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Set up superannuation

Turn on super, request payee details, choose a payment method, and manage super from the Superannuation dashboard.

Written by Emma

You can turn on superannuation for an AUD Account, request the right payee details, and choose how ready super payments are handled after invoices are paid.

If you are preparing for Payday Super or moving away from manual super admin, this setup keeps booking, invoice, payee, and super details connected. Separate guides go deeper on SuperChoice and Xero Payroll.

Before you start

  • Use an Account that works in AUD.

  • Make sure you can edit Account settings.

  • Decide whether you want to track super manually, make payments through SuperChoice, or prepare draft payroll super lines in Xero Payroll.

  • Request payee payment and super details before you need to send. The usual path is to send a secure request link or email once, then reuse the saved profile.

Turn on super

  1. Open Settings.

  2. Go to Superannuation.

  3. Find Make Superannuation payments to others.

  4. Turn on Turn on superannuation.

  5. Default "Band" payee types to starts as Super N/A. Band payees default as Super N/A on bookings. This can be overridden per account, contact and booking. Super already set on a contact stays as it is. Choose Eligible for super if Band payees should follow Super the same way as other types.

  6. Choose the default treatment: Add on top when super should sit above the agreed deal amount, or Included in total when the agreed amount already includes super.

  7. Choose a Payment method.

  8. Add notification recipients if someone specific should receive super updates, failures, and reminders.

  9. Select Save.

After this is on, super lines can appear on eligible offers, settlements, invoices, and the Superannuation dashboard.

Saving Default "Band" payee types to does not change Super already set on a contact. New Band contacts you own start as Super Not applicable while that setting is Super N/A.

On a Band, Duo, Collective, or Group contact's Payments tab, when Super does not apply (including Super Not applicable or an ABN that is not a sole trader) it also says: To pay Super to the members, turn on Split Payments on the booking.

On the offer, Superannuation says why Super does not apply to that Band, Duo, Collective, or Group (Super Not applicable, or an ABN that is not a sole trader), then Super can still be paid to eligible band members using split payments. While you are editing, Turn on Split Payments opens Split Payments so you can choose Split super only. The saved offer does not show that link. If Super already applies to that payee, Superannuation stays Include Super. Artist bookings do not get that members teaching.

Make Superannuation payments to others is for super you pay. Receive Superannuation Payments from others is your own fund and member details, so others can pay super to you when you are the payee.

Choose a payment method

Each Account chooses one active super payment method for new sends.

  • Manual: Super is calculated and tracked from the booking workflow. You pay super through your usual process, then use Update status to record when it is ready, sent, or received by the fund.

  • SuperChoice: Ready contributions can be paid through SuperChoice, a leading Australian superannuation technology provider, after SuperChoice is connected and you turn on Send contributions. Connecting SuperChoice does not turn Send contributions on.

  • Xero Payroll: Ready obligations can be sent to Xero Payroll as draft payroll super lines when your finance or payroll team already reviews pay runs in Xero.

Xero invoice sync is separate from Xero Payroll super. A booking invoice can still be sent to Xero as a normal invoice or bill without adding super as an invoice line.

Add or request payee details

Payee super details live on payment profiles. You can save them for your own Account or for a contact, then reuse the saved profile for future bookings and payments.

You can enter details manually when you need to, but the usual path is to ask the payee to provide them:

  1. Open the contact's Payments tab.

  2. Copy a Request link or send a tracked Request payment details email.

  3. The payee adds or confirms their bank, tax, and super details on a secure form.

  4. The details are saved to the contact payment profile.

  5. Future bookings, invoices, and super payments can use that saved profile.

Invite links can also request payment details during signup, which is useful when you are adding new artists, contractors, crew, or suppliers.

Related article: Request payment details.

A complete super profile can include:

  • fund type: APRA or industry fund, or self-managed super fund

  • fund name, ABN, and USI when the payee uses an APRA or industry fund

  • SMSF name, ABN, ESA, bank name, BSB, and account number when the payee uses a self-managed super fund

  • member first, middle, and last name

  • member number for APRA or industry funds only (self-managed funds do not use a member number)

  • TFN

  • email and phone

  • date of birth, gender, and residential address

SuperChoice can reject a payment when these details do not match what it expects. Typical issues:

  • Last name needs a straight apostrophe (O'Brien), not a curly one from a paste

  • SMSF ABN must be the fund ABN, not the person's personal ABN

  • ESA is the SuperStream address from the fund — not an email, and not N/A

  • Fund USI must be a current product on the SuperChoice fund list

When a Super payment is on Needs attention, Issues, or Payment errors, Investigate on the Super dashboard, the booking Super item, or a Validate row opens Muzeek AI and explains what to change. Nothing is sent until you send Super as usual. See Fix SuperChoice Issues and Payment errors for tabs, Validate, fund returns, and common issues.

Review super on a booking

When super is enabled, eligible bookings can show a Superannuation section on the offer.

  1. Choose Default or Off under Include superannuation.

  2. If Pay Super to appears, choose who Super is paid to — the invoice payee, or the on-behalf party on that same side. The invoice stays with the fee payee.

