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Payday Super is Coming: What Small Business Owners Must Do to Stay Compliant in 2026

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As an accountant who works closely with small and medium-sized businesses every day, I understand how challenging it can be to keep up with changing legislation — especially when it comes to payroll and superannuation compliance. And now, there’s another big change on the horizon: Payday Super.

The Australian Government recently confirmed that, starting from 1 July 2026, employers will need to pay their employees’ super at the same time as wages. This change is being introduced to close the multi-billion dollar unpaid super gap and ensure employees receive their super entitlements promptly.

But for many small businesses, this shift is more than just a compliance tweak — it could mean major changes to how you manage your cash flow, payroll systems, and reporting processes.

What Is Payday Super and Why Is It Changing?

Right now, most businesses pay super guarantee (SG) contributions on a quarterly basis. For many of our clients, this works well — it’s predictable, easier to manage cash flow, and allows time to catch and fix errors.

But from 1 July 2026, that will change. The new system will require employers to pay SG on or before payday. The rationale behind this is understandable: the ATO wants to crack down on unpaid super and ensure that employees aren’t missing out on their retirement savings.

While the intent is positive, the implementation will create added pressure on small businesses that aren’t well-equipped to handle frequent super payments.

What This Means for Small Business Employers

This change could have a significant impact on how your business operates:

  • Cash Flow Pressure: Instead of setting aside super for quarterly payments, you’ll need to have it ready for every single pay run.
  • Payroll Software Readiness: If you’re still using manual spreadsheets or outdated systems, they won’t cut it in the new world of real-time SG payments.
  • Admin & Compliance Burden: There’ll be a greater demand for accurate, timely processing.
  • ATO Penalties: The ATO will have greater visibility through STP, making it easier to detect errors or delays.

Quick Checklist:

  • Are you using up-to-date, cloud-based payroll software?
  • Do you regularly reconcile wages and super in real-time?
  • Do your admin or payroll staff know what the 2026 changes mean?
  • Have you reviewed your cash flow cycles to account for more frequent outflows?

How to Prepare Now (and Avoid Stress in 2026)

The good news is that there’s still time to prepare — but you don’t want to leave it until the last minute.

Here’s what I recommend as a proactive accountant working in this space every day:

  • Upgrade Your Payroll Software: Tools like Xero, MYOB, or QuickBooks can automate SG payments and integrate with STP.
  • Conduct a Payroll Health Check: Review how you’re managing payroll and identify gaps.
  • Review Your Cash Flow: Adjust your payroll calendar and budgeting to account for frequent payments.
  • Train Your Admin Team: Everyone involved in payroll should understand the new rules.
  • Get Expert Support: We specialise in helping small businesses stay compliant with less stress.

Our Perspective as Payroll & Super Experts

At our firm, we specialise in supporting small and medium businesses across a wide range of industries — and payroll compliance is one of our core strengths.

We know that many business owners don’t have the time or resources to deep-dive into legislative changes. That’s where we step in. From helping you modernise your systems to training your staff and ensuring you’re ATO-ready, our job is to make sure you stay compliant without adding stress to your plate.

📞 Book a Free Business Check-Up

Let’s review your payroll systems, assess your SG compliance, and help you plan for the transition to Payday Super — before it becomes a problem.

👉 Click here to book your free business check-up

Beginners Guide to Surviving Tax Season

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1. Bookkeeping

Whether business or personal, everyone should be doing this in some capacity. Tracking your income and expenses makes tax preparation and filing so much easier for you and your accountant. To file your taxes, your accountant needs an up-to-date balance sheet (businesses), an income statement, and a record of capital-asset activities for the year (buying, or selling of assets).

2. Receipts and records

Record keeping is the number one priority anyone should have regarding expenses. It doesn’t matter if you keep your receipts organised in a shoebox or online, your accountant will thank you.

Protip: Reduce the clutter by choosing software that allows you to upload and store your receipts.

3. More than just receipts

Sometimes a receipt just isn’t enough. I know, it hurts to hear but it’s the truth! Providing fuel receipts for the use of your personal car won’t cut it. You need more information to back your deduction. The most effective way is to create a log. Track your km’s based on business vs. personal. The ATO won’t accept deductions for personal use, so make sure you make it clear how far you drove for business reasons.

