Since Payday Super started on 1 July 2026, the ATO says super must be paid for each payday and received by the employee's fund within 7 business days after payday. For a trades business, that turns the path from timesheets to payroll into a weekly deadline. Hours start in the job system, go through award interpretation (Employment Hero Payroll, formerly KeyPay, or similar) and end up in Xero or MYOB. Each hand-over is a chance for hours to be changed in one place and not the others. This article is about keeping that chain in step every pay run. It is not legal or tax advice; check the rules with your accountant or payroll adviser.
If you want the general Payday Super set-up checks for Xero and MYOB (fund details, super payments, the clearing house), start with our Payday Super checklist for Xero and MYOB. This article picks up the part before payroll: the timesheets.
What Payday Super changed for trades payroll
According to the ATO's guidance on paying super from 1 July 2026:
- Super is paid for each payday, not each quarter.
- It must be received by the fund within 7 business days after payday. A rejected payment does not get more time.
- Qualifying earnings and super liability are reported through Single Touch Payroll.
- There are limited cases with longer deadlines, such as the first contribution for a new employee. Check the ATO's payment deadlines page for when these apply.
For a business that pays weekly, that is 52 deadlines a year instead of 4. Any error in the hours now becomes a super problem within days, not at the end of the quarter.
The trades timesheets to payroll chain
Most trades businesses with 10 or more staff run some version of this:
- Job system. Techs and apprentices clock on and off jobs in simPRO, AroFlo, ServiceM8 or similar. Supervisors approve the hours.
- Award interpretation. The approved hours go to a payroll engine that applies the award or enterprise agreement: ordinary time, overtime, penalties, allowances, travel, tool and meal allowances. For electricians that is usually the Electrical, Electronic and Communications Contracting Award; plumbers and builders have their own awards.
- Accounting. The pay run's wages, super, tax and leave land in Xero or MYOB as a journal or through payroll in the accounting system itself.
Between steps 1 and 2 there is usually a third-party connector. The simPRO marketplace, for example, lists several connectors to Employment Hero Payroll, none of them made by simPRO itself.
Where hours get changed after export
The common failure is simple: hours are corrected in one system after they have already moved to the next.
- Corrected in the job system after export. A supervisor fixes a missed clock-off on Tuesday, but the timesheets went to payroll on Monday. Integrators report that simPRO's timesheet export to Xero sends once and does not resend corrections.
- Corrected in payroll, not the job system. The payroll officer fixes the hours in the payroll system so the pay is right. The job system still shows the old hours, so the job's labour cost is wrong.
- Allowances added by hand. A site allowance or travel time gets added in payroll because the job system doesn't record it. Next week someone forgets.
- Leave entered twice or not at all. Leave approved in one system and not the other.
Under quarterly super, those differences were often found and fixed before super was paid. Now the super for that pay run may already be on its way to the fund.
How to keep it in step each pay run
You don't need new software to fix most of this. You need one rule and a short routine.
Pick one place where hours are corrected
Decide that hours are corrected in the job system, before the cut-off, and nowhere else. If payroll finds a mistake, it goes back to the supervisor to fix in the job system, then the timesheets are sent again. That keeps job costs and pay the same.
Set a cut-off and stick to it
Pick a time when timesheets lock for the pay run, and make sure it leaves enough time to pay super within the deadline. Late corrections go into the next pay run as an adjustment.
Check three numbers before each pay run
- Total approved hours in the job system for the period.
- Total hours imported into the payroll system for the same period.
- Total hours paid once the pay run is finalised.
If the three don't agree, find out why before you pay, not after.
Check super after each pay run
Confirm super was calculated on the right earnings and the payment has left in time to arrive within the deadline. Watch for returned contributions; our Payday Super checklist covers that side.
Keep allowances in the job system where possible
If an allowance depends on where or how someone worked (site, height, travel), record it in the job system so it flows through with the hours rather than being remembered at pay time.
When the connector isn't enough
For a small team where one person checks every timesheet, the routine above is enough. It's worth looking at the connections when:
- you have several entities or more than one award or agreement
- corrections after export are a regular weekly job
- labour cost in your job reports never matches what payroll paid
- the payroll officer spends pay day re-keying hours
Then the gap is between systems: a connection that resends corrected hours, flags differences before the pay run and keeps job costs in step with what was paid. See third-party software integration, or Xero and MYOB integration repair if an existing link is unreliable. For what labour really costs per job once payroll is right, see what does your labour actually cost per job.
Frequently asked questions
When did Payday Super start?
1 July 2026. Since then, the ATO says super must be paid for each payday and received by the fund within 7 business days after payday. Check ato.gov.au for the current rules and any exceptions.
Does my job system calculate award rates?
Usually not in full. Job systems record hours against jobs. Award interpretation (overtime, penalties, allowances) is normally done by a payroll system such as Employment Hero Payroll. Check with your payroll provider and adviser what your setup covers.
What happens if hours change after the pay run?
Pay the difference in the next pay run and pay the super on it with that payday. Ask your accountant or payroll adviser how to treat corrections in your situation.
Where can I check the electrical award?
The Fair Work Ombudsman publishes the Electrical, Electronic and Communications Contracting Award and its pay guides at fairwork.gov.au. Make sure your payroll system is set to the current version.
Do we need to replace our payroll system for Payday Super?
Usually not. Most of the work is a clear cut-off, one place to correct hours and a check of the numbers each pay run.
If timesheets between your job system, payroll and Xero or MYOB never quite agree, book a free initial chat. We'll tell you honestly whether a better routine will do or whether the connections need work.