Payment dates
Your superannuation contributions (employer based and salary sacrifice) need to be made at least once every quarter. The legislated cut-off date for contributions is 28 days after the end of the quarter (eg: pay by the 28th of October for the July to September quarter, see grid below).
If you deduct personal contributions from an employee’s wages, those monies must be paid monthly into their fund, no later than the 28th day of the following month (eg: deductions made for the period of July to be paid by 28th August, etc.).
Under Income Tax laws, you will need to make contributions in the financial year that you want to claim a deduction. You will need to pay by 30th June to claim for that tax year. Superannuation paid after 30 June but before the 28 July due date can be claimed as a deduction in the next financial year.
If you fail to make adequate payments by the contributions cut-off date you are required to lodge a Superannuation Guarantee statement and pay the Superannuation Guarantee Charge to the Australian Taxation Office (ATO).
|
Quarter |
SG Contributions due date |
Due date for the Superannuation |
|---|---|---|
| 1 July – 30 September | 28 October | 14 November |
| 1 October – 31 December | 28 January | 14 February |
| 1 January – 31 March | 28 April | 14 May |
| 1 April – 30 June | 28 July | 14 August |
Superannuation Guarantee Charge & other penalties
The Superannuation Guarantee Charge is a penalty that applies if you do not meet your Superannuation Guarantee obligations. This penalty applies if:
- Superannuation Guarantee contributions are not made by the quarterly due dates,
- you do not offer Choice of Fund to eligible employees within 28 days of their employment commencement, or
- you have not contributed to an employee’s chosen fund within two months of them making a Choice of Fund
Unlike timely paid superannuation contributions, there is no tax deduction available for any component of the Superannuation Guarantee Charge.
The Superannuation Guarantee Charge is made up of the amount of superannuation you underpaid by (known as the shortfall), nominal interest of 10% and an administration fee of $20. It must be paid for each employee with a shortfall. The interest component will be calculated on your quarterly shortfall amount from the first day of the quarter to the date when the Superannuation Guarantee Charge would be payable.
If you do not meet your Superannuation Guarantee obligations a number of other penalties can be imposed, please contact the ATO directly on 13 10 20 for further details.
