ATO returns $1.13 billion in unpaid super to about 909,000 workers

The Australian Taxation Office distributed $1.13 billion in super guarantee entitlements into the funds of about 909,000 employees during 2025-26. Its annual compliance results, updated on November 12, show money collected during that financial year for both current and earlier unpaid obligations. The figure is a recovery total, not a payment available to every worker.

The office interacted with 254,910 employers through reminders, prompts, audits and reviews, raising $1.17 billion in super guarantee charge liabilities through those activities. It recorded $248 million in penalties and 18,410 firmer or legal actions against employers with debts. Amounts raised as liabilities and amounts actually distributed to funds are different measures and should not be added together as recovered cash.

About 81,100 employers had collectable super guarantee charge debt. Around 13,000 of them accounted for 60 per cent of that collectable debt. The office cautions that changes in data sources and reporting methods mean some annual statistics cannot be compared directly.

These results cover the system up to June 30, 2026. They do not measure the results of Payday Super, which began on July 1, 2026. Employees concerned about missing contributions should check their fund records and use the ATO unpaid-super reporting process after checking the relevant payment requirements. The photograph illustrates financial paperwork, not an affected employee or an ATO case file.