As an employer, you are required by law to make contributions to superannuation on behalf of your employees.

To learn more about your payment obligations you can review the following topics:

• Frequency of Superannuation Guarantee (SG) contribution payments
• Your options regarding quarterly payment requests
• Paying employee personal (voluntary) contributions
• Paying contributions when membership information is incomplete

Frequency of Superannuation Guarantee (SG) contribution payments

When you become a participating AustralianSuper employer, you agree to submit contributions within 14 days of the end of the month for employees who are AustralianSuper members.

This includes member salary sacrifice (before-tax) contributions and contributions made from after-tax salary.

Contribution returns can be submitted:

• Electronically via an online form pre-populated with your employees' details through EmployerOnline
• Electronically via a payroll or excel spreadsheet file available via EmployerOnline
• On paper.

Quarterly payment requests

AustralianSuper allows participating employers to vary the frequency of making SG contributions from monthly to quarterly.  However, if your employees are covered by an award or employment agreement, it is your responsibility as an employer to see if your are able to vary the frequency of your SG payments.

You can download a copy of the Quarterly payment request form here.

The SG (Administration) Act 1992 (the Act) requires employers to make contributions on (at least) a quarterly basis or you will incur the SG charge.

The Act requires contributions to be made by the 28th business day following the end of each calendar quarter (that is, by 28 July, 28 October, 28 January and 28 April). See the table below for payment dates.

Failure to meet these deadlines means you have to pay the required amount, plus a penalty imposed by the Australian Tax Office (ATO) the following month. Employers joining AustralianSuper are encouraged to make payments monthly so they never have to worry about missing the SG deadline.

There is an annual limit of $50,000 pa at a concessional tax rate of 15%, that applies to before-tax contributions (SG and salary sacrifice amounts) made to super. Contributions above $50,000 are taxed at 46.5%. 

Members aged 50 years or over are entitled to a higher limit of $100,000 pa at the concessional tax rate until 1 July 2012, when the limit will revert to $50,000 pa regardless of age.

You can call the ATO on 13 10 20 if you require further help understanding SG legislation.

Paying employee personal (voluntary) contributions

The Superannuation Industry (Supervision) Act 1993, requires an employer to send an employee's personal (voluntary) contributions (from their after-tax salary) to the employee's superannuation fund, within 28 days of the end of the month in which the amount was deducted from the employee's pay.

For members who are below age 65, an annual limit of $150,000 pa (or $450,000 averaged over 3 years) applies to all voluntary (after tax) contributions made to super.

For members aged 65 to 74 years, an annual contributions limit of $150,000 will apply, provided you meet the Work Test. This Test requires that you work 40 hours in a 30-day consecutive period. Members aged 75 and above cannot contribute to superannuation. Contributions that exceed these limits will be taxed at a rate of 46.5%. 

Members who have not provided a Tax File Number to the Fund are unable to make voluntary contributions. 

Paying contributions when membership information is incomplete

If you are a participating AustralianSuper employer you do not have to wait until an employee or group of employees has completed and signed a Membership Application form before you can send contributions to AustralianSuper.

We can accept employer contributions for an employee or group of employees without having received individual Membership Application forms, if you can provide each employee's:

• Full name
• Date of birth
• Residential address; and
• Tax File Number 

You should provide this information for each employee with the first Contribution Advice, and send it to us after the employee becomes entitled to an employer superannuation contribution.

If we don't receive this information we can't open an individual account and will return to you any contributions you have sent for these employees. More information on contributions ...

Important note

Unless you hold an Australian Financial Services Licence (AFSL), or are an authorised representative of an organisation that holds an AFSL, you cannot recommend any financial products or give advice about any superannuation funds.

Breaches of the relevant legislation could expose employers to hefty fines and/or imprisonment.

Any person wanting advice about financial products should seek advice from an Australian Financial Services licensee or an authorised representative of a Licensee.