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From July 2026, every agency in Australia will need to pay super within 7 days of paying wages. On paper, it sounds simple. For recruitment and labour hire agencies, the reality is far more complex and the cash flow impact is significant.
Right now, agencies already carry the burden of funding wages well before client payments arrive. Introducing super into that same weekly cycle simply accelerates the outflow of cash and tightens the gap even further.
This is not something to panic about. It is something every agency needs to understand, model and plan for. Agencies that prepare early will transition smoothly. Those that leave it until the final hour may face avoidable pressure on both cash flow and operations.
A Change in Timing, Not a Change in Cost
The total super amount does not change. What changes is when it must be paid.
Quarterly super cycles currently provide a buffer of time. With Payday Super, that buffer reduces significantly. Super now sits alongside wages and PAYG as part of your weekly payroll obligations.
For agencies with fast-paying clients, this shift may feel manageable. For the many agencies operating on 30 to 60 day terms or those with large contractor books, the cash flow gap widens and it widens quickly.
July 2026 might seem distant, but in operational and financial terms it is much closer than it appears.
Where the Real Pressure Will Be Felt
1. Back-Office Operations
Paying super every cycle increases the load on payroll and finance teams, and processes that feel acceptable quarterly can quickly become bottlenecks when repeated 52 times a year. This makes now the ideal moment to review and streamline how timesheets are collected, ensure data accuracy is consistent, reduce manual dependencies, and strengthen system integrations.
Clean and automated payroll operations will pay off well before the legislation starts and will continue to benefit agencies after it takes effect.
2. Cash Flow Strain
The biggest pressure point will be the mismatch between client payment terms of 30–60 days and your weekly payroll obligations, including wages, PAYG, and super. Under Payday Super, agencies may need to fund payroll costs several cycles before any revenue hits the bank.
This often results in more working capital being tied up, slower and more difficult growth without external support, delays in client payments becoming more noticeable, and increased risk when onboarding new contractors or new clients. None of this is unmanageable – it simply requires visibility, strong forecasting, and the right support structure.
What Agencies Should Do Now
The most important first step is to model the impact. I always encourage agency owners to build a simple weekly forecast that outlines their current weekly payroll, the estimated weekly super under Payday Super, client payment cycles, and existing cash buffers.
Even a basic model will reveal whether the gap is small, moderate, or significant. From there, it’s a good time to review and, where appropriate, renegotiate client terms, tighten timesheet and payroll processes, reduce manual processing, and ensure systems are integrated so data flows cleanly.
Any operational improvements made now will remove friction well before July 2026 and continue delivering efficiency gains long after.
How to Navigate the Shift with Confidence
For many agencies, the most practical way to manage Payday Super is to ensure the business has enough working capital available to cover wages, PAYG and super each cycle.
This is where Apositive’s funding solutions make a material difference.
Our funding:
- Covers wages, PAYG and super every cycle
- Smooths out the cash flow impact of client payment delays
- Removes the pressure associated with the shift to Payday Super
- Enables agencies to continue scaling and taking on new opportunities with confidence
Instead of worrying about whether clients have paid, you can focus on placing talent, supporting clients and growing your contractor book without restriction.
A Manageable Shift with the Right Partner
Payday Super is a meaningful operational and financial shift. It does not need to slow your plans or interrupt your growth.
With early preparation, well-structured systems and the right funding partner behind you, the transition can be straightforward. Many agencies will emerge from it with stronger, cleaner and more efficient operations than before.
If you would like to understand what Payday Super means for your agency or explore how Apositive can support your cash flow through the transition, my team and I are here to help.
