Superannuation (super) is Australia's mandatory retirement savings system. Employers must contribute a percentage of each eligible employee's earnings to a compliant super fund.
Superannuation is a compulsory employer contribution in Australia, currently set at 11.5% of an employee's ordinary time earnings (rising to 12% from 1 July 2025). Super must be paid for all eligible employees - generally those aged 18 and over (or under 18 if they work more than 30 hours per week). Contributions must be paid at least quarterly to a compliant super fund by the due dates: 28 days after the end of each quarter. Late super payments trigger the Superannuation Guarantee Charge (SGC), which includes the shortfall, interest and an administration fee - and the SGC is not tax-deductible. Employees can choose their own super fund (Choice of Fund), and employers must offer this choice. Super payments must be made through SuperStream-compliant methods. From a bookkeeping perspective, super is an expense that accrues each pay period and is typically paid quarterly. SortBooks tracks super accruals and payments in Xero, ensuring the expense is correctly recorded each period and alerting you before quarterly payment deadlines.
SortBooks automates the bookkeeping processes related to superannuation by connecting to your Xero account and using AI to categorise transactions, reconcile bank feeds and generate accurate reports. Instead of manually managing superannuation, SortBooks handles it automatically with 97%+ accuracy - saving you hours every week and ensuring your books are always up to date and compliant.
Payroll is the process of calculating and distributing wages, withholding taxes, managing super/pension contributions and complying with employment tax obligations.
PAYG (Pay As You Go) withholding is an Australian system where employers withhold tax from employee wages and remit it to the ATO on their behalf.
The ATO is Australia's principal tax collection agency, responsible for administering income tax, GST, superannuation, excise and other federal tax obligations.
SortBooks handles all the complexity automatically. Just connect Xero and let AI manage your books.