Payday Super pressure eased: Employment Hero fires Australia’s first real-time super payment from inside payroll – less than a month after the laws passed

One month on, Employment Hero, Zepto and OZEDI deliver the first payroll-embedded super-clearing payment over the New Payments Platform (NPP), powered by HeroClear

4 December 2025 – Sydney, Australia – A weight has lifted for worried businesses preparing for 2026’s regulatory changes, especially Payday Super, which requires employers to pay super with wages and pushes funds, clearing houses and banks to modernise decades-old systems before 1 July 2026.

Today, Employment Hero announced the first payment processed via HeroClear, a first-of-its-kind, embedded super-clearing and validation solution built with payments provider Zepto and SuperStream messaging provider OZEDI. By automating super clearing inside payroll, HeroClear delivers instant confirmations, fewer errors and a single audit trail – practical safeguards as the seven-day rule comes into force.

Unlike traditional clearing houses outside payroll, HeroClear enables contributions to be calculated, validated, paid and tracked end-to-end within the payroll workflow – no file uploads, no portal juggling and no manual reconciliation or missed errors.

With the Payday Super laws finalised less than a month ago, this milestone is both a technical first and a signal to the market: there is now a live, working pathway with modern rails, real-time error detection and full visibility to help employers meet their new obligations with confidence.

Rob Dunn, General Manager Benefits and Superannuation, Employment Hero says the first payment marks a turning point for payroll and superannuation in Australia:

“We’re incredibly proud to deliver this Australian first and show what modern, embedded super infrastructure makes possible. Fully embedding clearing into payroll is one of the most effective ways to reduce the time and cost of managing super payments. It’s a clear signal we’re supporting employers through one of the most significant payroll changes in decades.”

Chris Jewell, President and Co-Founder, Zepto echoed: 

“Seeing Employment Hero process its first PayTo and super contributions through HeroClear just weeks after the legislation came into effect is a remarkable milestone. The speed and reliability delivered over the NPP show the power of real-time infrastructure, and Zepto’s API-led platform builds on that foundation with fast integration, instant settlement and full transparency.”

While in Beta, HeroClear is set to deliver material benefits at scale: Employment Hero Payroll processes ~A$120bn in wages and superannuation contributions annually for 350,000+ businesses.

Deborah Kerr, the first HeroClear beta customer at Chesterton Customseal says embedded clearing and real-time validation are essential under Payday Super:

“HeroClear picked up a critical fund error that our existing system missed. If it hadn’t flagged it, our super payment would have failed, but instead we fixed it instantly and everything went through smoothly. It was fast, simple and gave us confidence straight away.”

David Field, Director, OZEDI, added:

“It’s been incredible to be part of such a collaborative and fast delivery and to see the majority of payments to superannuation funds made with Zepto over the New Payments Platform (NPP). Employers really value the instant, date-and time-stamped receipt generated by the receiving bank account.”

Rob Dunn concluded: 

“We’re already deep in the next phase of development to ensure HeroClear is ready for all Employment Hero Employment OS and Payroll customers well ahead of 1 July 2026. We look forward to sharing more with customers and the broader industry.”

Employers can learn more and sign up for updates at www.employmenthero.com/payday-super.

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Media requests: 

Lisa Dewar – Employment Hero | 0419 978 877 | lisa.dewar@employmenthero.com

About Employment Hero

Employment Hero is the global authority on employment, offering a world-leading Employment Operating System (EOS) that simplifies and optimises every stage of the employment process. Its award-winning platform combines HR, payroll, recruitment, and employee engagement tools with the groundbreaking employment superapp, EH Work, which integrates career management and financial wellbeing. Serving over 350,000 businesses and managing more than 2.5 million employees worldwide, Employment Hero reduces administrative burdens by up to 80%, enabling organisations to focus on their goals and create more productive, engaged teams. By revolutionising the employment marketplace, Employment Hero is making employment easier, more valuable, and rewarding for everyone.

About Zepto 

Zepto is pioneering the future of payments through data-driven, real-time, account-to-account merchant payment solutions designed for the on-demand digital economy. Its API enables merchants to make, manage, and receive payments by connecting them directly to their customers bank accounts in elegantly simple, data-rich, and cost effective ways. Founded in Byron Bay in 2017 [as Split Payments] by four local entrepreneurs who had experienced the frustrations and debilitating impacts of legacy payment infrastructure in their successful tourism business – Zepto has grown to an award-winning, trail blazing payments technology company processing some $70 billion of account-to-account payments annually. For more information, see here.

About OZEDI 

OZEDI delivers critical data swiftly, securely and cost effectively providing software companies with the ability to offer their customers Single Touch Payroll, SuperStream, Standard Business Reporting and eInvoicing. OZEDI is the trusted choice of Government and over 30,000 companies.