Payday super in foundU

Payday Super has changed both how and when employers pay employees' Super Guarantee (SG). As of 1 July, 2026, employers must pay super on payday (referred to as QE day), at the same time as salary and wages.

Previously, super could be batched monthly or quarterly. Under the new rules, super must be paid with each pay run, batched by ABN and payment date (QE Day), and received by the employee’s super fund within 7 business days (with limited exceptions).

Key facts about Payday Super:

• Started 1 July 2026 and is mandatory for all employers
• Super must be paid every payday, not monthly or quarterly
• Contributions must be received by the employee’s fund within 7 business days of the payslip payment date
• The ATO now has near real-time visibility of compliance
• Reduced tolerance for late or delayed super payments
• This is a cash flow change for many businesses, so forward planning is important. If you haven't reviewed your cash flow position for this yet, now is the time.

  Please note: This reform applies to all foundU platforms that use our Pay feature. If you are a No Pay platform that pays externally to foundU, the responsibility will sit with your external payroll provider. Payday Super does not apply in New Zealand, and therefore, these platforms will not receive any related changes.

Payday as arrived as of July 1st, 2026, and we want to support you in making sure you're fully set! Register to watch our on-demand Payday Super webinar with foundU and Citation Legal.

How does Payday Super affect you?

Payday Super has changed when and how often super is paid, moving from larger, infrequent payments to contributions made with every pay run. This means faster processing, quicker error correction, and greater transparency. 

The table below compares how super worked previously versus how it works now that the Payday Super reform has taken effect from 1 July 2026, highlighting key shifts in timing, reporting, and compliance.

  For more information about Payday Super and the key changes dictated by the ATO, check out the ATO's main Payday Super resource.

In short, Payday Super is now in effect, so super must be paid every payday rather than monthly or quarterly, received by employees' funds within 7 business days, and the ATO now has near real-time visibility of compliance. 

  Please note: If your business hasn't fully transitioned to this new cadence, please prioritise it now, as the ATO's tolerance for late or missed payments is significantly reduced under the new rules.

As of 1 July, all of the platform updates below to support Payday Super are now live. This page outlines what has changed in foundU so you can confirm everything is set up correctly.

As you read on, refer to the next section, 'Key actions and timeline of events', for guidance on what you still need to check off now that the reform is in effect.

Here is what's changed in foundU: 

• SSID (Software Subscription ID) registration 
  • This is a new ATO security requirement - a unique Software Subscription ID is generated per ABN. 
  • You'll need to register each SSID for your platform in the ATO Access Manager portal if you haven't already. This should now be complete; if not, your STP packets will fail until it is.
• In-platform super stapling partner integrated through (Flare) 
  • Authorising Flare in the ATO Access Manager will enable automatic stapled fund lookups — so the correct super fund is identified for each new employee during onboarding, without manual intervention.
  • This process is also done through the ATO Access Manager and should already be completed as of 1 July, 2026.
• We've updated our onboarding flow to support more accurate super fund lookups
  • Employees' TFN is now collected prior to superannuation selection.
  • New super stapling (via our inbuilt partnership with Flare) now surfaces any existing funds for that employee during onboarding. 
  • Beam Member Verification now validates an employee's super details before payment for those platforms that use our Beam integration.
• QE (Qualifying Earnings) reporting to the ATO
  • Qualifying earnings (QE) is a new term for the types of payments you make to employees that are used to calculate the super guarantee (SG) under Payday Super.
  • All wages, leave types (including system TOIL/RDO), pay items, allowances and ETP components have been mapped to determine whether they are considered QE.
  • From 1 July, QE data is now being reported to the ATO through STP
  • foundU has automatically mapped your existing pay items, allowances, and leave types, so no manual action is required, unless you create new items from 20 April onwards.
  • QE mapping is visible for pay items and allowances in the Pay Item and Allowance Schedule.
  • QE now appears in STP submissions, your STP report, and employee year-to-date (YTD) earnings.
• New “QE Day” super batching 
  • As of 1 July, superannuation is now automatically batched by payslip payment date and ABN. 
  • Standard batches are due within 7 business days to the employee's super fund. 
  • All platforms have now been auto-migrated to this process as of 1 July. If you opted in early, no further action is needed.
• Employee Super Guarantee (SG) changes
  • As of 1 July, the Employee Super Guarantee can no longer be set below 12%.
    • Employees who were set below 12% have now been migrated to 12% by default.
    • Employees who are set at higher than 12% will not be changed.
    • Employees will only be able to have their Super Guarantee set to 0% if they have a valid exemption certificate on their profile.
• The Maximum Super Contributions Base (Super Cap) moves to annual calculation. 
  • A new SG Exemption Certificate feature covers high-earner edge cases.
  • You can now record the start date and upload the relevant exemption certificate, with the system automatically managing the application and expiry (which will always align with the end of the financial year).
  • Following expiry of an exemption certificate, Super Guarantee (SG) will automatically revert to 12%, with a full history retained for audit purposes.
• Minimum Super Setting 
  • This is now calculated per pay period (not per payslip). 
  • The system pays either the SG rate or the minimum super, whichever is greater.

