Super for Under 18s
In July 2026, Labor promised super for under 18s. But what even is super, and why should you care?
Superannuation or super is money your employer puts aside while you work to help pay for your retirement in the future. The super guarantee currently sits at 12%, meaning that the employer must pay 12% on top of your wages to your super account.
Right now, workers under 18 only get super if they work more than 30 hours a week for the same employer. This means many young workers, including those in retail, fast food and warehousing, miss out on super even though they’re doing the same work as older employees.
Research with workers aged 16-35 found that many young people don’t know about this rule or understand how it affects them. It also showed that once they learn about it, they think it’s unfair and want it changed.
Why is there no super for under 18s?
This rule is a leftover from the 1990s, when small super payments were too expensive to process. Today, super is paid electronically with your wages, so that reason no longer applies.
SDA members in Parliament advocating for Super for Under 18s
In 1992, employers paid only 3% super and usually sent payments by cheque. A full-time adult retail/ fast food worker earning about $8.50 an hour generated roughly $125 in super every three months.
A junior casual in retail or fast food earning about $5.30 an hour and working 3 hours a week earned about $15.90 a week. Their super was only 48 cents a week, or about $6.20 every three months. Cheque fees and administration could take up much of this small payment, so junior workers were excluded unless they worked enough hours.
But things have changed. Super is now 12%, payments are electronic, and since 1 July 2026 employers have been required to pay super with each pay cycle rather than quarterly.
Under the 2026 Retail or Fast Food Award wages, a 16-year-old Level 1 casual earns $17.39 an hour. If they work 3 hours in a week, they earn $52.17 and generate $6.26 in super for that pay. In three months, this will be extra $81.39 in their super.
A 17-year-old Level 1 casual in retail or fast food earns $20.87 an hour. If they work three 3-hour shifts in a week, they earn $187.83 and generate $22.54 in super for that pay. In three months time they will have $293 more in their super.
In the long run (and super is the long run) it’s thousands of dollars – Super Members Council estimates young Australian workers are losing $411 million a year in superannuation. Small super payments are no longer costly quarterly cheques. They are electronic payments that can be made with each pay, which is why the old exemption no longer makes sense.
Most young workers don’t know about this.
An external survey shows that 55% of young workers thought all under 18s got super. In externally run focus groups, participants were initially unaware of the gender super gap. Same survey found that half of young workers think the super guarantee should increase.
72% of young workers disagree that “my super balance is on track”.
From a 2020 Forethought® survey of more than 1,100 SDA members aged 16–35.
Super might feel like something you can worry about later, but the money paid into your account now has more time to grow. Understanding where your super goes and checking that you’re receiving it can make a real difference later in life.
Many young workers told us they rely on their super fund, family, friends and union for information. One participant explained:
“I feel like I’m relatively young, like I’m 20… I literally have no idea about super or where my super is going, or how much super I’m getting and I really need to start to learn about it because it’s so important.”
Another young worker explained why they trusted the system to look after their super:
“I think it’s good because, I would have no idea what to do with it… Somebody with more knowledge can hold onto it for me until I’m ready.”
If you’re under 18 and working fewer than 30 hours a week, you can miss out on super even though you work just as hard as older workers.
Young workers told us this was unfair.
One young woman described how she felt about women retiring with less super:
“Terrified and infuriated! As a woman I find that concerning myself and just generally I’m aware that middle age women are the most in trouble financially… so seeing that makes me feel like it’s just hopeless.”
An SDA member under 18 told us:
“I work just as hard as everyone else and am not getting the same benefits put towards my retirement. I can’t always work 30 hours per week as I have school. I don’t think that should mean I don’t get to start preparing for my future with a superannuation fund. I think we all should get paid equally to what age we are.”
Missing super while you’re under 18 can be the first of several setbacks. Over their working lives, women may also earn less because of the gender pay gap, work inconsistent hours or take time away from work. These setbacks can add up and leave women with less super when they retire.
Young workers wanted more action to close this gap. One focus group participant suggested:
“If there’s a payment from the government, like child support, maybe there could be a super payment added to that.”
If you’ve missed out on super, your experience matters. Fill in the form below and help the SDA campaign for every young worker to receive super on every dollar they earn.
What is the SDA doing to get super for under 18s?
For many years, the SDA Union has been campaigning to change the law so that workers under 18 get super on every dollar they earn, no matter how many hours they work.
As part of the Super on Every Dollar campaign, the SDA has
- taken young SDA members from retail & fast food to Parliament House to share their experiences directly with politicians
- made policy submissions calling on the Government to remove the 30-hour rule
- surveyed young workers and commissioned research to show how the rule affects them
- raised public awareness and worked with the super industry to build support for change.
The SDA Union will keep pushing until every worker receives super, regardless of their age or hours worked.