As an employer, the Super Guarantee (SG) legislation requires you to pay superannuation contributions on behalf of your employees. The SG rate as of 1 July 2026 is 12%.
Qualifying Earnings (QE)
Qualifying Earnings is the amount your employee earns in relation to their ordinary hours of work. It includes:
- over-award payments
- bonuses
- commission
- shift allowances
- paid leave
It does not include overtime payments.
How much to pay?
To work out how much you need to pay your employee, calculate the employee’s QE pay period and multiply by the current SG rate.
Maximum superannuation contribution base
Each year, the Federal Government sets a maximum limit on an employee’s income on which you need to pay SG contributions, called the maximum superannuation contribution base.
For 2026–27, the maximum contribution base is $270,830.
If you have paid $270,830 of qualifying earnings to an employee for the 2026–27 year, you do not need to make super guarantee contributions for that employee for any additional qualifying earnings paid to them for the remainder of the financial year.
The maximum contribution base does not affect any additional super contributions you are required to pay under an award or enterprise agreement.
Note: Employers may be required to contribute above these limits under any industrial awards or workplace agreements in place.
When to make SG payments?
From 1 July 2026, employers must pay employees’ super at the same time as their salary and
wages (also known as their qualifying earnings or QE). This change in the law is known as Payday super. Read more about Payday super.
SG rate has increased over time
The current rate for the 2026-27 financial year is 12%.
The table below displays the timelines during which the SG rate increased from 10% to 12% over the last 5 years.
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