When you need to pay super
When do I need to pay my employees' super contributions?
You are required by law to pay your employees' Super Guarantee (SG) contributions at least quarterly. You must make each payment by the following deadlines:
| Quarter | SG tax deductibility deadline | Due date for lodgement of an SG |
|---|---|---|
| 1 July–30 September | 28 October | 28 November |
| 1 October–31 December | 28 January | 28 February |
| 1 January –31 March | 28 April | 28 May |
| 1 April–30 June | 28 July | 28 August |
When do I need to pay super for new employees?
You can pay super contributions for new employees in accordance with the due dates above, however if you do not pay the employee's first super payment within 120 days, they may not receive automatic default insurance cover. This could result in possible claims against your business by the employee.
When do I need to pay salary sacrifice contributions?
Salary sacrifice payments must be paid in accordance with the standard dates for super contributions listed above.
Learn more about salary sacrifice contributions
When do I need to pay payroll deductions?
Voluntary after-tax deductions from an employee's take-home pay must be paid within 28 days of the deduction being made.
Note that Media Super is unable to receive payroll deduction payments for members who have not provided their tax file number (TFN).
Learn more about payroll deductions
What happens if I am late in paying my employees' super?
If you fail to meet the SG tax deductibility deadline, you must provide a SG statement in the following month, and pay a SG Charge to the Australian Taxation Office (ATO).
The SG charge is a non-tax deductible payment, and is made up of:
- the SG shortfall
- 10%p.a. interest (calculated on a daily compounding basis)
- a $20 administration fee per quarter per member.
Payments made to Media Super after the SG tax deductibility guideline do not reduce your liability for the SG Charge, and the Charge must still be paid to the ATO.
If you pay your SG contributions after the quarterly deadline but before your original assessment for that quarter is made, you can use those SG contributions to reduce the amount of SG Charge you must pay. You can only use late contributions to offset the interest and SG shortfall components of the SG Charge. You cannot use late contributions to offset the administrative fee or any other penalties you are facing.
You can elect to offset your SG Charge using late contributions in the first statement for the quarter, or within four years of the employer's original assessment for the quarter.
If you choose to offset your SG charge through late contributions, then:
- the late payment will not be tax deductible for income tax purposes
- the late contribution cannot be used as a pre-payment for current or future periods
- you cannot later revoke the decision to use the offset.
You can make an application to do this by completing the Superannuation Guarantee Charge Statement form on the ATO website.