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A default fund (or the employer nominated superannuation fund) is a fund to which you pay your employees' superannuation guarantee contributions if they do not choose a superannuation fund. This will be the fund named as the 'employer nominated superannuation fund' on the standard choice form you give to your employees.

Things to know about a default fund:

• You need to have an arrangement in place with a superannuation fund before they can be your default fund.
• You pay your employees superannuation into a default fund when they haven't chosen a superannuation fund.
• When an employee's chosen superannuation fund cannot accept a payment, the default fund should be used.

For more information about your superannuation guarantee obligations, go to Employers superannuation essentials on the ATO website at www.ato.gov.au then Businesses > Tax Topics A-Z > Superannuation

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The ABN I have entered for my employees fund does not work, what do I do now?

If you are having difficulty entering the ABN for a superannuation fund, you may not have entered the correct ABN. For example, superannuation funds often have trustees and administrators who also have their own ABNs. Check the details you have entered are correct and re-submit employees.

To conduct a more accurate search you can also use a SPIN (Superannuation Product Identification Number) number - the number a superannuation fund allocates to its products. Some superannuation funds have multiple products under their ABN.

If your employee has selected their own superannuation fund, this information should be provided on the Choice form.

A directory of SPINs can be found at www.apir.com.au/public/spinDirectory.jsp.

You can also use the Super Fund Lookup website at www.superfundlookup.gov.au to find a fund's ABN. The Super Fund Lookup website contains information about all superannuation funds.

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Do I need to have a default fund?

Generally, yes. When you register your employees in the Clearing House, you will have to specify each employee's superannuation fund. Often, employees will use your default fund for their payments. If you have set-up a default fund, it is a single click to assign the default fund for each affected employee. Your default fund is the employer nominated superannuation fund named on the standard choice form you give to your employees.

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How do I add my default fund?

Superannuation funds are generally identified by an ABN and/or a SPIN.

1. Enter either the fund's ABN or SPIN.
2. If you enter the ABN and multiple products exist for the fund, you will need to select the appropriate product.
3. Select the correct product from the list. Sending it to the wrong product may result in payment being rejected by the superannuation fund. Confirm the details are correct and select Submit to continue with your registration.
4. Most of superannuation funds require a registration process to create a member's account. Contact the nominated fund directly before making your first payment for an employee to make sure that the registration process is complete.

If you have more than one default fund, call 1300 660 048*.

The following quick reference guide is available for assistance.

• Employer default fund set-up [PDF, 2293KB]
• Employer default fund set-up [RTF, 18KB]

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What is a SPIN?

A SPIN (Superannuation Product Identification Number) is the number a superannuation fund allocates its products. For example, ABC fund may have a fast growth product. The fast growth product may have a SPIN to help identify it. Generally, SPINs will be in a format similar to ABC1256AU and may be provided by your employees on their standard choice form.

When you have entered a SPIN, the name of the product and the associated superannuation fund will display. Confirm the details are correct and select Submit to continue with your registration.

A directory of SPINs can be found at www.apir.com.au/public/spinDirectory.jsp.

You can also use the Super Fund Lookup website at www.superfundlookup.gov.au to find a fund's ABN. The Super Fund Lookup website contains information about all superannuation funds.

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Why do you need my bank account details?

If you deposit funds to the Clearing House and the amount does not match the payment instructions you provide or if the nominated fund can not accept the payment, we will return the money to your nominated bank account in the Clearing House.

This will allow you to either re-deposit the correct amount or update your instructions accordingly.

Some of reasons that the fund will reject your money are:

• registration is not complete with the relevant superannuation fund for either the employer or employees.
• the employee's information that you have provided is incorrect and the superannuation fund is unable to find the employee in their record.
• the employee has left the fund and no longer holds an account with the superannuation fund.
• the superannuation fund has closed the product and is no longer receiving the contributions from its members.

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Employee listing screen

What is the employee listing for?

