This year, a big change is coming to the way your super is paid.
From 1 July 2026, ‘Payday Super’ will come into effect. This means that, if you’re eligible for compulsory super contributions, your employer will have to pay them at the same time as they pay your wages or salary.
Up until this change, employers have only been required to pay compulsory super contributions quarterly. This means super payments are often out of sync with the payday cycle.
We know this is a common experience for members. According to the ABS, workers are most likely get their wages paid fortnightly, and around 92% of retail employers pay wages either weekly orfortnightly.
However, only around 4% of retail employers pay super contributions to Rest members weekly or fortnightly, with most paying super monthly.
The power of compounding returns
Payday Super will directly benefit countless members and workers in the retail,fastfood and warehousing sectors.
We estimate that many members,particularly younger members at the start of their working life, could be thousands of dollars better off at retirementthanks to this change.
If your super is paid into your account more frequently, it means there are also more opportunities to benefit from compounding. As money is added to your account it earns money through investment returns. These returns are reinvested and go on toearn their own returns, creating a snowballing effect.
This can be incredibly powerful. If we consider a member aged 20 with an average income of $36,000, we estimate they could be $8,400 better off at retirement if they are paid monthly instead of quarterly. Furthermore, they could be $10,600 better off if they are paid fortnightly instead of quarterly.
Making your super more visible
Payday Super will also make it easier to track your super contributions.
Because your super will be paid at the same time as your wages, you’ll know when to check your super account to make sure the payment has come through as expected.
This is particularly important if you’re a casual worker with your hours varying from week to week. We know members are more likely to be part-time or casual workers.
Payday Super is an exciting change that helps create a much fairer super system, and one that we believe will help so many Rest members be better off in retirement.
Footnotes
1 Pay cycle frequency and Proportion of reported pay cycle frequency by industry, Payroll Jobs methodology week ending 15 March 2025, Australian Bureau of Statistics, released 24 July 2025.
2 Rest analysis of Superannuation Guarantee contributions from 20,000 retail trade employers as at June 2023.
3 Rest modelling, assuming an annual starting income of $36,000,the member works full time and does not have broken work patterns, increasing 4% pa over 45 years to retirement at 65, an investment return of 7% pa and applicable current Rest fees.