Before closing for Christmas, take a few minutes to check your payroll and super arrangements. Pay runs may continue while your usual team is away, and public holidays can leave less time to resolve payment issues. These five checks can help you prepare for a smoother shutdown and keep employee payments on track.

1. Confirm Your Holiday Pay Dates

List the pay runs falling during the Christmas and New Year period, including any wages or leave payments you intend to process early.

Check the amounts, payment dates and leave arrangements before your payroll team finishes. Let employees know when they can expect to be paid, particularly if the timing will differ from the usual cycle.

If you bring a payday forward, check the associated super payment timeframe rather than relying on the original pay date.

2. Arrange Cover for Payroll Approvals

Confirm who will prepare payroll, approve wages and authorise super payments while your usual staff are on leave.

Make sure the replacement has the appropriate access and understands the process. For example, a completed pay run may still need a separate bank or super payment approval before it can be processed.

Keep a short handover with the pay dates, tasks, approvers and contact details needed if something goes wrong.

3. Check Super Processing Times

Payday Super commenced on 1 July 2026. Contributions generally need to reach employees’ super funds within seven business days after payday, although some exceptions apply.

Check your payroll provider’s or clearing house’s Christmas processing arrangements and allow time to correct errors. A payment leaving your bank account does not necessarily mean it has reached the employee’s fund.

For the requirements, visit the ATO’s Payday Super guidance.

4. Resolve Rejected Contributions

Review recent super payments for rejected, returned or pending contributions. Check that employee membership numbers and fund details are current.

Correct errors promptly and keep a record of what happened and how it was resolved. If a payment may be late, seek advice about the steps required rather than assuming that resubmitting it settles every obligation.

Nominate someone to monitor payment notifications during the shutdown so issues do not sit unnoticed until the office reopens.

5. Budget for Wages and Super

Prepare a short cash flow forecast covering the shutdown and the first few weeks after reopening.

Include wages, leave payments, super and other scheduled commitments. Consider whether customers may pay more slowly while their offices are closed.

Check that sufficient funds will be available in the correct accounts on each payment date. This can be particularly useful if several payments are brought forward before Christmas.

Review these five items before your last payroll run ahead of the Christmas break. Confirming dates, approval cover, processing times, rejected contributions and available funds can help prevent avoidable delays. If you would like help reviewing your payroll or super arrangements, contact the MKG Partners team before your shutdown begins.