The Future is Now: Real-Time Payments Make Payday Super a Win for Australian Businesses and Workers. Zepto President and Co-founder, Chris Jewell, reports.
The passing of the Federal Government's Payday Superannuation Bill is not merely a change in administrative policy; it is a pivotal, landmark moment for Australia’s financial future. From 1 July 2026, employer businesses will be required to remit superannuation contributions at the same time as their employees' salary and wages, setting a mandatory seven-day window for payment settlement.
At Zepto, we don’t see this as a compliance hurdle—we see it as an incredible opportunity to modernise Australia's financial system and create a more equitable, transparent, and prosperous future for millions of workers. This reform demands speed, accuracy, and automation, and we are proud to lead the charge with the real-time payment technology built to deliver on this vision.
The Common-Sense Reform That Closes the Gap
For too long, inconsistent payment models for superannuation created unnecessary friction, administrative risk, and — most critically — a significant financial loss for Australian workers. The long lag time between pay cycle and contribution created an opportunity for underpayment and fraud, contributing to $3.4 billion in unpaid super in a single financial year (2019-20) according to ATO estimates.
The Payday Super reform is the common-sense solution. By linking contributions to each pay cycle, money hits employees’ superannuation fund accounts sooner, allowing it to compound for longer. This provides a measurable, long-term financial benefit to every Australian worker.
However, moving from a slow, legacy system to one defined by a strict seven-day deadline requires more than just a regulatory mandate; it requires a complete technological upgrade across the entire super contribution supply chain.
The Technology Driving Instant Compliance
The current, widespread payment method for corporate disbursements remains the Bulk Electronic Clearing House (BECS) system. While reliable, BECS can take up to three business days to finalise a money transfer. In a world defined by a seven-day deadline, these manual steps and silent delays create unacceptable risk, exposing businesses to potential penalties like the substantial 60% 'administrative uplift'.
This is why real-time account-to-account payments are not just nice-to-have—they are absolutely essential for Payday Super compliance.
At the infrastructure layer of the payments ecosystem, Zepto pioneered direct access to Australia’s real-time payments rails—the New Payments Platform (NPP)—specifically to solve these systemic problems. Our platform is purpose-built to handle the increased frequency and volume of payments that this reform introduces.
A Proven Capability: The Industry’s First Instant Payment
Zepto’s commitment to real-time superannuation is not new; it’s a proven capability we established long before the legislation was passed.
In 2023, Zepto partnered with OZEDI, Australasia's leading digital delivery company and a pioneer in the SuperStream network, to achieve a significant milestone: we successfully delivered Australia's first instant super fund payment using PayTo over the NPP.
This partnership demonstrated that the technology was not simply aspirational—it was fully functional and ready to scale. This collaboration immediately put an end to the "lumpy" cash flow issues and error loops caused by legacy systems, showcasing the instant payment capability and significant cash flow advantages that the NPP brings to businesses.
Zepto was the first fintech approved to connect directly to the NPP as a Connected Institution, and the first non-bank payments provider to enable superannuation payments using PayTo. Our early innovation with OZEDI provided the crucial proof of concept needed to tackle the Payday Super challenge on an industry-wide scale a full two years ahead of the new legislation.
Supporting the Payday Super Transition
Successfully transitioning hundreds of thousands of Australian businesses to Payday Super requires industry collaboration. No single entity can—or should—go it alone. The solution must be integrated, automated, and seamless.
One such solution is Employment Hero’s HeroClear which is enabled, in part, by the capabilities of both Zepto and OZEDI.
HeroClear is an embedded super clearing tool set to launch in Q1 2026 — a first-of-its-kind solution designed to protect Australian Small and Medium Businesses (SMBs) from the administrative risks and penalties associated with the new seven-day deadline.
By combining Employment Hero’s payroll innovation, Zepto’s real-time payment capability, and OZEDI’s trusted SuperStream Gateway, we aim to ensure superannuation contributions are processed instantly, accurately and in full compliance.
This automated, end-to-end workflow is essential, especially as the ATO’s Small Business Superannuation Clearing House (SBSCH) is set to close on 1 July 2026, requiring former users to migrate to a new system. HeroClear provides a ready, compliant, and superior destination.
At Zepto, we are passionate about enabling dynamic, data-rich payment flows that move beyond the limitations of traditional banking systems. By embedding our real-time solutions within payroll and superannuation payment platforms, we are leading the way for Australian businesses—unlocking the automation and instant settlement required to make compliance faster, simpler, and more reliable.
And as our engagements with more and more providers in the space demonstrate, it’s clear not all payment technology providers are created equal. As you might expect, we encourage businesses seeking to modernise their payments infrastructure and experiences to look beyond legacy incumbency.
The delta between what’s working and what’s possible when it comes to payments has never been greater.
The Path Ahead: A Partnership for Progress
The Payday Super reform is a collaborative effort to modernise Australia's financial system. It requires financial service providers to innovate and businesses to embrace new efficiencies.
Looking forward, we also see immense potential for our Zepto Validate solution and its ability to bring instant bank account verification capabilities and deeper insights early in the super payments flow.
Zepto stands ready to work with all payroll and super providers to turn Payday Super from a compliance pressure into a better payment experience for every Australian business.
We have the technology. We have the proven capability. And through strategic partnerships, we are scaling the solution. We are ready to support a smooth transition to a system that helps build a more secure and prosperous future for all Australians.
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