General information only — not legal advice. First speak with your employer, then if unsuccessful contact Fair Work or an employment lawyer.
REVIEW MYPAY

Retail Super Not Being Paid — What Can I Do?

Last updated: April 2026 · MA000004

Your employer must pay superannuation at 12% on top of your gross wages. This applies to all retail employees — full-time, part-time, and casual — regardless of age or earnings. Unpaid super is one of the most common and expensive forms of wage theft in retail.

A casual working 20 hours per week loses over $3,000 per year in retirement savings when super is not paid.

The rule

Under the Superannuation Guarantee, employers must pay 12% of your ordinary time earnings into your nominated super fund. This is on top of your gross wages, not deducted from them. Payments must be made at least quarterly. Failure to pay super attracts penalties and interest from the ATO.

What this looks like in practice

Level 1 casual, 20 hours/week at $33.19/hr:

  • Weekly gross: ~$663.80
  • Super owed per week: ~$79.66 (12%)
  • Super owed per year (48 weeks): ~$3,823.68

That is $3,823.68 per year stolen from your retirement — and it compounds over decades.

How to check your super

  1. Log into your super fund and check your contribution history.
  2. Contributions should appear quarterly at minimum.
  3. Each contribution should be approximately 12% of your gross pay for that quarter.
  4. If contributions are missing, report it to the ATO.

Not sure if your Retail Award pay is right?

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Frequently asked questions

How do I check if my super is being paid?

Log into your super fund (e.g., AustralianSuper, REST, Hostplus) and check your contribution history. Your employer must pay super at least quarterly. If there are gaps, or if the amounts do not match 12% of your gross pay, super is not being paid correctly.

I earn under $450 per month. Do I still get super?

Yes. Since 1 July 2022, the $450 per month threshold was removed. All employees are entitled to super regardless of how much they earn. If your employer told you that you do not qualify because of low earnings, that is wrong.

My employer says super is included in my hourly rate. Is that legal?

Only if your employment contract explicitly states that your rate is inclusive of super and the total still meets the award minimum plus super. In most cases, super must be paid on top of your gross wages. A verbal claim that "super is included" with no written documentation is not sufficient.

Check your total pay including super — it takes 2 minutes.

Not sure if your Retail Award pay is right?

Enter your shifts and find out in 2 minutes. Free, instant, based on official Fair Work rates.

Check my pay now

No sign-up required

General information only. Verify at fairwork.gov.au.