A weight has lifted for worried businesses preparing for 2026’s regulatory changes, especially Payday Super, which requires employers to pay super with wages and pushes funds, clearing houses and banks to modernise decades-old systems before 1 July 2026.
Employment Hero has announced the first payment processed via HeroClear, a first-of-its-kind, embedded super-clearing and validation solution built with payments provider Zepto and SuperStream messaging provider OZEDI. By automating super clearing inside payroll, HeroClear delivers instant confirmations, fewer errors and a single audit trail – practical safeguards as the seven-day rule comes into force.
Unlike traditional clearing houses outside payroll, HeroClear enables contributions to be calculated, validated, paid and tracked end-to-end within the payroll workflow – no file uploads, no portal juggling and no manual reconciliation or missed errors.
With the Payday Super laws finalised less than a month ago, this milestone is both a technical first and a signal to the market: there is now a live, working pathway with modern rails, real-time error detection and full visibility to help employers meet their new obligations with confidence.
Rob Dunn, General Manager Benefits and Superannuation, Employment Hero says the first payment marks a turning point for payroll and superannuation in Australia:
“We’re incredibly proud to deliver this Australian first and show what modern, embedded super infrastructure makes possible. Fully embedding clearing into payroll is one of the most effective ways to reduce the time and cost of managing super payments. It’s a clear signal we’re supporting employers through one of the most significant payroll changes in decades.”
Chris Jewell, President and Co-Founder, Zepto echoed:
“Seeing Employment Hero process its first PayTo and super contributions through HeroClear just weeks after the legislation came into effect is a remarkable milestone. The speed and reliability delivered over the NPP show the power of real-time infrastructure, and Zepto’s API-led platform builds on that foundation with fast integration, instant settlement and full transparency.”
While in Beta, HeroClear is set to deliver material benefits at scale: Employment Hero Payroll processes ~A$120bn in wages and superannuation contributions annually for 350,000+ businesses.
Deborah Kerr, the first HeroClear beta customer at Chesterton Customseal says embedded clearing and real-time validation are essential under Payday Super:
“HeroClear picked up a critical fund error that our existing system missed. If it hadn’t flagged it, our super payment would have failed, but instead we fixed it instantly and everything went through smoothly. It was fast, simple and gave us confidence straight away.”
David Field, Director, OZEDI, added:
“It’s been incredible to be part of such a collaborative and fast delivery and to see the majority of payments to superannuation funds made with Zepto over the New Payments Platform (NPP). Employers really value the instant, date-and time-stamped receipt generated by the receiving bank account.”
Rob Dunn concluded:
“We’re already deep in the next phase of development to ensure HeroClear is ready for all Employment Hero Employment OS and Payroll customers well ahead of 1 July 2026. We look forward to sharing more with customers and the broader industry.”
Employers can learn more and sign up for updates at www.employmenthero.com/payday-super.