From 1 July 2026, employers must pay super guarantee contributions into your fund with every payday, not once a quarter. The money must land within 7 business days of payday, and the old Small Business Superannuation Clearing House has closed for good.
Key facts
| What changed | Before | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Super guarantee due | Quarterly | Every payday |
| Payment deadline | — | Within 7 business days of payday |
| SBSCH availability | Open | Closed permanently from 30 June 2026 |
| Super guarantee rate | — | 12% of qualifying earnings |
| Takes effect | — | 1 July 2026 |
What payday super actually changes
Until now, employers had until 28 days after the end of each quarter to pay super guarantee — meaning contributions could sit outside your fund for up to four months after you earned them. Payday super closes that gap. From 1 July 2026, super guarantee on qualifying earnings must be calculated and paid alongside each pay run, and must reach your super fund within 7 business days of payday, with a longer window for some new employees while their fund details are confirmed. Employers must also work out and pay super on qualifying earnings paid from 1 July 2026 even where the underlying work was performed before that date, so the cut-over applies to when you're paid rather than when the shift or task happened. Payroll systems now need to calculate qualifying earnings, apply the 12% super guarantee rate, and get each contribution to the fund within 7 business days of payday, which is a substantial change from batching contributions once every three months.
Why the Small Business Superannuation Clearing House closed
The ATO's free clearing house, SBSCH, closed permanently on 30 June 2026 because it couldn't process contributions fast enough to meet the new 7-business-day deadline. Employers who relied on it needed to move to a commercial clearing house or their payroll software's default fund service before payday super began, so their existing employees' contributions weren't disrupted. The NSW Small Business Commissioner and other advisory bodies urged small employers to download their SBSCH payment records well before the closure date, since access to historical data disappeared along with the service on 1 July 2026. Most major payroll platforms rolled out a built-in clearing house or a direct integration with commercial providers in the lead-up to the change, so the switch for most businesses was a configuration update rather than a full system replacement.
What happens if super is paid late
Missing the 7-business-day deadline triggers the redesigned super guarantee charge, made up of the shortfall, notional earnings at the general interest charge rate, an administrative uplift and, where choice rules were broken, a choice loading. The ATO can now see contribution timing far sooner through Single Touch Payroll and fund reporting, so late payments are expected to be identified and chased up faster than under the old quarterly system. Unlike the old quarterly charge, the new charge is tax-deductible, but the uplift and interest still make a late payment more expensive for an employer than paying the super guarantee correctly and on time in the first place.
How employees can check it's working
You can track whether contributions are landing on time through your super fund's app, member portal, or the ATO online services section of myGov. If you notice super guarantee is missing a few business days after payday, raise it with your employer first — see our guide to understanding your payslip for what your super line should show each pay cycle.
What this means for your pay
Payday super doesn't change your super guarantee rate — it stays at 12% of qualifying earnings for 2026-27 — only how quickly it reaches your account. Getting contributions in sooner and more often means slightly more time in the market for compounding growth over a working life. Run your numbers through our superannuation calculator to see how consistent, on-time contributions add up, and employers can check their total on-cost with the employer cost calculator.