Payday Super readiness checklist¶

This checklist pulls the whole module together into one place. Work through each item before 1 July 2026 to make sure your business is ready to pay super each payday. Each point links to the ATO's guidance behind it.

Use it as a reference — tick off each item, and revisit it if anything about your payroll or your employees changes.

In one line

Six checks to confirm you are ready for Payday Super — the payday rule, the fund window, your software, fund details, cash flow, and the new late-payment process.

Why this matters¶

Payday Super makes super part of every pay run. A single gap — out-of-date fund details, a slow payment method, or software that is not ready — can cause a contribution to arrive late. This checklist helps you find and close those gaps before the change begins.

What you will learn¶

How to confirm your business is ready for Payday Super
What to check across software, fund details, and cash flow
The new late-payment process under the rules

Understanding the concept¶

Work through each check below.

1. Understand the payday rule and the received-by-fund window. From 1 July 2026, you pay super at the same time as wages, each payday. The super must be received by the employee's fund within 7 business days of payday. Remember that super counts as paid only when the fund receives it — not when it leaves your account.

2. Confirm your software supports Payday Super. Check that your payroll and super software can work out super each pay run and pay it in time. If you are unsure, ask your provider whether it is ready for the 1 July 2026 change.

3. Verify your employees' fund details. Make sure you hold the correct fund name, member number, and fund details for every employee, so contributions are not rejected for missing or wrong information.

4. Review your cash flow. You now pay super with each payday instead of quarterly. The yearly total is the same, but the timing changes — plan so each pay run's super is set aside and ready to go.

5. Set a pay-run super routine. Make paying super a standard part of running each pay, ideally on payday, so there is the most time to fix any rejected payment. Set up a simple process to correct an error quickly, inside the 7-business-day window.

6. Know the new late-payment process. If super is not received in full and on time, the super guarantee charge applies. You no longer lodge a quarterly statement to work it out. Instead, the ATO works out the charge and sends you a notice of assessment. Paying a late contribution before an assessment is made can reduce the charge, and the ATO has said it will take a supportive approach in the first year.

For accountants & bookkeepers

The ATO's employer checklist also covers understanding qualifying earnings and how it applies to super guarantee, setting a start date of the first payday from 1 July 2026, moving off the Small Business Superannuation Clearing House to an alternative provider, and the extended first-contribution due date for a new employee. Check the ATO guidance for the current detail.

Example¶

Priya runs a small cafe and uses this checklist a few weeks before 1 July 2026. She confirms she understands the payday rule and the 7-business-day fund window, checks her software is ready, verifies each staff member's fund details, reviews her weekly cash flow, and adds "pay super" to her pay-run routine. She also reads how the new late process works, so she knows the ATO would send a notice of assessment rather than her lodging a statement. With every box ticked, she is ready for her first payday under the new rules.

Common mistakes¶

Ticking "software ready" without confirming it with your provider.
Checking fund details for only some employees, not all of them.
Planning cash flow around quarterly super out of old habit.
Not knowing that the ATO now issues a notice of assessment for late super.

How this works in myaccountant¶

In the app — myaccountant works out each employee's super each pay run, holds your employees' fund details, shows the date super must reach the fund, and helps you pay the funds on time through a connected super payment. It flags issues so you can fix them before a payment is due.

Key points¶

Confirm you understand the payday rule and the 7-business-day fund window.
Check your software supports Payday Super.
Verify every employee's fund details are complete and correct.
Review cash flow and set a routine to pay super each pay run.
Know that the ATO issues a notice of assessment if super is late.

Learn next¶

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

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