Here's what you need to have locked in now that Payday Super is live from 1 July, 2026. We've marked what's already actionable and flagged anything you still need to close out immediately to stay compliant.

1. Train your payroll team on the changes - should already be actioned
   • Share this guide with them to be across platform changes
   • Review the ATO's Payday Super information
2. Register your SSID with the ATO Access Manager - action required immediately
   • Deadline to action: This should already be complete as of 1 July, 2026
   • Time to implement: 5 minutes per ABN
     •   Guide to action here.
3. Authorise Flare as your super stapler in your ATO Access Manager - action required immediately
   • Deadline to action: This should already be complete as of 1 July, 2026
   • Time to implement: 5 minutes 
     • Guide to action - See our section below in this guide.
4. Pay super on the QE Day in line with employee wages - action required each pay period after 1 July
   • Deadline to action: 1 July has now arrived. Platforms that haven't opted in have now been automatically migrated. We still recommend confirming your settings today to make sure the new process is running as expected.
   • Time to implement: Pay your super on the same day your process pays for employees
     •   Guide to paying superannuation here.
5. Review employees set to 0% Super guarantee - action required immediately
   • Deadline to action:  This should already be complete as of 1 July, 2026
   • Time to implement: If this has been set for super-cap reasons, the new annual Max Super Contributions Base handles it automatically. Review and move these employees to 12% now if you haven't already. Anyone still below 12% has now been auto-migrated by foundU, but it's worth checking this has applied correctly.
     •   Guide to locate employees' SG.
6. Let your employees know about the changes -  should already be actioned
   • Their super will now be paid every pay cycle and should arrive in their fund sooner. If you haven't already told your team, do so now, and ask them to check that their super fund details are up to date and correct.
     •   ATO's suggestions to tell employees
7. Review external clearing house procedures (if applicable) - action required immediately
   • If you use a clearing house outside of foundU, review your process to ensure that superannuation is received by the employees' funds within 7 business days of each payment date. 
   • Deadline to action: This should already be complete as of 1 July, 2026

With Payday Super now in effect, it's important that all of the above are complete. These aren't optional setup steps anymore; they're compliance requirements. If anything above isn't ticked off yet, please prioritise it today.

  Hot tip: We strongly recommend using foundU’s built-in clearing house via Beam to keep the full superannuation workflow compliant in one place.

With Payday Super now in effect from 1 July 2026, super payment timelines have tightened significantly. There is no longer room for the manual processes that have worked in the past. To keep your employee onboarding running smoothly and ensure super is paid correctly and on time, foundU automatically performs a stapled fund lookup for each new employee you onboard.

To make this happen seamlessly, you need to authorise Flare, our super stapling partner, to perform these lookups on your behalf. This is done through the ATO Access Manager and should already be complete as of 1 July. If you haven't done this yet, please action it immediately.

