How much super should your employer be paying you?

What counts as ordinary time earnings?

Ordinary time earnings (OTE) form the base for super contributions:

• Regular wages for ordinary hours of work
• Some allowances (depending on the type)
• Commissions, bonuses, and loadings (in most cases)
• Annual leave loading (in most cases)

Not included in OTE:

• Overtime payments
• Reimbursements of expenses
• Genuine redundancy payments

For most working holiday makers working standard shifts, the 12% applies to the core of what you earn each pay period.

How can you check your super is being paid?

There are two reliable ways:

1. Check your super fund directly: log into your fund account online and look at contribution history. Each employer contribution should appear with a date and amount.
2. Cross-check against your payslip: your payslip shows the super contribution as a line item. Compare it to what arrived in your fund.

Super is paid quarterly by most employers, not weekly with your wages. The deadlines are:

• Q1 (Jul-Sep) → paid by 28 October
• Q2 (Oct-Dec) → paid by 28 January
• Q3 (Jan-Mar) → paid by 28 April
• Q4 (Apr-Jun) → paid by 28 July

So a contribution for July might not appear in your fund until late October.

If you cannot find which fund holds your super, get in touch with our team. We locate accounts across multiple funds and can confirm what has been paid for you.

What if your employer is not paying super correctly?

If contributions are missing, late, or below the required rate, the issue must be addressed before you leave Australia:

• First, check the contributions in your fund
• Compare against the super line on your payslips
• Talk to your employer if there is a clear discrepancy (it may be an administrative error)
• If unresolved, our team can pursue the unpaid super through the Superannuation Guarantee Charge (SGC) process

The SGC is a formal recovery mechanism. We have helped working holiday makers recover thousands of dollars in unpaid super this way. Send us your details with your payslips and super statements and we will investigate.

What records should you keep?

To support a super recovery claim:

• All payslips showing super line items
• Your super fund's contribution statements
• Employment dates and weekly hours
• Pay rates and gross earnings
• Employer name and ABN

The more complete the records, the easier the recovery process.