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The ATO recently released draft guidance on the addition of the New Payments Platform as an approved method for super payments.
ATO gives green light to real-time super payments
20 June 2025
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8 minute read
The Tax Office recently issued Contribution standard v3.0, which delivers enhancements to the current SuperStream standard to reduce common errors and improve the speed and integrity of data and payments through the system.
The new standard aims to standardise and simplify error messages and adds a new message for employers to verify a member's details with a super fund before making a contribution.
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The New Payments Platform has also been approved as a payment method under the new standard.
The platform allows fast payments to be made in near real-time at all times, including weekends and public holidays. Currently, $6 billion in payments are already made on average every day on the NPP, using services such as Osko, PayID and PayTo.
The ATO's draft guidance is expected to be finalised later this year.
Australian Payments Plus, which operates the platform, said its addition as an approved payment method for super will bring the benefits of real-time, data-rich payments to the superannuation sector and will be key to helping employees meet their new obligations under upcoming payday super legislation.
Australian Payments Plus chief payments and schemes officer Adrian Lovney said the formal recognition of NPP as an approved method for super payments will remove the need for super funds to strike individual bilateral agreements to receive NPP payments.
"This will create a more consistent and scalable path for industry adoption of the NPP, and clears a key hurdle for employers and clearing houses looking to shift to faster, data-rich payments, especially in the lead-up to payday super," he said.
The ATO has also proposed that CAT-SCT, the message standard for NPP-based super payments, will be mandatory for super contributions made via the NPP.
"Still being finalised in consultation with industry and the ATO, CAT-SCT operates as a distinct 'swim-lane' for super payments within the NPP," Lovney said.
"The standard will enhance the super payment message to contain all the data that the employer, superannuation intermediaries, super funds and the ATO need to automate manual processes. In particular, the standard will make it easier for payments to be automatically reconciled and consequently help reduce errors or delays in processing payments."
Lovney reminded employers that under the upcoming payday super legislation, they will be required to pay super contributions at the same time as wages, and ensure contributions reach super funds within seven days from payday.
While the vast majority of super contributions are currently paid via the Bulk Electronic Clearing System (BECS), Lovney noted that BECS only operates on business days, and payments can take multiple days to arrive.
"These restrictions can make it challenging for employers to meet their new obligations under payday super."
Australian Payments Plus said the inclusion of the NPP as an approved payment method and other changes in the draft guidance will help address these challenges as employers prepare for payday super.
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