To authorise Flare within the ATO Access Manager:

1. Your business's Principal Authority or Authorised Administrator will need to log in to ATO Access Manager.
2. Within the Access Manager, navigate to the ‘Who has access to my business’ section.
3. Locate the blue banner, then select ‘Appoint new business’ within it. 
4. Enter 46 607 120 892 in the ABN search box. This is the ABN for Flare HR Pty LTD, not your business ABN.

5. You’ll then be redirected to the page below.

   

6. Scroll down and grant the required permissions (Employee commencement form) so Flare can request your stapled super fund details on your behalf. (See the blue ticks in the image for clarity.)

   

  Tip: You'll need to repeat this process per paying entity. Once logged in to the ATO Access Manager, the whole process will take about 5 minutes. 

Don't have access to ATO Access Manager? 

You'll need to be the Principal Authority or Authorised Administrator in RAM (Resource Authorisation Manager) with full access to the ATO. If that's not you, pass these instructions to your business owner, finance team, or payroll team.

  Please note: If your business doesn't authorise Flare, stapled fund lookups won't be available for your business, and your employee onboarding experience will revert to a more manual process.

Our business doesn't process payroll in foundU. Instead, we do this in external software. Will these changes still apply?

Yes! Payday Super requirements still apply regardless of where payroll is processed. 

If you use an external payroll system, you’ll need to ensure it supports the new requirements, including Qualifying Earnings (QE) reporting and timely Super Guarantee (SG) payments in line with Payday Super legislation.

Do I need to take any action to enable Qualifying Earnings (QE) mapping?

No, foundU has automatically mapped all existing pay items, allowances, and leave types. You’ll only need to review QE mapping when creating new items from 20 April, 2026 onwards.

What is super stapling?

Super stapling is a requirement that ensures an employee’s superannuation fund stays with them when they change jobs. Instead of being automatically assigned a new default fund by each employer, the employee is “stapled” to their existing super fund.

When a new employee starts, employers must check with the ATO to see if the employee has a stapled fund. If they do, contributions must be paid into that fund, unless the employee chooses a different fund.

This helps employees keep their super in one place, reducing the need for multiple accounts and avoiding unnecessary fees.

Automatic stapling lookup during onboarding for all new employees is now live in foundU as of 1 July. To access this free, built-in super stapling integration, you simply need to register with Flare.

Do negative super batches generate from adjusted payslips?

Yes, negative super batches can occur when adjustments are made to generated payslips. A process for handling negative super batches (with auto-merging) has been released as part of Payday Super. 

See more information in our main Pay superannuation guide.

How do Payday Super deadlines affect back pay in foundU?

Super contributions must be received in the employee’s super fund within 7 business days of the payslip payment date.

This means that if a payslip is created for back pay (including new payslips or adjustments in foundU), the superannuation linked to that payment must still be processed within 7 business days of the payslip payment date.

If an employee has not provided the correct super information, can I pay into the default super fund instead?

From 1 July, super funds are no longer required to allocate or return contributions within 20 business days; instead, this must now be completed within three business days.

Combined with MVR checks via our Beam integration and verification of super details before payment, this should help prevent late payments. However, if issues do occur, you can contact the ATO for advice.

What happens if the bounce back from super funds is delayed?

Super funds are now required to bounce back contributions within three business days.

However, if a bounce back does occur, the seven-day processing window still applies.

What if we go over the concessional contribution cap with extra super payments each year?

foundU has a Maximum Contributions Base (MCB) feature which automatically caps SG contributions once an employee has reached the limit, in line with Payday Super requirements, which are now annualised.

Are there any changes to STP reporting processes?

From 1 July, Qualifying Earnings (QE) is now being reported through STP. However, the actual process of reporting STP via foundU has not changed.

How do we verify current employee super accounts to fix errors?

If you are already paying employees, those super accounts will have been verified.

Member verification requests are also now in place, so any new employees (or those making changes to their super account) will be checked if you are registered with and using Beam.