Super will soon need to be paid into your super account within seven business days of your regular pay, making it easier to check and grow your savings.
Summary
Almost half of all working Australians don’t check their super balance¹. But with Payday Super around the corner, and the ATO returning $1.1 billion in unpaid super to individual super accounts in 2024-25, there’s never been a better time to log in².
Most people notice when their pay goes into their bank account. And if the amount varies from what’s expected, questions are asked.
Your super deserves the same attention: it’s still part of your pay – just paid into a different account, for later. And for many working Australians, it’s about to get much easier to track.
Payday Super will make it easier to track and grow your super
Under new Payday Super rules, from 1 July 2026, employers will need to pay super at the same frequency as regular paydays – so that it’s received by the super fund generally within seven business days of the employee’s payday.
While some employers already pay super in line with regular pay cycles, many pay super on a quarterly basis, so the Payday Super rules will mean these employers will need to make super guarantee contributions more frequently.
Super paid at the same frequency as regular paydays is not only easier to track but compounds more effectively over time compared with quarterly payments.
For example, a 25 year old with an average super balance and average earnings for their age could expect to have $4,308 more in their super account at retirement if mandatory super guarantee (SG) payments were paid fortnightly instead of quarterly³.
How more frequent SG could mean more super at retirement
| Age | Super balance at retirement (quarterly SG) | Super balance at retirement (fortnightly SG) | Additional super at retirement |
| 25 | $556,150 | $560,458 | $4,308 |
| 35 | $596,015 | $599,404 | $3,389 |
| 45 | $502,520 | $504,303 | $1,783 |
| 55 | $393,445 | $393,804 | $359 |
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 Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) average and average earnings for that age³.
Why checking matters more than you might think
While many Australians rely on super in retirement, 44% don’t regularly check their super balance, Colonial First State research shows¹.
And although the vast majority of super is paid correctly, according to the Australian Taxation Office (ATO), mistakes can happen². Sometimes, super isn’t paid as it should be.
So if you’re not checking your balance, you could be missing out on money you’ve earned.
The ATO recently revealed that in the 2024-25 financial year, $1.1 billion in unpaid super was returned to nearly one million Australians’ super accounts².
The only way to know whether your super is being paid correctly and on time, so it can work hard for your future, is to check.
How to check your super has been paid correctly
The SG rate for compulsory employer super is 12% for the current financial year. That means your employer must pay the equivalent of 12% of your ordinary time earnings (OTE) into your super.
SG entitlements need to have been paid on at least a quarterly basis until 1 July 2026, when Payday Super comes into effect.
Ordinary time earnings are what an employee receives for their ordinary hours of work, including:
- commissions
- shift loading
- allowances and
From 1 July 2026, the amount of SG payable will be 12% of ‘qualifying earnings’ which for most employees is the same as ordinary time earnings.
The SG rate has increased gradually over time. However, the ATO provides a Super Guarantee estimator to make calculating entitlements easier.
Case study: How to estimate your super entitlements
Waleed earns $103,000 a year.
He was employed in his current role on 1 May 2024 on an annual salary of $100,000.
On 1 July 2025 his salary increased to $103,000.
On 1 September 2025 he received a 5% bonus for the 2024-25 financial year.
Prior to Payday Super, employers have until 28 days after the end of a quarter to pay SG entitlements, so in early February 2026 Waleed checks his SG entitlements were paid correctly to 31 December 2025.
Waleed’s estimated quarterly SG entitlements
| Quarter | SG rate | Ordinary time earnings | Estimated SG |
| 1 Apr 2024 – 30 Jun 2024 | 11.0% | $16,666 | $1,833.26 |
| 1 Jul 2024 – 30 Sep 2024 | 11.5% | $25,000 | $2,875.00 |
| 1 Oct 2024 – 31 Dec 2024 | 11.5% | $25,000 | $2,875.00 |
| 1 Jan 2025 – 31 Mar 2025 | 11.5% | $25,000 | $2,875.00 |
| 1 Apr 2025 – 30 Jun 2025 | 11.5% | $25,000 | $2,875.00 |
| 1 Jul 2025 – 30 Sep 2025 | 12.0% | $30,750 | $3,690.00 |
| 1 Oct 2025 – 31 Dec 2025 | 12.0% | $25,750 | $3,090.00 |
In this instance, Waleed finds his seven quarterly SG entitlements were paid accurately.
What to do if you believe you have unpaid super
If you believe a mistake has been made, talk to your employer in the first instance.
There are also ways to follow up super payments from employers past and present via the ATO’s super review and audit processes.
¹ Colonial First State research conducted with 1,993 Australians in December 2025.
² ATO returns over $1 billion in unpaid super to employees, Australian Taxation Office, published 8 December 2025.
³ Balance assumes retirement at age 65 and shown in today’s dollars (discounted by 3.7% pa). Starting super balance is equal to the average balance of member in relevant age range from APRA quarterly super statistics (September 2025). Salary starts at average weekly cash earnings for age bracket for May 2025 (ABS) and increases by 3.7% pa. Super Guarantee contributions are subject to 15% contributions tax and are paid at the end of the relevant quarter or fortnight. Super is assumed to earn 6.2% per annum, net of tax and fees.
Source: Colonial First State