ASFA, the Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia, states that until 1 July workers on quarterly super often noticed a missing payment four to six months after they earned it. Its data to the end of August shows super arriving far more often, with about 54 million super payments in that one month.
Payday Super requires employers to get super into the fund within seven business days of payday. At UNLESS Financial we believe it is good news for the workers it was built for as investing sooner adds a little to an accumulating balance and a missing payment can now show within weeks of payday. That gives a better chance the employer can still be asked and the money recovered.
If you are 55 or older, the change may impact your family more than your own super. ASFA chief executive Mary Delahunty said: "Younger Aussies, tradies, and hospo staff are among the workers most likely to miss out on super because of unpaid contributions." Many are children and grandchildren.
Payments have more than doubled, which shows timing has changed
ASFA is the industry body for super funds and supported the reform. The figures here are its own, and we could not check them against its underlying data. Its count of the payment messages employers send to funds shows about 54 million super payments in August, against an average of about 25 million a month in 2025-26.
That is a count of payments, so it tells us about timing and says nothing yet about dollars or people. A worker who moves from quarterly to fortnightly pay goes from about four payments a year to about 26.
ASFA's preliminary estimates have around 7 million workers moving from quarterly super to super paid with wages. It says small business employees are seeing the largest change. Whether fewer payments go missing is the next thing to measure.
Investing sooner adds a little, and catching problems early could add more
Take for example, Mia, a 25-year-old who earns $75,000 in a cafe. Her employer used to pay her 12% super, which is $9,000 a year, quarterly. Suppose she works to 67, her pay stays flat after inflation and her investments earn 4% a year after fees and inflation. Her super used to arrive about two months after she earned it and now arrives within about ten days of payday.
On those assumptions only, earlier investing adds roughly $5,000 to her balance after inflation. That is about half of one percent of the final total, before the 15% tax funds take from contributions. ASFA's own modelling lands in the same place, though the coverage we saw does not set out its assumptions.
The seven business day deadline works like a smoke alarm fitted in every pay run. It helps when someone hears it. The ATO estimates the super guarantee gap, the shortfall between what employers owed and what they paid, at about $6.2 billion for 2022-23. That is 6% of what was owed, and it predates the reform. ASFA says that under the old system, super could be lost for good if the business had collapsed by the time anyone noticed. Our article to what changed on 1 July 2026 sets out the rule itself.
Where the rule is harder to see, and how to check
Cash-in-hand work and sham contracting, where an employee is labelled a contractor, are still owed super by law. With no payslip or payroll record there is often nothing to compare. Contractors paid mainly for their labour can count as employees for super, while contractors running their own business generally are not covered. The deadline also cannot make a business pay once it has failed, and the ATO is the place to start.
In the first year, to 30 June 2027, the ATO will not apply compliance resources to employers who made a reasonable attempt to pay on each payday. Any late amount still has to be cleared promptly, and the deadline remains the law.
About two weeks after a payday, the fund's app or online account can be compared with the payslip. Funds can take a few business days to apply a payment, so a gap in the first week or so does not prove anything is missing. ASFA's advice, reported by SMS Magazine, is to talk to the employer first and then the ATO, which can be reached through myGov or on 13 10 20. It is worth passing on to a younger worker in the family.
Until the ATO publishes an estimate of the gap after the reform, the data will show how often super is paid. How often it goes missing will take longer to know.
Sources and further reading
Australian Taxation Office (ATO) | [Getting it right: compliance in the first year of Payday Super] (https://www.ato.gov.au/businesses-and-organisations/super-for-employers/missed-or-late-payday-super-payments/getting-it-right-compliance-in-the-first-year-of-payday-super) | 2026 | The risk-based compliance approach for 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027
Australian Taxation Office (ATO) | [Latest estimate and trends for the super guarantee gap] (https://www.ato.gov.au/about-ato/research-and-statistics/in-detail/tax-gap/q-z-tax-gaps/superannuation-guarantee-gap/latest-estimate-and-trends) | 2025 | The super guarantee gap of about $6.2 billion, 6% of what was owed, for 2022-23
Australian Taxation Office (ATO) | [Payment deadlines for Payday Super] (https://www.ato.gov.au/businesses-and-organisations/super-for-employers/payday-super/paying-super-on-payday/payment-deadlines-for-payday-super) | 2026 | The seven business day deadline for super to reach the fund after payday
Financial Standard | [Super payments doubled since July 1: ASFA] (https://www.financialstandard.com.au/news/super-payments-doubled-since-july-1-asfa-179814227) | 2026 | ASFA's August payment count, preliminary worker estimates, $5,000 modelling and Delahunty quotes
SMS Magazine | [Payday Super impact noticeable] (https://smsmagazine.com.au/news/2026/10/12/payday-super-impact-noticeable/) | 2026 | ASFA's analysis of contribution messages and its advice to talk to the employer first, then the ATO
