No scrambling, no surprises: Focus Computing’s Payday Super transition with HeroClear

About the business

Focus Computing is an Australian EdTech company supplying school management software such as parent booking, room scheduling and school notices, via subscription. Founders Jane and Murray Collingwood run the business as a two-person team and employ one staff member, Lindy, whose payroll they manage through Employment Hero.

“We’re very small, but that doesn’t make it any less that you need to do the right thing by your payroll.”

The challenge

Jane and Murray are loyal Employment Hero users, having used the platform for the last 10 years. The introduction of Payday Super, which requires employers to pay Superannuation Guarantee contributions alongside each pay run instead of quarterly, meant Focus Computing would need to process super every fortnight. With little room for error, compliance became more important than ever.

“I like to know that I’ve got my i’s dotted, my t’s crossed. I like to know that I’m doing the right thing and we want to do the right thing by our employee.”

— Jane Collingwood, Director, Focus Computing

For a business of their size, getting it wrong wasn’t an option.

“If you didn’t get super payments right, it sounds like you will be fined and that the ATO were not going to be very lenient on people not meeting their new legislation.”

The solution

After attending the Employment Hero webinar, Jane decided to implement HeroClear months ahead of the 1 July 2026 deadline. Built directly into Employment Hero Payroll, HeroClear automates the entire super process: validating employee and fund details upfront via direct integration with super funds and ATO-approved tools, triggering payments seamlessly from the pay run, and surfacing real-time status updates inside Payroll. If a payment fails, HeroClear identifies it immediately, notifies the employee, and guides the fix with no manual chasing and no jumping between systems.

In practice, Jane’s fortnightly superannuation payment process is now straightforward:

• Finalise payroll and lock it in.
• Navigate to super contributions, validate, and submit in a matter of clicks.
• Funds leave the account within a day; Lindy’s super lands within three days.

“We highly recommend Employment Hero for payroll, as it ensures our company remains fully compliant with ever-changing Australian legislation. By recently implementing HeroClear, we have streamlined our superannuation process, ensuring prompt, automated payments to meet the 1 July 2026 Payday Super requirements. Furthermore, their support team is very helpful, responding promptly and providing dedicated assistance until every issue is resolved.”

— Jane Collingwood, Director, Focus Computing

The results

Focus Computing arrived at the 1 July deadline already running under Payday Super conditions, with several fortnightly cycles completed and no compliance gaps. Jane has full visibility of upcoming super liabilities at any point in time, which feeds directly into how she manages cashflow across the year, including quieter periods like Christmas, when income slows but obligations don’t. The predictability HeroClear provides has made that planning measurably easier.

“I really like that at any point in time, I can see what superannuation payments are coming up. You can easily project cash flow.”

Why it matters

For small businesses, the margin for error with Payday Super is narrow. Penalties are real, the ATO has flagged limited leniency and a fine at one employee scale hits harder than it would for a larger organisation. Getting ahead of the legislation is the difference between confidence and scrambling.

HeroClear is available now for Employment Hero customers. Start early, stay compliant, and take something off your plate.