Employer tool · payday super

When is your super actually due?

Since 1 July 2026 super has to reach the fund within 7 business days of every payday, not quarterly. Business days here skip public holidays from every state at once, which is what catches people out. Put your payday in and get the exact date, with the days counted out so you can check the answer yourself.

Last updated 14 August 2026 · by Alien IT Solutions

Lost the ATO's free clearing house in the same change? See what to use now the SBSCH has closed, with the replacement options and their published costs compared.

Work out the deadline

The date the money has to be in the fund, not the date you send it.

Missed one? What it costs

An indicative estimate of the super guarantee charge for a single payday.

Payday

Qualifying earnings paid that day (dollars)

Super that did reach the fund on time (leave at 0 if none)

Which is this? A regular pay run The first contribution for a new employee or a new fund

Add dates and reductions (optional)

Date the fund actually received the late payment

Date the ATO made an assessment

This is the first ATO-initiated assessment since 1 July 2026 (uplift drops from 60 percent to 40 percent) The choice of fund rules were not followed

How this works, and how current it is

Under Payday Super a business day is any day that is not a Saturday, not a Sunday, and not a public holiday that applies to the whole of an Australian state or territory. It is a national rule. If a state-wide holiday falls anywhere in Australia, it is not a business day for every employer in the country. A Victorian holiday moves a Perth employer's deadline.

It runs the other way too. A holiday that applies to only part of a state, like the Royal Hobart Show or the Royal Queensland Show, is still a business day for Payday Super. So is a part-day holiday like Christmas Eve evening. A regional show day moves nobody's deadline, including the people who get the day off.

Every holiday this calculator counts

Holidays it deliberately does not count, and why

The calculators need JavaScript. The rules still hold without it: 7 business days from payday for a regular pay run, 20 business days for the first contribution to a new employee or fund, counted as whole days that are not weekends and not whole-of-state public holidays anywhere in Australia. Check the ATO payment deadlines page, or ask us.

Where this comes from

Every rule above is from a primary source, so you can check any of it rather than take our word for it:

ATO, payment deadlines for Payday Super, including the worked examples this calculator is tested against.
ATO, business days decoded, on what does and does not count as a business day.
ATO, the new super guarantee charge, on the four components of the charge.
ATO, general interest charge rates, the daily rate used to compound notional earnings.
Fair Work Ombudsman, public holidays, the state and territory lists behind the calendar.

Questions people ask

Is the deadline when I send the money, or when the fund receives it?

When the fund receives it. The ATO counts a contribution as on time only if it reaches the employee's super fund, with the information needed to allocate it to their account, within 7 business days after payday. Clearing house and bank processing time sits inside your 7 days, not on top of it.

Does a Melbourne Cup or WA Day holiday affect me if I am in another state?

Yes. Under Payday Super a business day is any day that is not a Saturday, not a Sunday, and not a public holiday applying to the whole of any Australian state or territory. If a state-wide holiday falls anywhere in Australia, it is not a business day for every employer nationally. A Victorian holiday moves a Perth employer's deadline.

Why does my local show day not move the deadline?

Because it applies to only part of a state. Regional holidays such as the Royal Hobart Show or the Royal Queensland Show are not whole-of-state holidays, so they still count as business days for Payday Super. Part-day holidays such as Christmas Eve evening are not whole days and do not count either.

What is different about the first contribution for a new employee?

The first contribution for a new employee or a new fund gets 20 business days instead of 7. That is a 13 business day difference, and it is an ordinary everyday situation rather than an edge case, so it is worth getting right the first time you hire someone.

What does it cost if super is late?

The super guarantee charge has four parts: the unpaid super itself, notional earnings which are interest compounded daily at the ATO general interest charge rate, an administrative uplift of 60 percent (reduced to 40 percent if it is the first ATO-initiated assessment since 1 July 2026), and choice loading if the choice of fund rules were not followed. The charge is tax deductible for paydays from 1 July 2026.

Is this financial or tax advice?

No. This is a calculator built on the ATO's published rules, and the estimate of a late payment is indicative only. It is not an ATO assessment and it is not tax advice. Anything you intend to act on should be checked with a registered BAS or tax agent.

Just hired your first employee?

Then you have 20 business days on that first contribution, and a payroll setup to get right. Biz in a Box sets up the website, business email, phone and invoicing as one job, so the admin is working before the deadlines start.

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