According to the Association of Superannuation Funds Australia (ASFA), Aussies are losing $2.75 billion each and every year through non-payment of their superannuation by employers.
ASFA estimates that this is impacting 650,000 Australian workers each year, with the average person losing nearly $4,000 per annum in super which is the equivalent to 9 months SGC for someone earning the average weekly wage.
There are several key reasons why it is so important to ensure your superannuation is being paid:
– Not only are you missing out on the immediate benefit of the superannuation payment, you are missing out on the compounding effects of those monies over many years. Put it this way; all the contributions your employer makes will be invested in your super fund according to the investment allocation you have selected. This money earns interest (and perhaps dividends). This is compounded each year on top of the new contributions to grow your wealth. ASFA estimates that the one-off loss of only $4,000 for a 25 year old could equate to $14,000 at retirement.
– In the majority of cases your SGC actually forms part of your employment income/salary package, and is just as important as your take home salary. We wouldn’t accept our employers not paying our wage each month and likewise non-payment of super should not be acceptable.
How to check your superannuation contributions
– Check your payslip. Your employer must include on your payslip the amount of contributions made or is liable to make.
– Check your superannuation member statement or phone your fund to check on your last contribution date and amount.
– If you cannot see this on your payslip or your member statement, speak to your employer about whether they have been contributing and double check the account details and member number they are using. Sometimes a simple, honest error can be made when transferring the payments.
If after all of this, you cannot locate your contributions or your employer becomes difficult and you suspect the non-payment is deliberate, you can lodge an enquiry with the ATO to investigate. The ATO has a dedicated section on their website where this process can be completed.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding employer super contributions, please feel free to contact us on (03) 9999 7200, or you can get in touch online here.
Disclaimer: The information on this site is of a general nature only. It does not take your specific needs or circumstances into consideration. You should look at your own personal situation and requirements before making any financial decisions.
Notes:
In October 2014 research commissioned by Cbus, AustralianSuper and REST on Superannuation Guarantee non-compliance was released. That research was primarily conducted by the research house Tria Partners with significant input from ASFA.
It found that in 2012 the non-payment of superannuation by employers affected around 650,000 Australian workers, leaving them collectively out of pocket by almost $2.5 billion annually, around 4 per cent of the total SG contributions made in that year. The report also estimated that the average person affected lost around $3,750 per annum in superannuation.
In September 2015, ASFA revised these figures to include growth in the number of employees and contractors eligible for SG payments, along with growth in average wages. ASFA also took into account the increase in minimum SG contribution to 9.5 per cent (since 1 July 2014).
Accordingly, the estimated current annual non-payment of superannuation obligations by employers is likely to be around $2.75 billion a year and the average loss per person affected approximately $4,000.