Under the superannuation guarantee law you must pay super contributions for your eligible employees, at a minimum rate of 9% of their ordinary time earnings.

When to pay

You have to pay super for eligible employees from the first day you employ them. These super guarantee contributions have to be paid for each eligible employee to the correct super fund at least four times a year, by the quarterly cut-off dates shown in the following table.

When a cut-off date for payment falls on a Saturday, Sunday or public holiday, you can make the payment on the next working day after the cut-off date.

You can pay contributions more regularly than quarterly if you want to. For example, you can pay fortnightly or monthly, as long as the total super guarantee obligation of the quarter is paid by the quarterly cut-off date.

What you must do if you haven't met your super obligations

If you haven't met your super obligations as an employer, you have to lodge a Superannuation guarantee charge statement quarterly and pay a superannuation guarantee charge to ATO.

What circumastances mean ' you haven't met your super obligations '

• don't pay enough super contributions (at least 9% of ordinary time earnings) for your employee - this is called a super guarantee shortfall
• don't pay super contributions by the quarterly cut-off date for payment
• don't pay super to your employee's chosen super fund - this is called a choice liability.

What you must do

You'll have to:

• complete a superannuation guarantee charge statement - quarterly
• work out the amount of super guarantee charge to pay
• pay the super guarantee charge to ATO by the due date for the relevant quarter.

Due dates for payment

You must lodge your super guarantee charge statement and pay the super guarantee charge by the due dates set out in the table below.