The new payment timeframes¶

Payday Super sets a clear deadline for each payday. This is the load-bearing rule: how long you have to get super to your employees' funds. Getting it right keeps you on time; getting it wrong can trigger a charge (covered in a later lesson).

The ATO's rule is about when the fund receives the money — not when you send it. That distinction is the whole point of this lesson.

Why this matters¶

If you only watch the day the money leaves your account, you can be caught out. A payment can leave on time and still arrive at the fund too late. The deadline is measured at the fund's end, so you have to work backwards and start early enough to allow for processing.

What you will learn¶

• The core 7-business-day rule for Payday Super
• What "received by the fund" means
• When a longer window applies, such as new starters

Understanding the concept¶

Under Payday Super, a contribution is on time if it is received by your employee's super fund within 7 business days after you pay the employee. The ATO counts business days, so weekends and public holidays do not count.

"Received by the fund" has a specific meaning. It is not the moment the money leaves your bank account, and it is not the moment your clearing house accepts it. The ATO treats super as received only when the fund has the money with enough information to allocate it to the employee's member account. If the fund cannot match the payment to the right member, it is not yet "received" in the way the rule requires.

Because of this, you must allow for clearing-house and processing time. A clearing house takes your single payment and splits it out to each fund, which takes time. The ATO suggests checking with your payroll provider, clearing house and funds so you know how long each step takes. It also notes that if a fund cannot allocate a payment, the fund has a short window to return it to you — which eats into your deadline. So the safe approach is to start the payment as early in the 7-day window as you can, not on the last day.

A longer window applies in set cases. The ATO allows a longer period — up to 20 business days — in specific situations, such as when you are contributing to a fund for the first time for an employee (for example, a new starter, where the fund may need to set up the member first). This exception exists because setting up a brand-new member account can take longer than a normal contribution.

Example¶

Jordan pays staff on a Friday. Counting business days and skipping the weekend, the 7-business-day clock means the super needs to be received by each fund by the following week. Jordan does not wait — the super payment is started on payday so the clearing house has time to process it and the funds have time to allocate it well inside the window.

When Jordan hires a new employee, the very first contribution to that employee's fund can use the longer window, because the fund may need to set up the member account first. Jordan still starts it promptly rather than leaving it to the end.

Common mistakes¶

• Measuring the deadline from when the money leaves you, instead of when the fund receives it.
• Counting calendar days instead of business days.
• Sending a payment without enough detail for the fund to allocate it — an unallocated payment is not "received".
• Leaving no room for clearing-house processing and starting on the last day.
• Assuming the longer new-starter window applies to every payment — it applies only in the set cases the ATO defines.

How this works in myaccountant¶

Key points¶

• Super must be received by the fund within 7 business days of payday.
• "Received" means the fund has the money and the detail to allocate it.
• Business days only — weekends and public holidays do not count.
• Start the payment early to allow clearing-house and fund processing time.
• A longer window (up to 20 business days) applies in set cases, such as a first contribution for a new starter.
• Always confirm the current window and exceptions on the ATO website.

Learn next¶

• How Payday Super changes payroll day to day
• What happens if super is paid late under Payday Super
• How Payday Super affects employers

General information only — not tax, super or financial advice.