Payday Super is now law and in force. Since 1 July 2026, Australian employers must pay superannuation at the same cadence as wages: contributions have to arrive in each employee’s super fund within 7 business days of payday, replacing the old quarterly deadline. Every employer of casual and shift workers is affected, and the more often you pay, the more often you now remit super.
What Payday Super actually requires
The reform was legislated in November 2025 through the Treasury Laws Amendment (Payday Superannuation) Act 2025 and the Superannuation Guarantee Charge Amendment Act 2025, and commenced on 1 July 2026. The core rule: when you pay ordinary time earnings, the matching super guarantee contribution (12% since 1 July 2025) must be received by the employee’s fund within 7 business days - not just sent. Miss it and the updated superannuation guarantee charge applies, with interest and additional charges designed to make late payment more expensive than on-time payment. Full details are on the ATO’s About Payday Super page and the ATO legislation summary; the Fair Work Ombudsman’s announcement covers the employer-facing basics.
For the first year (1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027) the ATO has published a risk-based transitional compliance approach (PCG 2026/1): employers who genuinely switch to payday-aligned super but have occasional processing hiccups are treated as low risk. That is a soft landing, not an exemption - the obligation itself applies now.
Why casual workforces are hit hardest
A salaried office pays monthly: twelve super events a year. A casual operation running weekly pay cycles now generates fifty-two - and if you pay different crews on different cycles, more still. Each event is a deadline, and each missed deadline is a superannuation guarantee charge exposure. High headcount turnover multiplies the surface area again: every new casual means fund details, stapled-fund checks, and a first contribution that lands on time. The businesses with the most flexible workforces carry the most Payday Super risk, purely as a function of pay frequency.
The cost and cash-flow shift
Quarterly super was, in effect, an interest-free float: wages went out weekly, super sat in your account for up to three months. That float is gone. Super now leaves with (or within days of) every pay run, which brings cash-flow planning forward and makes payroll processing itself the compliance control. Budget-wise nothing changed - it was always 12% - but timing-wise, casual-heavy employers feel it most.
How MyGig absorbs this for its clients
Workers on MyGig are employed by MyGig Workforce Pty Ltd, so Payday Super is our obligation, not yours. Our payroll runs daily - workers are paid the day after each shift - and super is processed with that same daily cadence to the worker’s fund (Hostplus by default), which is payday-aligned by construction: up to 365 contribution cycles a year instead of 4. You book shifts and pay one invoice; the 12% super, the 7-business-day clock, and the reporting sit with us. See how the Hostplus partnership works and our analysis of daily payday super.
Quick answers
Does Payday Super apply to casual employees?
Yes. Payday Super applies to superannuation guarantee contributions for all employees, including casuals. Every payday that includes ordinary time earnings starts a 7-business-day clock for the matching super contribution to reach the fund.
When did Payday Super start?
On 1 July 2026. The legislation passed Parliament in November 2025 and is now in force; the ATO is applying a transitional, risk-based compliance approach for the first year (PCG 2026/1).
What happens if super is paid late under Payday Super?
The updated superannuation guarantee charge applies: the shortfall plus interest and additional charges, calculated to make late payment cost more than paying on time. In 2026-27 the ATO treats genuinely transitioning employers with occasional late payments as low risk.
Can I still pay super quarterly?
No. The quarterly due dates no longer satisfy the obligation for earnings paid from 1 July 2026. Super must reach each fund within 7 business days of the payday it relates to.
Want to see what a fully compliant casual workforce costs with payroll, super, and Payday Super handled inside the platform? Run your own numbers in the savings calculator - it compares DIY, agency, and MyGig on current award rates.