The employee listing shows all of the employees linked to your business in one place. This makes it easier for you to select the right employee to change details if required.

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What if I want to update details for one of my employees?

If you need to change details for one of your employees, select the employees listing menu, then select the employee you need to update.

When the new information is entered in the field, select Submit until you receive confirmation from the Clearing House that the update is complete.

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What if I need to add a new employee?

Select Add new employee at the bottom of the employee list. The Employee details page will display. Enter the details of your new employee.

After entering your employee's details you can select the relevant fund option.

Add choice fund should be used if your employee has chosen their own superannuation fund.

Add default fund should be used if:

• your employee has chosen to use your default fund
• your employee has not chosen a superannuation fund
• your employee's chosen superannuation fund cannot accept a payment.

When you select the fund option you can search for the product by either the fund's ABN or SPIN. This information can be obtained from your superannuation fund or may be provided by your employees on their standard choice form.

A directory of SPINs can be found at www.apir.com.au/public/spinDirectory.jsp.

You can also use the Super Fund Lookup website at www.superfundlookup.gov.au to find a superannuation fund's ABN. The Super Fund Lookup website contains information about all superannuation funds.

Most superannuation funds require a registration process to create the member's account. Please contact the nominated superannuation fund directly before making your first payment for an employee to make sure that the registration process is complete.

The following quick reference guide is available for assistance.

• Adding and editing employees [PDF, 970KB]
• Adding and editing employees [RTF, 22KB]

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Employee details screen

What is the employee start date used for?

When you make superannuation contributions for your employees, we will use the employment start and termination dates to determine which employees are populated on the page for you.

The employment start date may be used by superannuation funds to help understand whether a new employee has started with your business. This will help you reduce the possibility of duplicate accounts being opened for your employees.

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How do I delete an employee?

To delete an employee you will need to enter a termination date for the employee. They will be removed from the employee list for contributions.

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I don't have an employee's tax file number, can I still register them with the Clearing House?

Yes, where a TFN has not been provided, a reason must be selected from the Reason for no TFN drop-down list.

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What do I do if I don't know the fund's ABN?

If your employee has selected their own superannuation fund, this information should be provided on the choice form.

To conduct a more accurate search you can also use a SPIN - the number a superannuation fund allocates its products. Some superannuation funds have multiple products under their ABN. Using the SPIN number will make sure the payment is directed to the right product.

A directory of SPINs can be found at www.apir.com.au/public/spinDirectory.jsp.

You can also use the Super Fund Lookup website at www.superfundlookup.gov.au to find a superannuation fund's ABN. The Super Fund Lookup website contains information about all superannuation funds.

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How do I set up a superannuation fund for my employee?

To set up a superannuation fund for an employee, select either Add choice fund or Add default fund.

Add choice fund should be used if your employee has elected to choose their own superannuation fund.

Add default fund should be used if:

• your employee has chosen to use your default fund
• your employee has not chosen a superannuation fund
• an employee's chosen superannuation fund cannot accept a payment.

The default fund details were captured when you completed the employer registration. To change your default fund select Employer details from the side menu.

Add default fund
If you selected Add default fund, a new line will display showing the default fund details for the employee.

Add choice fund
If you selected Add choice fund, a new page will display. You will need to enter either the superannuation fund's ABN or the SPIN and select Search. This will bring up the chosen superannuation fund details for you to select.

The following quick reference guide is available for assistance.

• Employee superannuation fund set-up [PDF, 1559KB]
• Employee superannuation fund set-up [RTF, 34KB]

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What is a choice fund?

A choice fund is the superannuation fund nominated by your employee. Most employers are required to provide a standard choice form to their employee within 28 days of starting work for them. Employees can nominate their chosen superannuation fund either on the standard choice form or by written notice to the employer.

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Do I need to add bank account details for my employee's nominated superannuation fund?

