Super reconciliation differences¶

Reconciling super means checking that three numbers agree: the super you calculated for each employee, the super you reported, and the super you actually paid and that the fund received. When they do not line up, there is a difference to explain.

A difference is not a disaster. It is a signal to look a little closer at one employee and one period. This lesson gives you a calm, step-by-step way to find the gap and close it.

In one line

A reconciliation difference means calculated, reported and paid super do not agree — work through it one employee and one period at a time to find the cause.

Why this matters¶

Super is only counted as paid when the fund receives it. So a payment can leave your account and still not count if it never landed. Reconciling catches those cases, keeps your records accurate, and means small differences get fixed before they grow.

What you will learn¶

What a super reconciliation difference is
The common causes of a difference
A calm method to find and fix the gap

Understanding the concept¶

To reconcile, you line up, for each employee and each period, the super you calculated against what you paid and what the fund received. A difference usually comes from one of a few causes:

A payment not received. The money left your account but did not reach the fund — so it does not yet count as paid.
A returned contribution. The fund could not match the payment and sent it back. The ATO explains that when a contribution is returned, it is treated as not having been made to the fund, so it needs to be re-sent once corrected.
A timing difference. The payment is on its way but has not landed yet. With a clearing house, super counts as paid on the date the fund receives it, not the date the clearing house received it from you — so a payment near period end can look missing when it is simply in transit.
A wrong amount. The amount calculated and the amount paid do not match.

A clearing house is a service that takes one payment from you and passes it on to each employee's fund.

For accountants & bookkeepers

The ATO's SuperStream guidance notes that payments carry a payment reference so the money and the matching data can be reconciled automatically at the fund. A payment that is not received, or is returned, will not count as paid until it lands correctly. A returned contribution is treated as not made, so track it through to a successful re-send rather than treating the first attempt as done.

Example¶

Sam reconciles the quarter's super and finds the total paid is short by one employee's amount. Working employee by employee, Sam finds the payment for that person left the bank but was returned by the fund because a detail did not match. Sam corrects the detail, re-sends the payment, and confirms it is received. For another employee, a payment made near quarter end had simply not landed yet — a timing difference — which cleared a few days later. Each cause got a different fix.

Common mistakes¶

Treating "money left the account" as "super paid" — it counts when the fund receives it.
Reconciling only the total instead of employee by employee, so the cause stays hidden.
Ignoring a returned contribution — it is treated as not made until re-sent correctly.
Confusing a timing difference for a missing payment near period end.

How this works in myaccountant¶

In the app — myaccountant records each super payment per employee and helps you reconcile the calculated amount against what was paid. When the numbers do not line up, you can look at the difference per employee and period to find the cause and fix it.

Key points¶

Reconciling super checks calculated, reported and paid amounts agree.
Common causes are a payment not received, a returned contribution, a timing difference, or a wrong amount.
Super counts as paid only when the fund receives it.
Work through a difference one employee and one period at a time.
A returned contribution is treated as not made until it is re-sent correctly.
Each cause has its own fix — match the fix to the cause.

Learn next¶

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

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