In this guide
Keeping up to date with government announcements and proposed changes to super is not easy. Until now, that is.
Here is a summary of the important, recently introduced or pending superannuation changes and proposals, all in one place.
Pay day super
Current law with effect from 1 July 2026.
The government has passed new laws that require employers to pay their employees’ super at the same time as their salary and wages, starting from 1 July 2026.
How super guarantee (SG) payments are calculated will also change from 1 July 2026, albeit these are only small changes. The new rules require SG payments to be calculated as 12% of qualifying earnings (QE).
QE is a new term, but it won’t affect the amount of super most employers are paying.
QE includes ordinary time earnings (OTE), salary-sacrifice contributions and other amounts that are currently included in an employee’s salary or wages for SG.
Employers that fail to make the required super payments to an employee’s super fund within seven days of their payday will be liable for the super guarantee charge (SGC) in addition to making catch-up SG payments. The SGC imposes additional amounts for notional earnings lost and an administrative charge to cover the cost ofenforcing these rules.
This measure was first announced in the 2023–24 Federal Budget.
Super on parental leave pay
Current law
Under this measure, which applies to parents with babies born or adopted on or after 1 July 2025, the government will pay superannuation guarantee (SG) on top of the government-funded Parental Leave Pay.
An annual lump sum super contribution, consisting of the SG amount and an interest component, will be made to the nominated super fund of the eligible recipient.
The first payments under this scheme will be made from July 2026 to eligible recipients who received parental payments during the prior financial year.
The SG rate will be 12%.
No application for payment is required as the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) will automatically assess entitlements. Once paid, these amounts will be assessed against the recipient’s concessional (tax-deductible) contributions cap.
Division 296 earnings tax on $3 million+ balances
Not law yet
Division 296 refers to the proposed new 15% tax on superannuation fund earnings for members with a balance above $3 million, and a further 15% tax on earnings generated on member balances above $10 million.
This proposed measure was initially slated to commence from 1 July 2025, however updated draft legislation has since moved the commencement date to 1 July 2026.
An updated bill, Superannuation (Building a Stronger and Fairer Super System) Imposition Bill 2026, was introduced into parliament in February 2026, however the government has not yet passed any new laws relating to this.
Changes to the SMSF residency rules
Not law yet
The May 2021 proposal to relax the residency requirements for SMSFs has not yet been finalised.
The proposed changes include:
- Extending the central management and control safe harbour test from two years to five years
- Removing the active member test altogether.
These measures would allow SMSF members to continue contributing to their super fund while temporarily working or studying overseas, ensuring a more level playing field with large APRA-regulated funds.
There has been no further progress made to legislate this reform.
Get more guides like this with a free account
better super and retirement decisions.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.