If the status in the bank details column reads:

• Provided by fund - bank account details have already been provided by the superannuation fund. No action is required.
• Add bank details - you are required to enter the bank details. Once entered, these details will be saved in the Clearing House for future use. For example, a superannuation fund may have a separate bank account per member.
• Edit bank details - you can amend the bank account details you have previously entered, if required.

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What if I don't have a member number for my employee's nominated superannuation fund?

A member number can be either optional or mandatory depending on the requirement of the superannuation fund. If the member number is mandatory, the system will advise you when you enter your employee superannuation fund set-up details. If you don't have these details, check with your employee or their superannuation fund.

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Employee payments screen

Why aren't all of my employees appearing when I select payment instructions?

You may not have entered the employee's allocated superannuation funds bank account details or, you may have entered a date in the employee termination field. You will need to update information for your employee by selecting the Employee details tab on the left hand side of the screen.

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What column do I use to enter the different types of payments for my employee, for example, salary sacrifice?

To help you select the right column for your employees' contribution amounts, the information below provides a breakdown of the contribution types for each column.

Super guarantee - this is the nine (9) per cent superannuation payment you are required to make for most of your employees. These contributions are in addition to your employees' salaries and wages.

Additional employer - this is any other employer contribution amount. This can include salary sacrifice(s) and any superannuation contributions above the superannuation guarantee amount.

Employee voluntary - this is the employee's (post-tax) contribution amount. This is an amount an employee asks you to take out of their pay and deposit into their superannuation fund. It does not include salary sacrifice amounts.

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How do I make a payment to the Clearing House?

When you need to make a payment:

1. Key in the 'from' and 'to' dates your payment will cover. The system will populate all employees for that period.
2. Key in the dollar amount to be paid for each employee (if a standard amount, the field can also be populated).
3. You then make a single Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) or BPAY payment to the Clearing House.
4. The Clearing House will distribute funds to the relevant superannuation funds once a match is made with your deposit and the contribution instruction.

The following quick reference guides are available for assistance.

• Creating a payment instruction [PDF, 776KB]
• Creating a payment instruction [RTF, 110KB]
• Making a payment to the clearing house [PDF, 387KB]
• Making a payment to the clearing house [RTF, 73KB]

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What happens if I deposit the wrong amount?

The amount deposited through EFT or BPAY must exactly match the total amount detailed in your payment instruction. If the amount deposited does not match, the Clearing House will reject and refund the deposit. The refund will be paid into your nominated bank account, as stored in the employer menu.

If you make multiple EFT or BPAY payments within the same working day, the deposited amounts are totalled at the end of the day and matched to a payment instruction.

Example: employer deposits $50.00 at 10.00am and $80.50 at 2.30pm. The total deposited amount of $130.50 is matched to a payment instruction.

Generally, if you make a payment by 6.00pm Australian Eastern Standard Time* (AEST) †, payment advice will be received by the Clearing House the next business day. If a payment is made after 6.00pm AEST†, payment advice will be received by the Clearing House in two (2) business days.

† This time may vary between financial institutions.

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History Screen

What do the different status terms on the 'Payment History' page mean?

The table below details contributions history status meanings.

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Are reports available?

For employers, once you have made payments you will be able to view these through the instructions history tab on the employer's main page within the Clearing House website.

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Employee annual statement screen

How do I download an annual statement for my employees?

You can download an annual statement for your employees to show a history of successful payments made to the employee's nominated superannuation fund/s within a specific financial year.

The following quick reference guide is available for assistance.

• Employee Annual Statement [PDF, 515KB]
• Employee Annual Statement [RTF, 83KB]

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Complaints or feedback

What do I do if I would like to make a complaint or provide feedback?

If you have a complaint or would like to give feedback about the Clearing House:

• call our dedicated Complaints and Feedback line on 1800 465 717** (between 8.30 am - 5.00 pm AEST)
• email customer.feedback@medicareaustralia.gov.au
• fill in our online feedback form

* Call charges apply.
** Call charges apply from mobile and pay phones only.