From 1 July 2022 employees will no longer need to meet the monthly minimum income threshold of $450 to receive superannuation guarantee payments from their employers due to the Federal Budget’s recently announced changes to superannuation.

Previously, employers did not need to pay employees superannuation guarantee payments if they did not earn $450 per month. Employees who worked for multiple employers but did not earn the same amount from a single employer were not eligible for superannuation guarantee payments.

Close to $125 million of contributions was not being made due to employees not satisfying the minimum income threshold of $450. An estimated 300,000 Australians were reported to have been missing out on those contributions each year.

For employees who worked in lower-income jobs or in part-time or casual employment that may not reach that minimum income threshold, this meant that they were missing out on critical payments to their super. With women making up a more significant proportion of these workers, it also caused the gender gap in superannuation already present to widen further.

The removal of the minimum income threshold means now that these employees will be able to accrue super through the payments made by their employer and help address a long-term equity issue that had been in place in superannuation for years.

These changes should come into effect by July 2022 and, though they may not necessarily improve the retirement outcomes of individuals, the savings resulting from these payments into super will be boosted and all workers will as a result be provided with superannuation coverage, regardless of whether or not they earn more than $450.

Supposing that you are an employer who will now have to pay superannuation guarantee payments to your employees and did not have to do so before. In that case, you can speak with us to ensure that you are meeting your compliance requirements with super for your employees.