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Frequently asked questions about paying super for employees
If you are a sole trader or work in a partnership, you generally don’t have to make super payments to yourself. However, you may wish to make personal contributions to a superannuation fund to save for your retirement, in which case you may be able to claim a tax deduction against your contributions. Find out more on the ATO Super for the self-employed page.
Whether an employee is full time, part time or casual, if you pay them $450 or more (before tax) in a calendar month, you have to pay super (currently at least 9.5% of ordinary time earnings) on top of their wages. However, there are some exceptions. Find out more on the ATO Working out if you have to pay super page.
The basics are:
- If you are a sole trader or part of a partnership, you do not have to pay yourself super – though you may wish to make tax-deductible personal contributions to a superannuation fund to save for your retirement.
- If you pay a full-time, part-time or casual employee $450 or more (before tax) in a calendar month, you have to pay super (currently at least 9.5% of ordinary time earnings) on top of their wages.
Find out more on the ATO Super for employers page.
It’s important you get this right, and a good place to start could be to complete your Business Super Profile. It can help you understand your business super for employees obligations, by using the online tool to answers a few simple questions about your business.