Super for casual and part time employees
Working part-time or casually on the side of your studies or other responsibilities? You might be working fewer hours than full-timers but that doesn’t mean you should forget about your super.
Do part-time and casual employees get paid super?
The short answer is yes, you may be eligible for super if you work part-time or casually (including temporary visa holders). For younger people, it may depend on the hours worked – we’ll cover more on that later.
If you’re eligible, your employer must contribute at least 11% of your earnings into your superannuation fund. This contribution is called the superannuation guarantee (SG) and must be paid by your employer at least every 3 months.
Before 1 July 2022, if you were over 18 and earned less than $450 a month from one employer, that employer didn’t have to pay you super. That threshold has been removed, meaning eligible workers should be getting paid super for every dollar they earn.
Are there circumstances where I may not get super?
Some circumstances where your employer doesn’t have to pay you super include if you’re:
- an Australian resident working for and being paid by an employer overseas for work done outside of Australia
- temporarily working in Australia on behalf of an overseas employer and are covered by a bilateral super agreement
- a non-resident employee working outside Australia
- an employee being paid for work as a non-resident in a Joint Petroleum Development Area (JPDA)
- a foreign executive who holds certain visas or entry permits
- a paid private or domestic worker (iee.g.. nannies or housekeepers) who works for 30 hours or less per week
- paid under the Community Development Employment Program (CDEP)
- under 18 years old and work less than 30 hours a week in that job (see below).
Tip: The ATO has a nifty tool that lets you check if you’re eligible to receive super payments.
Do I get super if I’m under 18 years old?
Just because you’re younger, it doesn’t necessarily mean you’re excluded from super.
- If you’re under 18 years old and work more than 30 hours a week, your employer must pay super contributions for you (unless you fall into the circumstances mentioned above).
- If you’re under 18 years old and work less than 30 hours a week, your employer does not have to pay super contributions for you (but they may choose to).
- If you have multiple jobs, the number of hours worked for different jobs should be calculated separately.
- For example, let’s say you worked 12 hours a week as a tutor and 32 hours a week as a waiter.
- You wouldn’t be entitled to super in your job as a tutor but would be entitled to receive super for your work as a waiter.
Does working part-time or casually affect my Age Pension?
If you’re retired and receiving the Age Pension, working part-time can be one way to help supplement your pension payments with employment income. You can generally still get the Age Pension if you work part-time or casually, so long as your income does not exceed the threshold test. The amount you get from the Age Pension may be affected if you earn more than a certain amount.
Your pension payment may be reduced if your income exceeds the income test threshold. That doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a bad idea to earn part-time income, though you should consider the impact this might have on your pension payments.
Working part-time can also help you grow your super if you’re transitioning to retirement. You may even qualify for the Work Bonus, a concession designed to allow pensioners keep more of their pension payment while working and earning income. Again, just make sure you’re aware of the asset limits and income tests for the full or part pension and how they might affect your situation.
What if I have multiple super funds from previous jobs?
If you’ve job-hopped or juggled multiple jobs, there’s a chance that you have more than one super fund to your name. One thing you might want to think about is whether you should keep all your super savings in one account.
Consolidation could make your super easier to manage and save on multiple fees but, depending on which fund you consolidate with, it might result in loss of benefits such as insurance cover, reduced investment performance and higher fees. So before combining your super, make sure you compare all your options and choose the fund that’s right for you. Check out the fees and costs of your other fund(s) plus any benefits that would be lost, such as insurance cover. Make sure your other fund knows about any contributions you intend to claim a tax deduction for, before combining. If you have any questions, speak to a licensed financial adviser or visit the ASIC MoneySmart website for more information.
Learn more about combining your super.
How can I check if I’m getting paid the right amount of super?
You know how hard you’ve worked for your super, so putting some time aside to check your super payments could be worthwhile. Here’s a few quick tips to get you started:
- Check your payslips regularly. If you’re eligible for super, you should be able to see your employer’s super contributions equal at least 11% of your earnings.
- Cross-check with your super statement to make sure you’ve received the super payment. Remember, employers are required to make super payments at least 4 times a year, but some may pay monthly or fortnightly, so don’t panic straight away if you don’t see it on your statement. The great news is that from 1 July 2026, employers will need pay their employee’s super at the same time as their salary - making it easier for you to track your super payments.
- You can also create a myGov account and link it to the ATO to check your superannuation account balance.
Tip: Rest members can log in to the Rest App and see all their employer super contributions made to their account.
What if my employer isn’t paying me the right amount of super?
Mistakes can happen to the best of us. If you believe your employer has paid you the wrong amount of super, skipped a payment or hasn’t been paying you super at all, one of the first things you can do is contact the person or team responsible for payroll. You might want to clarify whether they have the right super fund details or check how often they make their super payments.
If that doesn’t clear things up, you can lodge an unpaid super enquiry with the Australian Taxation Office.
Learn more about unpaid super.
