Do you have unpaid super?
There are steps you can take if you think your employer isn’t paying your super, or isn’t paying you enough super.
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From 1 July 2026, the government’s payday super reforms came into effect.
This means employers are now required to pay employees’ superannuation guarantee entitlements at the same time as their wages. This might sound like a minor change, but it’s a big win for all Australian workers.
What does this change mean for you?
According to the Super Members Council, almost 9 million Australians will have their super paid sooner as a result of this reform1.
This means your contributions could benefit from compounding returns sooner. In fact, the Government estimated that a 25-year-old median income earner could be around $6,000 or 1.5 per cent better off at retirement due to receiving their super on pay day rather than quarterly.2
It also makes it easier to keep track of how much super you’re receiving.
Log in to your super account to see your employer contributions
It’s important to note that your super contributions may not appear in your account on your payday — like your wages or salary.
It can take up to 10 business days for your contributions to be allocated to your account, though most of the time it’s quicker than that. If you’ve recently changed jobs or switched super funds, your first payment can take a little longer — your employer has up to 20 business days to make a contribution.
Who will benefit?
While payday super is a win for all working Australians, it’s particularly important for those in lower-paid, casual and insecure jobs who are more likely to miss out when super is paid less frequently.
It will also help employers manage their cashflow and reduce super liability.
What's next?
We welcome this reform as an important step towards modernising Australia’s super system, helping to reduce the $5 billion in super that goes unpaid every year1.
And after the success of our advocacy to reform the low-income super tax offset (LISTO) payment, we’re now focused on future-proofing the law so it continues to work the way it was intended, ensuring lower-paid workers don’t pay more tax on their super than on their take-home pay.
1 Super Members Council, Workers and businesses deserve certainty on payday super laws, 25 February 2025.
2 Joint media release with The Hon Jim Chalmers MP, Treasurer and The Hon Stephen Jones MP, Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Financial Services, Introducing payday super, May 2024.
Payday Super FAQs
From 1 July 2026, employers pay super at the same time as wages — every payday, instead of once a quarter. Depending on how often you’re paid, you could see up to 52 employer super contributions a year:
- Monthly — 12 contributions
- Fortnightly — 26 contributions
- Weekly — 52 contributions.
Yes: how super is calculated is also changing.
From 1 July, super is based on Qualifying Earnings (QE) instead of Ordinary Time Earnings (OTE). QE is a broader measure that includes some bonuses and allowances that weren’t previously counted.
For most members the difference will be small, but if you receive bonuses or certain allowances, the amounts may look a little different.
If you have questions about how super is being calculated on a specific payment, your employer’s payroll team is the best place to start.
This is how it works:
- Your employer is required to pay your super at the same time as your wages or salary, and the contributions must be received by HESTA within 7 business days.
- HESTA then has up to 3 business days to allocate it to your account
- So it can take up to 10 business days to appear, though most of the time it’s quicker than that.
If you’ve recently changed jobs or switched super funds:
- your first payment can take a little longer — your employer has up to 20 business days to make a contribution.
Note: contributions show in your account with the date HESTA received the payment, not when it was allocated — so the timing on your statement will always line up.
With contributions coming through every payday, any mismatch between the details your employer has on file and the details HESTA holds can cause a delay — and you’ll notice it much sooner than under the old quarterly system.
The details that matter most are:
- Tax file number (TFN) — without it, additional tax may apply and some contribution types can’t be accepted.
- Full name, including middle names — a name mismatch can hold up a contribution while it’s sorted out.
- Date of birth — used to confirm a contribution goes to the right person.
You can check and update most details in your HESTA online account, including:
- address
- phone number
- tax file number (TFN), and
- your married name.
You can check your contributions anytime in your online account.
If something doesn’t look right, start by raising it with your employer.
If you can’t get it resolved, the ATO has a dedicated process for reporting unpaid super and will follow up with employers on your behalf.
Potentially, yes — in a good way.
Because your super arrives more often, it has more time in your account to potentially earn investment returns. Over a long career, that can add up.
If you’d like to understand what this could mean for your situation, the HESTA advice team can help.
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