The Hidden Costs of Late Super Payments (And How to Avoid Them)
For small business owners and tradies in Richmond and the Blue Mountains
If you’re a small business owner or tradie juggling jobs, payroll, invoicing, and everything in between, there’s a good chance super isn’t always top of mind.
But missing a single super payment? That can quietly snowball into thousands in penalties, lost tax deductions, ATO headaches, and employee trust issues. And by the time you realise it, it’s too late.
This isn’t scare tactics. It’s what we see every year from small businesses across Richmond and the Blue Mountains, especially around tax season, when the consequences hit hard.
So let’s talk about what’s really at stake with late super… and how to avoid the mess altogether.
What’s the real cost of late super?
It’s not just the super you forgot to pay. When you miss a due date, the ATO applies what’s called a Superannuation Guarantee Charge (SGC). That includes:
The unpaid super (of course)
10% interest, calculated from the original due date
A flat $20 admin fee per employee, per quarter
That charge is not tax-deductible, unlike regular super contributions. So you're not only paying more, but losing a legitimate deduction too.
And if you continue to miss deadlines or fail to lodge the SGC statement properly, things get worse:
General interest charges stack up
Potential audit flags get triggered
Director penalty notices can hold you personally liable
It’s a slippery slope, and most small business owners don’t realise how fast it gets serious.
Missed deadlines = missed trust
Let’s get real. If you’re late paying super, your employees notice. Super is part of their pay, and trust gets damaged quickly when it’s mishandled.
We’ve had clients come to us after losing great staff because of missed contributions. It’s more than a money issue, it’s a reputation one. Once word gets out that you’re behind on super, it can impact your ability to attract or keep quality workers, especially in tight-knit areas like Richmond or the Blue Mountains.
Common ways small businesses fall behind on super
It’s not always laziness. Most late payments happen because:
You’re relying on your bookkeeper or software to remind you (and they don’t)
You pay your staff on time, but the super doesn’t get processed by the clearing house in time
You’re confused about who’s actually entitled to super (like casuals or some contractors)
You didn’t realise your super software had errors or unpaid batches
The ATO doesn’t care why you were late. They care that you were. And they want the fees.
How to avoid the trap (even if you’re time-poor)
Here’s how we help our clients, especially tradies and local small businesses, stay on top of super before the stress starts:
We set up proactive reminders before every due date
You shouldn’t have to chase your accountant or hope your payroll system flags it.We run a quarterly payroll check
To make sure the amounts align with what’s legally owed, especially for mixed setups like apprentices, subcontractors, and casuals.We help you lodge SGCs if needed (fast)
If something does go wrong, we fix it properly with the ATO so it doesn’t snowball.We clean up your payroll system
We’ve saved clients thousands by identifying incorrect super settings that led to underpayments.
Important super deadlines for employers
To avoid being caught out, here are the quarterly super due dates:
1 July – 30 Sept → due 28 Oct
1 Oct – 31 Dec → due 28 Jan
1 Jan – 31 Mar → due 28 Apr
1 Apr – 30 Jun → due 28 Jul
And remember: your payment only counts when it hits your employee’s super fund, not when you press "send" on the clearing house. That lag can burn you if you’re cutting it close.
What we do at Bold Accounting (and how we help with super)
We work with small businesses, tradies, and local employers across Richmond and the Blue Mountains, making sure your super gets paid before it becomes a problem.
Depending on your needs, our packages can include:
Annual Compliance & Support
Lodging your annual tax returns
Acting as your tax and ASIC agent
Tax planning meetings to avoid future issues
Basic superannuation compliance help
Full-Service Accounting
Everything above, plus:
Quarterly BAS lodgement
Quarterly management reports
Deeper payroll compliance reviews
Outsourced Finance Office
Our most hands-on option, includes:
Monthly management reporting
Super processing and payroll finalisation
ATO-ready compliance with TPARs, IAS, and more
We don’t just tell you what’s wrong, we fix it, flag it early, and give you the peace of mind that nothing’s falling through the cracks.
Here’s the uncomfortable truth
Most small business owners think their accountant is doing the right thing, until it’s too late.
And each one of those stories ends the same way: money lost, stress high, and a mad scramble to get compliant.
Our approach at Bold is different. We’re not here to react. We’re here to prevent.
You’re busy running a business. You shouldn’t be expected to chase up your accountant or keep up with every rule change. We step in, handle the deadlines, check the figures, and flag the risks before they become fines.
If you’re worried something’s already slipped, or you’ve never had a second set of eyes on your super process, let’s talk.
We’ll go through your current setup, check if anything’s being missed, and walk you through how we keep our clients safe from the ATO.
No stress. No jargon. Just clear advice that actually helps.
