{"id":487804,"date":"2026-06-21T01:43:13","date_gmt":"2026-06-21T01:43:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/487804\/"},"modified":"2026-06-21T01:43:13","modified_gmt":"2026-06-21T01:43:13","slug":"payday-super-changes-how-the-federal-superannuation-reforms-will-improve-retirement-outcomes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/487804\/","title":{"rendered":"Payday super changes: How the federal superannuation reforms will improve retirement outcomes"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"sc-6112b1a1-15 llHEXf\">June 21, 2026 \u2014 5:00am<\/p>\n<p>Save<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-d1b14060-4 JmUoF\">You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n<p>Remove items from your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.smh.com.au\/goodfood\/saved\" class=\"sc-3f16ee48-12 sc-d1b14060-2 jyLmZI iQLtAb\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n<p>AAA<\/p>\n<p>Real Money, a free weekly newsletter giving expert tips on how to save, invest and make the most of your money, is sent every Sunday. You\u2019re reading an excerpt \u2013 <a class=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.smh.com.au\/newsletter-signup?newsletter=real-money&amp;utm_source=EditorialArticle&amp;utm_medium=ArticleText&amp;utm_campaign=newsletters\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">sign up to get the whole newsletter in your inbox.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>There are many topics I love covering in this column, and it\u2019s fun to sit down each week and work out what interesting things I can write about, or what quirks of our financial system to highlight. It\u2019s often varied, regularly eye-opening for me (and I hope you too), and all around a good time.<\/p>\n<p>And then there are some weeks where I feel a bit like a game show host, turning a big dial that says \u201chow good is superannuation\u201d to the right as the crowd (you) cheers raucously (quietly reads on your couch) behind me. This is one of those weeks.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Many workers are unaware of the impending changes to super payments.\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/979078b794146bddc8fdbe273ac65f65cfaa88a8.jpeg\"  class=\"sc-d34e428-1 ldCIuB\"\/>Many workers are unaware of the impending changes to super payments.Aresna Villanueva<\/p>\n<p>But, in my defence, when you have one of the greatest retirement saving schemes in the world, there\u2019s plenty to be cheering about. Especially as, come July 1, it\u2019s about to get even better, if you can believe that.<\/p>\n<p>Next financial year marks the start of the government\u2019s long-awaited payday super changes, which, as the name suggests, means workers will start to be paid their super at the same time as they are paid their regular pay.<\/p>\n<p>Related Article<a href=\"https:\/\/www.smh.com.au\/money\/saving\/how-five-minutes-now-can-help-net-you-a-bigger-tax-refund-20260611-p605u0.html\" tabindex=\"-1\" class=\"sc-cba76dee-0 hdiTqm\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"real money image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/e4aa9f1829e322da72031b7c8854a6614763bc5492f856a91772d8830ae98093.jpeg\"  class=\"sc-d34e428-1 ioInpc\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Now, some of you might be thinking \u201cisn\u2019t that how it already works?\u201d And kind of. Currently, you do get 12 per cent of each pay apportioned to your super, but your employer only has to actually pay that amount into your super fund every quarter.<\/p>\n<p>What\u2019s the problem?<\/p>\n<p>Again, this might not sound like a huge deal, but it is. Being paid your super more frequently means the money enters your account sooner and has more time to compound. Plus it makes it easier to keep on top of your super and make sure you\u2019re being paid what you\u2019re owed.<\/p>\n<p>Despite there being plenty of net positives for employees, the broader awareness of these changes is pretty low. A survey from tax software provider MYOB found nearly 60 per cent of workers had no idea about the changes coming next month, with a third saying they hadn\u2019t heard of the reforms until they completed the survey.<\/p>\n<p>What you can do about it<\/p>\n<p>So with that in mind, here\u2019s all you need to know about the changes, and what they mean for you as a worker or business owner.<\/p>\n<p>For workers: Kim Owen Jones, general manager at MYOB, says for workers, there\u2019s not a lot you need to get across. \u201cThe biggest benefit for workers is that super becomes easier to see and track, which means people can keep a closer eye on whether contributions are being paid correctly and on time,\u201d she says. \u201cThat means it\u2019s worth checking your payslip and super account periodically, especially in the early stages of the transition.\u201dFor small business owners: Small and medium enterprise (SME) owners will have more to worry about, as you\u2019ll now have to pay super with every paycheck. \u201cFor many businesses, this means superannuation will become part of every payroll cycle rather than a quarterly administrative task,\u201d Owen Jones says. \u201cEmployers should review payroll systems, streamline approval processes and ensure cashflow planning aligns with more frequent super payments.\u201d The timing of the changeover may pose some issues, Owen Jones says, with some business owners likely facing a temporary overlap in July with their final quarterly super payment due at the same time as their first Payday Super contributions. \u201cSome contractors may be entitled to super if they are considered employees for the project at hand,\u201d she says.Could this mean you hit the cap? From July, the concessional (pre-tax) contribution cap will be $32,500, which covers super contributions made by your employer and any salary sacrificed contributions. With the new super laws coming into effect, there is a risk for some workers that they may exceed the cap in the 2026-27 financial year, says Sarah Blake, business advisory partner at William Buck. \u201cThe move to payday super may mean that an employee is receiving up to 15 months of contributions in the 2027 financial year, potentially pushing them over the concessional contribution cap,\u201d she says. This is because under the current laws, businesses will pay super for the June quarter in July, along with payday super. The government has said it will introduce amendments to prevent people from hitting their cap due to this technicality, Blake says, but the specifics are yet to be revealed. However, regardless of this, high earners and people who salary sacrifice are still at risk of hitting their caps under the new system, especially for anyone in careers where bonuses are regularly given out. If you think this might be a risk, there are some options available, Blake says. \u201cIf you have a total super balance under $500,000 as of June 30, you may be able to utilise your unused concessional contribution caps from the previous five years if you have not fully maximised your concessional contributions during this period,\u201d she says. \u201cThe carry forward concessional cap would allow you to potentially access unused contributions dating back to 2022.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Advice given in this article is general in nature and is not intended to influence readers\u2019 decisions about investing or financial products. They should always seek their own professional advice that takes into account their own personal circumstances before making any financial decisions.<\/p>\n<p>Save<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-d1b14060-4 JmUoF\">You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n<p>Remove items from your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.smh.com.au\/goodfood\/saved\" class=\"sc-3f16ee48-12 sc-d1b14060-2 jyLmZI iQLtAb\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Dominic Powell\" data-testid=\"author-avatar-image\" height=\"40\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/039a7f51412eb13b22d512a4202e9ea19156a9f3.png\"  width=\"40\" class=\"sc-9a01536c-0 libeSR\"\/><a class=\"sc-cba76dee-0 hdiTqm sc-b5b9fd03-2 jcGta-D\" href=\"https:\/\/www.smh.com.au\/by\/dominic-powell-h1gykg\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Dominic Powell<\/a> is the Money Editor for the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.Connect via <a class=\"sc-cba76dee-0 hdiTqm sc-b5b9fd03-5 czsZcI\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/domp?lang=en\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">X<\/a> or <a class=\"sc-cba76dee-0 hdiTqm sc-b5b9fd03-5 czsZcI\" href=\"https:\/\/www.smh.com.au\/money\/saving\/mailto:dominic.powell@theage.com.au\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">email<\/a>.From our partners<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"June 21, 2026 \u2014 5:00am Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":487805,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[138,246,111,139,69,244,245],"class_list":["post-487804","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-personal-finance","tag-business","tag-finance","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-personal-finance","tag-personalfinance"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/487804","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=487804"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/487804\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/487805"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=487804"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=487804"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=487804"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}