What is Payday Super?

Right now, most employers pay super quarterly¹ – which can be months after you've earned it. From 1 July 2026, new Payday Super rules come into effect. That means mandatory regular super guarantee (SG) payments paid by your employer will be due at the same time as your wages.

For a working Australian, the change is small, but over a working life it can be worth thousands of dollars in extra compounding.  

Balance assumes retirement at 65, in today’s dollars. Super earns 6.2% per annum, net of tax and fees. Starting balance is based on APRA average and average earnings for that age².

Payday Super is a change to the superannuation guarantee rules. Instead of quarterly, your employer must send your super contribution to your fund generally within seven business days of when they pay your wages. 

The SG contribution rate, which is currently 12%, doesn't change – only the timing.

Under current rules, employers must pay super at least four times a year, with deadlines 28 days after each quarter ends.  

In practice, super earned in January can arrive in your fund in late April. This can make it harder to keep track of your super.  

From 1 July 2026, super must be paid in line with each payday, whether that be weekly, fortnightly or monthly – whatever your pay cycle is. 

Each year, Australian workers are underpaid billions in super³. 

Payday Super makes the problem visible faster: making it easier for workers to track their super and for the ATO to detect missed payments earlier. 

Contributions must reach a super fund within seven days of payday, so it’s easier to check super is on track.

Money that lands in your super earlier gets invested earlier. For a worker in their 30s, simply moving contributions from quarterly to fortnightly can add thousands of extra dollars at retirement – the same dollars, compounding for longer. 

Moving from super paid quarterly to super paid weekly would mean even more in your account. 

Download the app or login to FirstNet and check your balance on the dashboard. 

Login to your account

From 1 July 2026, the amount of SG payable will be calculated on Qualifying Earnings (QE), which for most people will be the same as ordinary time earnings (OTE), or what an employee receives for their ordinary hours of work. It typically includes: 

• base salary  

• bonuses 

• commissions. 

So if you earn $100,000 a year, with no bonuses or commissions, and you’re paid fortnightly, or 26 times a year, your fortnightly SG payment would be: 

$100,000 x 12% ÷26 = $461.54

Check the ATO website to learn exactly what counts as qualifying earnings. 

If you’re paid a bonus or commission, your SG payment should include 12% of that amount when it’s paid to you. 

For higher income earners, particularly those paid bonuses or commissions, Payday Super can materially change how quickly super lands in your account.

In some cases, it could require employers to pay some high-income earners more super on bonus payments than they pay under the pre-1 July 2026 system.

Eight business days after your first payday, your super should generally be in your account. 

Login to your CFS account and check your super has arrived, and the amount is correct.

Visit the Transaction page or generate a custom report from the Statement page to check if your employer(s) have made contributions.

If your employer hasn't made contributions, you can provide them with your account details by going to the Notify Employer page.

As with any new payment system, there may be teething issues in the early days. If it hasn’t arrived in your account after a week or two, contact your employer’s payroll team to check when to expect it.

There are penalties for late payment of super. Employers must pay super on time – in line with your regular pay cycle from 1 July 2026 – to avoid paying the super guarantee charge (SGC).

There are also ways to follow up super payments from employers (past and present) via the ATO’s super review and audit processes. 

Nothing else changes when it comes to your CFS super account under Payday Super rules. Your money will remain invested in the same investment options. What changes is the frequency of contributions. 

Employees whose super was previously paid quarterly will see more frequent super contributions from July 2026.