Is Your Business Ready for Payday Super?

Payday Super is set to shake up your payroll so here is how to get your business ready for it.

Australia’s payroll rules tend to change fairly regularly, but few reforms will shake up operations for small businesses like the Payday Super legislation, which passed Parliament this week.

From 1 July 2026, every employer will have to pay superannuation on payday, but there will be significant knock-on effects for roughly 900,000 small and medium-sized businesses.

Each quarter, employers channel around $36 billion in super contributions, yet workers often wait weeks before that money actually lands in their funds. Those delays cost Australians an estimated $1.5 billion a year in lost compound earnings. Payday super is a meaningful step forward for employees, but for small businesses the adjustment will likely be tricky.

What Pay Day Super Means For Your Business

Employment Hero modelling shows the average employer paying staff fortnightly will need to shift an extra $124,000 into their working-capital cycle from day one. Big corporations can absorb that hit but smaller operators will feel it in real time.

“The final Bill expects SMBs to get Payday Super right from the outset, even while parts of the system that employers rely on are still being upgraded,”says Employment Hero CEO Ben Thompson.

“At the same time, hundreds of thousands of SMBs will need to move off the ATO’s Small Business Superannuation Clearing House (SBSCH), set to close 1 July 2026. That’s a big ask, especially when you consider the 60 percent increase in admin overheads and $124,000 cashflow impact the average SMB will face.”

The legislation, championed by Assistant Treasurer Dr Daniel Mulino, is part of a broader plan to make the super system more transparent, digital, and immediate. But for business owners juggling BAS statements and staff shortages, it’s going to require some hustle.

At present, most small businesses pay super quarterly, often through the ATO’s Small Business Superannuation Clearing House (SBSCH). From 1 July 2026 the seven-day payment rule becomes law and business owners will need to make sure that every super contribution leaves their account the same day staff are paid.

Critically, the clearing house, currently processing contributions for over 800,000 small employers, is being decommissioned in mid-2026. That means every small business relying on it must transition to new systems well before then.

Employers who miss the seven-day cut-off risk penalties of up to 60 percent in administrative uplift, plus potential shortfall interest charges. Because super funds aren’t bound by equivalent timing obligations, the onus will remain squarely on the employer.

Payroll Innovation to help with the new superannuation due dates

Fortunately, several Australian fintech and payroll innovators have seen this coming and moved fast. Employment Hero has partnered with real-time payments provider Zepto and superannuation data specialist OZEDI to develop HeroClear, a first-of-its-kind embedded super clearing solution that will be live in early 2026.

HeroClear removes the need for separate clearing houses or banking portals, sending contributions instantly through the New Payments Platform (NPP).  “By validating fund details up-front, moving money in real-time, and providing live confirmations and a single audit trail, SMBs will see fewer errors, faster settlement and clear proof of action to meet new requirements,” Thompson explains.

Zepto’s president Chris Jewell called the partnership “a benchmark for automation, transparency, and instant settlement,” while OZEDI’s director David Field noted that after a decade of static processes, “technology such as the NPP and data verification services create a whole new experience for employers.”

How To Prepare Your Payroll For Payday Super

The shift from quarterly to payday contributions will reshape how businesses manage operations on three key fronts. First, cash flow discipline will need to be sharpened. Superannuation will drain cash weekly or fortnightly instead of quarterly, meaning businesses that once relied on that float for operating expenses must tighten their forecasting and may need to renegotiate credit terms to stay liquid.

Second, payroll automation will become non-negotiable. Manual uploads and batch payments simply won’t cut it under the new system. Small and medium-sized businesses will need payroll software that integrates with SuperStream-compliant, real-time clearing tools such as HeroClear or other systems compatible with the New Payments Platform (NPP).

Finally, proof of payment. The new legislation shifts the compliance burden toward speed and traceability, so maintaining audit trails, timestamps and confirmation receipts will be critical protection against disputes or penalties.

For small employers, this can be a chance to modernise. As with the rollout of Single Touch Payroll, early adopters of automation tend to spend less time chasing compliance.

Business Check List For Payday Super

• Audit your payroll systems now. Check whether your current provider can process super in real time and produce proof-of-payment records. The ATO and Treasury are due to release further technical guidelines for reporting and fund verification in early 2026. 
• Plan for tighter cash flow. Model your fortnightly obligations to avoid liquidity scrambles.
• Communicate with your accountant or bookkeeper. Many cloud-accounting tools like Employment Hero are launching upgraded modules specifically for Payday Super compliance before July 2026.
• Register for NPP-linked payment tools. Transitioning to faster payments now will smoothen the future integration.

Employment Hero’s webinar on 18 November 2025 will unpack the latest legislative changes, compliance guidance, and practical steps to prepare your payroll systems and cash flow. Register today to secure your spot: Payday Super Bill Webinar – Employment Hero