Super for casual workers

The rules for casual workers

From 1 July 2022, the $450/month minimum earnings threshold for SG was abolished. That means every casual adult in Australia is entitled to 12% SG on ordinary earnings — regardless of how little they earn in a given month.

Casual loading (the extra 25% on top of the base rate) is part of Ordinary Time Earnings, so super is paid on your full casual rate, not the underlying base.

Under 18?

If you’re under 18, your employer only has to pay SG if you work more than 30 hours in a single week. Below that threshold, no SG is owed — even if the 25% casual loading is applied.

Multiple casual jobs

Each employer separately owes 12% SG on what they pay you. You can direct all of them to pay into the same super fund by giving each a Superannuation Standard Choice form with your preferred fund’s details.

If you don’t nominate a fund, your employer must pay into your stapled super fund (the one already linked to your TFN). If you don’t have one, they pay into their default fund. Either way, you avoid the old problem of accumulating a new super account every time you changed jobs.

Gig economy — Uber, DoorDash, Airtasker

Most gig platforms treat workers as independent contractors, not employees. In that case, they don’t pay SG. A few court decisions have reclassified gig workers as employees for specific platforms — but the position is still unsettled.

If you’re gigging, consider making personal deductible contributions to your own super (see our self-employed super guide). You can claim them as a tax deduction.

Things that go wrong for casuals

• Multiple funds from multiple jobs. Before stapling (1 November 2021), every new job meant a new fund. Check myGov → ATO → Super for old accounts to consolidate.
• Default insurance on small balances. A casual with $2,000 in super and default insurance at $10/week is losing their balance fast. Dormant-account rules help but don’t always catch it in time.
• Employers “forgetting” SG on bonuses or back-pay. SG is owed on all OTE including paid leave and bonuses — not just base wage.

Quick wins

1. Log in to myGov → ATO → Super. Consolidate any accounts you’re not deliberately keeping
2. Cancel default insurance on any fund you’re not using as your primary
3. Give every employer your preferred fund’s BSB/USI so all future contributions go to one place
4. Check each quarter that SG has actually landed