Protip: Driving to and from work is NOT deductible

4. Deductions

Business expenses must be ordinary (accepted within your trade) and necessary. It’s also important to separate personal and business expenses, capital expenses, and any expenses related to the selling of goods (cost of goods sold).

5. Tax strategy

Tax-deductible business expenses are a great way for small businesses to reduce their tax liability. This is especially helpful for companies that are aggressively spending in order to expand. These reasons (and many more) are why tax strategies are so paramount for your business. This is why you need to choose a trustworthy and effective business advisor.

Whether you’re clambering to make your 2017 tax deadline or you’re just not sure what expenses you can deduct, you’ll need an accountant that understands your business and its year-long activities.

To speak to someone who will happily get to know you and your business, call RA Business Advisors on 07 3367 0852 and speak about your tax woes today!

 

Make Technology work for you

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Your small business

Running a small business seems great in theory; you’ve got the benefits of being your own boss, extra income, flexibility – the ‘Australian dream’.

When in reality you’ve got hours of administration work, constant pressure of cash flow, and endless hours working on the small minute financial details of you business. With revolutions in technology like the famous ‘cloud’, how come you still have hours of bookkeeping, payroll and the like?

The cloud isn’t the be all end all

Great, you’ve setup your business and transitioned everything into the cloud. Have those hours of painstaking work dialled back? Or has it just gotten worse? The cloud isn’t user friendly and unless you’re prepared to take up another university degree or spend hours reading through multiple guidebooks on bookkeeping, payroll, and marketing. When you’ve got inventory, cash flow, supplies, and clients/customers to worry about, how can you spare the time?

The cloud, bookkeeping applications, payroll software won’t save you time, it’ll just increase your workload.

By now you’re thinking, why did I ever start this small business, will it ever succeed? Don’t worry; you don’t have to handle all of this paperwork on your own. Luckily, there is a major time-saving solution just one phone call away.

 

The truth about the digital age

Going digital isn’t all that, sure it’s great in some aspects but sometimes you really need a human element. This isn’t new to the technological world either. Many major companies such as Apple and Spotify use ‘real human beings’ to create popular playlists.

Not to mention those little food apps like Foodora and Uber Eats that combine technology with real human beings. Would you trust a robot delivering your weekly order of Mexican? It doesn’t even begin with these guys, full stack businesses have been around since smart phones came into existence!

But this article isn’t about your food delivery needs, so let’s get back to the topic of your business. Apps won’t make your professional life easier like they do with your personal. You need a REAL solution; well don’t worry reader that’s where professionals come into play.

And by professionals I mean, accountants and business advisors. Don’t worry you won’t need to open a new tab and scour the internet for a business advisor that actually makes sense. We’ve got you covered!

 

Xero: The beginning of the end

Xero is definitely a life changer, as we’ve discussed before but it can also be a hassle if you don’t know what you’re doing. Small business owners enjoy using Xero as it makes accounting fun but in the long run some are making a mess of things. I mean, if you join a bookkeeping Facebook group, you’ll see what I mean.

Enter: a Xero-savvy business advisor with a free one hour training session. Now before you go rummaging around for your keys, you’ll need to book as everyone knows time is valuable.

 

What if I still can’t get it right?

You’ve gone through your free training session, maybe you’ve booked a few more but you still can’t quite get the hang of it? Lucky for you our tech-savvy advisors know Xero inside and out, so you don’t have to!

And here’s the absolute kicker; choosing a business advisor over a DIY can not only save you time but it’s less risky and less expensive than hiring an in-house bookkeeper. So if you aren’t up to the task of sorting out your payroll, taxes, accounts receivable, and accounts payable, then I advise you to give us a call or book a consultation.

 

7 Resolutions to a Better Business Year Ahead

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REPEAT AFTER ME…

I will manage my cash flow more effectively.

Before even attempting these resolutions having a steady cash flow is vital! A prominent study from the financial services company U.S. Bank found that 82% of start-ups and small businesses fail due to poor cash-flow management. Read on if you want to be an exception!

I will improve my digital presence.

Don’t let valuable customers slip through the cracks of a poor web presence. Even if your website and email marketing list is up to date, when was the last time you checked if you’re web-presence was mobile friendly? Have you tried your hand at social media? Now is the time!

I will invest in much needed technology/equipment.

