If your finance or payroll team already works in Xero, Xero Payroll super lets you prepare ready super as draft payroll lines from the Superannuation dashboard.
Xero is a widely used cloud accounting platform with payroll tools in Australia. This path keeps booking invoices separate from super, while letting your payroll team review, post, and pay super from the Xero workflow they already know.
For the general Xero setup for invoices, contacts, tax, tracking, recovery, and connection settings, see Connect Xero.
Why use Xero Payroll for super
Use Xero Payroll when payroll review already happens in Xero and your team wants booking super prepared there before payment.
Ready super can be prepared for Xero from the Superannuation dashboard.
Draft payroll super lines are prepared in Xero Payroll.
Your payroll team still reviews the pay run before anything is posted or paid.
Sent items are grouped by Xero pay period in the Superannuation dashboard.
Booking invoice sync stays separate, so super is not added as an invoice line.
Before you start
Use an AUD Account with superannuation turned on.
Connect Xero from Settings, Integrations.
Make sure the Xero user has Payroll access for the connected Xero account.
Request complete payee super details before you send. You can enter details manually when needed, but most teams send a secure request once and reuse the saved profile.
Decide whether missing Xero payroll records should be created automatically or reviewed manually first.
Collect payee details once
Xero Payroll super uses the same contact payment profiles as the rest of the super workflow. You do not need to collect a fresh set of fund and member details every time a contact appears in a pay run.
From a contact's Payments tab, you can:
copy a Request link and send it yourself
send a tracked Request payment details email
enter details manually if the payee has given them to you another way
Invite links can also request payment details during signup, so new contacts can share bank, tax, and super details before their first payment is due.
Once the payee completes the request, the details are saved to the contact payment profile. Future Xero Payroll handoffs can use that saved profile unless the payee's details change.
Related article: Request payment details.
Choose Xero Payroll as the payment method
Open Settings.
Go to Payments.
Find Superannuation payments.
Set Payment method to Xero Payroll.
Select Save.
Only one super payment method is active for new sends at a time. Xero invoice sync can still stay connected separately.
Check Xero Payroll readiness
Open Settings.
Go to Integrations.
Open Xero.
Go to Superannuation.
If everything is ready, the panel shows Xero Payroll is ready.
If setup is still needed, follow the message in the panel. You may need to reconnect Xero with Payroll access or use a Xero user with Payroll admin access.
Configure Xero Payroll super settings
Use the Superannuation section of the Xero integration to choose how draft super lines should be prepared.
You can set:
Send timing: choose Manual or After invoice is paid.
Super expense account: use the Xero payroll default or choose an account.
Super liability account: use the Xero payroll default or choose an account.
Default payroll calendar: choose the Xero payroll calendar to use when needed.
Default earnings rate: choose the Xero earnings rate to use when needed.
Auto-create employees: allow a payroll-ready Xero record when no clear payee match exists.
Auto-create APRA funds: allow APRA funds to be added to Xero when the fund details are complete.
Select Save after changing the integration settings.
Send super to Xero
When an invoice is paid and the payee details are complete, the related super payment can appear in Ready to send on the Superannuation dashboard.
From there you can:
Select Send all to Xero to send everything ready.
Open a row and select Send to Xero for a single payment.
Review any missing details if a row appears in Needs attention or Issues.
If send timing is set to After invoice is paid, ready super can be prepared for Xero after the invoice payment is recorded. You can still review the dashboard for attention items and payment history.
What happens after sending
A successful send shows Sent to Xero.
In Xero, your payroll team still reviews the draft pay run, posts it, and runs super payment when ready. Sending from the dashboard does not post the pay run, submit Auto Super, or move money by itself.
The Superannuation dashboard shows Xero Payroll history in Pay periods. Each pay period groups sent super by Xero draft pay run, with payees and invoice rows underneath.
Keep invoices and super separate
Xero invoice sync and Xero Payroll super are separate.
Booking invoices sent to Xero stay focused on the deal-term invoice amount. Add-on-top super is shown separately on the booking invoice and is not added as a Xero invoice line.
Use the invoice flow for the booking invoice. Use Xero Payroll super for draft payroll super lines.
Common questions
Does this pay super automatically? No. It prepares draft payroll super lines in Xero. Posting the pay run and paying super still happens in Xero.
Does this change Xero invoice sync? No. Booking invoices still sync separately, without adding super as an invoice line.
What payee details are needed? Payee profiles should include the super fund, member details, TFN where required, contact details, date of birth, gender, and residential address where required. You can request these from the contact or enter them manually.
Can self-managed super funds be used? Yes. Self-managed fund details can be saved on the payee profile and used for Xero Payroll super when complete.
What if a row cannot be sent? Open the row from Needs attention or Issues, fix the missing payee or Xero setup details, then send it again.