From 1 July 2026, PayDay Super will fundamentally change how Australian employers manage superannuation. Contributions will need to be paid on payday, rather than quarterly.
While every employer will feel the impact, staffing, labour-hire and recruitment agencies with temp and contingent workforces are exposed to significantly more complexity and risk.
For agencies managing high volumes of workers, frequent pay cycles and tight margins, PayDay Super is not a simple timing adjustment; it's a test of whether their payroll systems, processes and data are genuinely built for scale.
Before PayDay Super, payroll for temp and contingent workforces already involves:
Weekly or fortnightly pay runs
Variable hours, shifts, loadings and awards
High workforce churn with constant starters and leavers
Multiple client cost centres and billing arrangements
Minimal tolerance for payroll errors
PayDay Super doesn’t replace these challenges; it amplifies them.
Under PayDay Super, superannuation must be:
Calculated every pay cycle, and
Received by the employee’s super fund within seven business days of payday
For agencies running weekly payrolls, that can mean 50+ compliance checkpoints every year.
In high-volume environments, even small delays caused by manual processing, clearing house lag or system limitations can quickly result in non-compliance.
This is where generic payroll systems start to struggle.
Why it matters for agencies
Manual workarounds increase risk
Errors compound faster at scale
There is little to no room to “fix it later”
Platforms like Entire OnHire, designed specifically for staffing and labour-hire models, are built to handle high-frequency payroll without relying on manual intervention.
Temp and contingent workforces are highly mobile. Workers move between roles, clients and assignments constantly.
Under PayDay Super, data accuracy becomes critical on every pay run, including:
Super fund details
Unique Superannuation Identifiers (USIs)
Tax File Numbers (TFNs)
Earnings classifications
Previously, errors might surface quarterly. Now, they surface immediately and delays can lead directly to compliance breaches.
What this means for agencies
Incomplete or incorrect data creates instant risk
Manual data checks don’t scale
Payroll teams face increased administrative load
Payroll platforms purpose-built for staffing help reduce this risk through data validation, error flagging and centralised workforce records.
Many employers currently rely on clearing houses designed for monthly or quarterly payment cycles.
Under PayDay Super:
Payments must arrive within a strict timeframe
Processing delays still leave the employer liable
High-volume agencies feel the impact first
For labour-hire businesses processing hundreds or thousands of pays per week, clearing house performance becomes a critical dependency.
The key risk
Even if payroll is processed correctly, delays downstream can still result in non-compliance.
This is why integrated payroll and payment workflows are becoming increasingly important for staffing agencies preparing for PayDay Super.
PayDay Super removes the gap between:
Paying wages, and
Paying superannuation
For staffing agencies operating on tight margins, this has real implications for cash flow management and forecasting.
Without real-time visibility into payroll costs and super liabilities:
Cash flow pressure increases
Billing delays become more painful
Margin erosion becomes harder to spot
Payroll systems need to support agencies with clear, real-time insights, not just end-of-period reports.
For contingent workers, pay accuracy is a key driver of trust.
Under PayDay Super:
Super payments become visible more frequently
Errors are noticed sooner
Delays directly impact worker confidence
For agencies competing for talent, payroll reliability becomes part of the candidate experience.
Accurate, timely payroll supports:
Stronger worker relationships
Higher redeployment rates
Reduced disputes and administration
Payroll is no longer just back-office infrastructure; it's part of how agencies build and maintain trust.
PayDay Super will expose the difference between:
Systems designed for generic payroll, and
Platforms built specifically for staffing and labour-hire complexity
Bolt-on solutions and manual processes increase risk as payroll frequency and volume increase.
By contrast, platforms like Entire OnHire are designed to support:
High-volume, high-frequency payroll
Complex workforce models
Integrated compliance and reporting
As PayDay Super comes into effect, system maturity will become a competitive divider.
With PayDay Super commencing on 1 July 2026, agencies have a window to prepare but agency software isn't implemented overnight; the sooner you start the transition, the safer.
Practical steps include:
Reviewing payroll system capability
Testing clearing house timelines
Validating workforce data
Assessing cash flow impacts
Running PayDay Super readiness checks
For agencies managing temp and contingent workforces, PayDay Super is a major regulatory change.
It’s a signal that:
Payroll accuracy matters more
System reliability matters more
Operational maturity matters more
Agencies that invest early in the right payroll foundations will be better positioned to manage risk, protect margins and support growth in a more regulated environment. If you're in the market for a new software solution for your staffing agency, book in a discovery call to see how Entire OnHire can provide peace of mind through this transitional phase and beyond.