From 1 July 2026, all Australian employers will need to pay superannuation contributions at the same time they pay wages. In plain terms: if you pay weekly, fortnightly or monthly, super must be paid on the same cycle, and reach the employee’s fund within 7 business days.
For many businesses this means a big shift in cash-flow and payroll processes, but with the right preparation it becomes a manageable change and an opportunity to streamline.
What is Payday Super?
Currently, most businesses pay super contributions quarterly. Under the new rules, contributions must align with every pay run and be received by the superannuation fund within seven business days of payday.
Key points:
- Super paid when wages are paid — weekly, fortnightly or monthly.
- Payment must land in the fund within 7 business days after payday.
- Employers will need payroll systems and processes that support this frequency.
Why Does the Change Matter?
- It aims to ensure employees receive super faster and more regularly, supporting retirement outcomes.
- For employers, it means more frequent payments, tighter cash-flow planning and stronger compliance risk.
- Smaller businesses in particular need to review processes now to avoid last-minute scramble.
What Employers Must Do to Prepare
To set up for success, we recommend you:
- Review your payroll system – ensure it can calculate, process and send super payments each pay run.
- Plan your cash-flow – more frequent payments mean funds leave the account more often; model the impact now.
- Update processes and roles – approvals, schedules, deliverables need to align with more frequent super payments.
- Train your team – payroll, finance and HR staff should understand the change, deadlines and responsibilities.
- Test early – run a dry-run or review your current state before 1 July 2026 to identify gaps.
How Walker Hill Can Help
We’re well-placed to support your business through this transition:
- We’ll review your payroll and super workflow for compliance, efficiency and automation.
- We help you implement systems that align super payments with pay runs, reducing admin burden.
- We’ll work with you to build robust cash-flow models that include the more frequent super outflows.
- We’ll provide training and documentation so your team is ready for the change, not caught off-guard.
The Bottom Line
Payday Super is a significant compliance change, but one you can prepare for now. By aligning your payroll, super and cash-flow processes ahead of time, you turn a challenge into an operational improvement.
At Walker Hill, we’re ready to guide you through every step. Let’s make the change smooth and compliant, so you can keep focussing on what matters: your business and your people.
