ask follow-up questions where new information appears inconsistent with our existing records, the purpose of the work we are undertaking or the nature of our relationship with you.
Our records need updating, from time to time we may need to confirm that the information we hold remains current and accurate.
Additional verification is required by law, in some circumstances, AML/CTF legislation may require us to obtain further information or supporting documentation.
You engage us for a new service, certain services may require us to collect additional information before we can proceed.
Your circumstances change significantly, eg, changes to the nature of your business, ownership arrangements or the purpose of an engagement.
Questions? We’ll keep you informed as things progress and provide clear guidance whenever action is required. If you have any questions, please call us on 9841 1200