Nothing stunts productivity, and frustrates employees more than being stuck in the dark ages when it comes to fast advancing technology. Slow internet speeds, clunky operating systems and inadequate tools can eat up valuable time. While it may feel like a big investment it’ll pay for itself in future time saving.

I will learn something new.

If the end of the year is quiet for you, build in reading time and supplementary training to refresh the skills of both you and your employees! Industry blogs, books, magazines, demo videos are just a few in the long list of resources at hand that will enable you to be on top of the trends in your industry.

I will strategise weekly.

It is easy to steer off track when you forget where the track is leading. Each week you should remind your team of their individual and collective goals for the week.

I will build a promotions Calendar.

Holidays such as Easter and Valentine’s Day may seem unnecessary but they are designed to be vital marketing opportunities for any business. So get your calendar out and use the appeal of these festivities to your advantage.

I will consider my Hiring needs.

Of course none of the above can be done without the commitment and dedication of loyal employees. While running on skeleton staff may seem cost effective short term, make sure you don’t take it too far leaving unnecessary strain on your current staff. Consider hiring casuals to alleviate some of the excess pressure at peak times.

Start Your Business The Right Way

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Starting your business the right wayThe decision to start a business is usually pretty exciting. It’s often someone’s dream finally coming to life. In these early stages it is quite easy to gloss over some aspects that aren’t particularly fun or money making in order to get things up and running.  However, whilst they aren’t money making they could very well be costly and as accountants, we hate to tell our clients that there could have been a better outcome if a few things were different.

The first big financial decision is the structure of the business. Quite often in the very beginning a Sole Trader is the preferred way to operate as setup costs are limited – quite often a popular set up for trades people or the like. However there are some advantages to structuring your business differently.

A big advantage of having a trust or company is the limited liability. This simply means that owners are not necessarily financially responsible for faults or accidents, as the business is a separate legal entity. In extreme cases of financial debt, there will be no access to the personal property or assets of the business owners if the business is carried out through a trust or company. Unlike a sole trader, who is personally liable for financial debts and damage claims made by customers.

Another advantage of operating under a trust or company is the ability to distribute profits amongst other beneficiaries or shareholders under certain circumstances. This is unlike operating as a sole trader, profit can only be income for the individual business owner.

So whilst there are important decisions to make, branding, business location, menus, pricing, staff etc, all the things that will attract your customers or clients, don’t forget about the things they won’t see. Those financial set up decisions will have a bearing on your bottom line and after all, why do the hard yards if you’re not getting the best financial outcome available. We may be tax accountants, but we love to see your business thriving and being proactively involved to help you grow.

How Cloud-Based Technology is Changing the Way Businesses Operate

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Gone are the days of office-based accounting software where your data is only accessible from one computer. The presence of the cloud-based technology means businesses are operating on-the-run with little time, or patience, to stop and smell the roses. Here are some interesting ways cloud computing technology is changing the way businesses operate:

1. Real-time updates
Cloud-based software takes care of all updates and upgrades, as well as sending real-time job and purchase data to employees, no matter their location. This allows for businesses to focus on the task at hand, instead of spending their time waiting for software to update.

2. Low operating costs
Due to the automatic updates there is a decrease in need for IT staff and equipment costs. Although cloud computing services do cost money, it is only a fraction of what it costs for onsite IT services.

3. Mobility
The cloud allows for data to be sent to employees in real-time, which allows them to work from home or across the world. This means that if Bob is sent a new job he is able to get the job information straight away and let his employer know if he can take it.

4. Security
It has been said before and I’ll say it again, the cloud is as safe as a bank. Because the information is stored in the cloud and not on a device itself, business data is always secure and accessible.

5. Customer demand
If you still think your business operates 9-5 then you are in for a shock! Customers are now expecting to communicate and interact with businesses 24/7, whether it be through email, marketing or online purchases. The cloud allows for customers to communicate with you, download or view files, and new information on your products at higher speeds giving them the clarity and satisfaction they need and leading you to increased sales.

6. No more data entry
Cloud-based software, such as Xero, allows you to automatically bring “live feeds” of your bank account and credit card statements into your accounting stream. Applications such as ReceiptBank and Hubdoc now automatically sync up with Xero and allow you to send your invoice data at the snap of a photo. Less data entry and more time to focus on growing your business.

Interested in learning more about how the cloud can help you grow your business? Give us a call today to talk to one of our small business experts.