Paying super is an important part of your responsibilities as an employer with your contributions forming an essential part of your employee’s retirement savings. And AustralianSuper is here to help.
Super guarantee rate rises to 10%
From 1 July 2021 the super guarantee (SG) is 10% of a worker's ordinary time earnings (OTE). This is a rise of 0.5% (from 9.5%). If you manage a team or payroll you’ll need to check you’re paying eligible workers at least 10% super. The rise is the start of a 4-year plan to increase the SG to 12% by 2025 so that working Australians can be better supported financially in retirement.Do you need to pay super?
Employers are generally required to pay super guarantee (SG) contributions for employees who:
- Are paid $450 or more (before tax) in a calendar month
- Are aged 18 years or over (or under 18 and work at least 30 hours per week)
- Are employed on a full-time, part-time or casual basis (including those who are working in Australia temporarily).
You can use this ATO tool to work out if an employee is eligible for SG contributions.
When is super due?
You’re required to pay super for eligible employees from the day they start their employment by quarterly due dates.
Quarterly Superannuation Guarantee (SG) due dates
| SG quarter | Date payment due |
|---|---|
| 1 July - 30 September | 28 October |
| 1 October - 31 December | 28 January |
| 1 January - 31 March | 28 April |
| 1 April - 30 June | 28 July |
Employers who don’t make the minimum super guarantee contributions required on behalf of eligible employees risk having to pay the Super Guarantee Charge (SGC), a charge imposed under the Superannuation Guarantee (Administration) Act 1992. The charge is made up of the super guarantee that’s owed, interest on the outstanding amount and an administration fee. Paying super on time also means you can claim the payments as a tax deduction. and avoid late penalties.
Five steps to managing super payments
Frequently asked questions
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What if my circumstances change and I don’t need to pay super?
There are a number of reasons you no longer need to pay super for an individual staff member or group. It may be that your worker are seasonal or no longer work for you. Whatever the reason, keeping AustralianSuper informed is always a good thing so we don’t expect the payment to come in and believe you have fallen into arrears. Here are some common circumstances and what to do:
When employees leave your business, or have irregular works patterns (casuals and seasonal workers for example), email us with the relevant details. This may include termination dates for employees who have left. Or, let us know if your employees are casual or seasonal and aren't entitled to super payments for a period of time.
You don’t need to make any contributions for the period in question – Let us know by submitting a nil contribution advice form
You’ve recently changed ABN or your businesses has multiple entities - Email us to let us know if one of these entities is now making payments under this employer number or if employees are being paid under a new ABN so we can update our records.
Your business has ceased trading - Email us to notify us of the date your business ceased trading.
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What is super stapling and where can I find more information?
Starting from 1 November 2021, the government’s super stapling measure means working Australians will be attached to one super fund for life unless they choose otherwise. Employers need to request a new starter’s ‘stapled fund’ details from the ATO if they if they don’t nominate a fund for their super contributions.