  3. Choose Auto, Total, or Custom for which deal terms count toward Super.

  4. Save the offer.

New bookings pick the on-behalf party for Pay Super to when that control appears. You can change it while the settlement is still a draft.

Changing on-behalf wording on a deal term does not change who Super is paid to. Super follows the booking Super settings, including Pay Super to.

Super follows the booking snapshot once the booking is sent. A booking that was sent without super does not automatically gain super later just because the Account setting changed.

Create invoices as usual

Super and invoice totals stay separate.

  • Booking and balance invoices use the deal-term amount.

  • Add-on-top super is shown below the invoice totals and in Super payment details when Super is paid to the invoice payee. Super paid to an on-behalf party, or Super only, stays off the invoice document.

  • Deposit invoices do not split super onto the deposit amount.

  • Xero invoice sync sends the deal-term invoice only, without a separate super line.

After the invoice is fully paid, the related super obligation can move into the ready-to-send or ready-to-track flow.

Manage super from the dashboard

Open Superannuation from the sidebar to see super obligations and payments.

Depending on your payment method, you may see actions such as:

  • Update status for manual tracking.

  • Send to SuperChoice or Send all ready for SuperChoice.

  • Send to Xero or Send all to Xero for Xero Payroll.

Rows keep the payment method they were created with. For example, older SuperChoice rows keep SuperChoice status labels even if the Account later switches to Xero Payroll.

Set up SuperChoice

Use Settings, Integrations, SuperChoice when you want to make super payments through SuperChoice.

SuperChoice settings stay locked until superannuation is on. Turn it on from Settings → Superannuation, or from the SuperChoice Connection tab.

  1. Add employer details.

  2. Add bank details.

  3. Add contact details.

  4. Register at SuperChoice with the same details. SuperChoice usually opens a login page — click Register account next to Log in unless you already have a SuperChoice login. The connection completes automatically. See Connect SuperChoice for super payments.

  5. Turn on Send contributions when you are ready to send. This stays off until you turn it on.

If SuperChoice still says Setup required, finish the SuperChoice article steps (details, then register). Super calculation and Send contributions are two different switches.

Once SuperChoice is connected and Send contributions is on, ready contributions can be paid from the Superannuation dashboard through SuperChoice.

If a venue group creates bookings for its venues, SuperChoice still lives on the venue Account. On the group Account, open Settings → Integrations → SuperChoice → Rosters and turn on each venue that pays the invoice. Paying that invoice in Xero only moves Super to Ready — it does not send Super. Ready rows that appeared before the venue was ticked stay on the group Superannuation dashboard. Do not Send all ready from the group. Reply to support so pending Super can be moved onto the venue, then send from the venue Super page. See Connect SuperChoice for super payments.

Set up Xero Payroll

Use Settings, Integrations, Xero, Superannuation when you want to use Xero Payroll.

  • reconnecting Xero with Payroll access if needed

  • default payroll calendar

  • default earnings rate

  • super expense and liability accounts

  • whether APRA funds or employees can be auto-created

  • manual sending or sending after the invoice is paid

When super is sent to Xero Payroll, a successful send shows Sent to Xero. You still review the draft pay run in Xero, post it, and run super payment from Xero when ready.

Common questions

  • Can I turn Super off for a booking? Yes. Use Include superannuation on the Superannuation section. Default follows payee eligibility and Account settings. Off excludes Super on that booking.

  • Who is Super paid to? Usually the same party as the invoice. When the fee is paid to an account and Super should go to the person they are acting for, use Pay Super to.

  • What happens when a payee has no verified ABN? Super is not assumed automatically. The booking can show a prompt so you can review the payee details.

  • Can a contact be marked as not needing super? Yes. The contact payment profile can follow the default rules, force super on, or mark that super does not apply.

  • Can I switch payment methods later? Yes. New sends follow the current Account payment method. Existing rows keep their original payment history and labels.

  • Does this publish or pay through Xero automatically? No. Xero Payroll prepares draft payroll super lines. Posting the pay run and running super payment still happens in Xero.

  • A Super payment is on Needs attention, Issues, or Payment errors. What do I do? See Fix SuperChoice Issues and Payment errors.

  • Why did Super profiles need attention arrive after a booking was already confirmed? Confirming a booking only uses the conditions on that booking (for example signing the contract). Super details are separate. Super is not sent until fund and member details are complete. The weekly email lists payments still waiting on those details so they can be filled before the next Super send. Open Review super to Needs attention.

  • Does paying the artist invoice in Xero send Super? No. Xero invoice sync and SuperChoice are separate. A paid invoice can make Super Ready to send. Super still needs a SuperChoice connection on the employer Account (for a venue group, that is the venue), plus a send from that Account’s Superannuation dashboard.

  • We run several venues. Why is Ready Super on the group Account? The venue that pays the invoice must be ticked under Settings → Integrations → SuperChoice → Rosters on the group Account, and SuperChoice must be connected on that venue. Until then, Super stays on the group. Do not Send all ready from the group. Reply to support so pending Super can be moved onto the venue. See Connect SuperChoice for super payments.

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