The ATO Small Business Clearing House shuts down on 1st July 2026. This change affects how many tradies pay employee super.
If you run a trade business with staff, this matters. Super still needs to be paid on time. But the way you do it may change.
For tradies across Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Canberra, Hobart, Darwin, and beyond, the good news is simple. You may already have a solution in place 👍
What Is Changing On 1st July 2026
The ATO Small Business Super Clearing House will close from 1st July 2026.
This service has helped small businesses for years. It allowed you to:
- Send one payment
- Split super across funds
- Keep everything in one place
Now, the ATO is moving away from this system. Digital payroll tools are taking over.
You can read the official update on the
https://www.ato.gov.au/businesses-and-organisations/super-for-employers
If You Use Xero, MYOB Or QuickBooks
Here’s what many tradies don’t realise.
If you already use accounting software like:
You may already have a built-in clearing house.
Most systems can:
- Calculate super during payroll
- Prepare payment batches
- Send payments to super funds
- Store records in one place
If you run payroll weekly, fortnightly or monthly, super is already part of that process.
That means no extra logins. No double handling. No chasing paperwork 🙌
If Super Is Still Being Handled Separately
Some tradies are still paying super outside of their payroll.
That might be:
Logging into the ATO Small Business Clearing House
Using a super fund clearing service
Or handling it through another portal
There’s nothing wrong with that.
But it does mean one thing:
👉 It’s a second step.
Payroll gets done.
Then super gets handled after.
Logged into separately.
Entered separately.
Paid separately.
It works.
But when things get busy, that second step is usually the one that gets pushed.
Some super funds offer their own clearing house tools, like:
https://www.cbussuper.com.au/employers/payment-options
These can still work after 1st July 2026.
But they still involve going somewhere else to get it done.
Why This Matters For Trade Businesses
Running payroll in a trade business isn’t simple.
There are a lot of moving parts:
- Wages
- Allowances
- Super
- Leave
- Tax
When systems work well, this runs in the background.
When they don’t, things pile up fast.
The shutdown of the clearing house is one of those moments.
It either simplifies things – or adds more admin.
What Tradies Should Check Before July
Before 1st July 2026, it’s worth checking a few things:
- Is payroll set up correctly?
- Is super calculating properly?
- Do you know how super is being paid?
- Is your system connected to a clearing house?
Many tradies assume it’s all sorted.
Until something breaks.
A quick check now can save a lot of stress later 👍
Clean Systems Make Life Easier
Good systems don’t just keep you compliant.
They make business easier to run.
When everything connects:
- Reports make sense
- BAS gets easier
- Your accountant gets clean data
- You get time back
That’s the real goal.
Less admin. More time running jobs with the boys 🔧
If you want to see how this can work in practice, you can explore more tips at
https://tradiesbookkeeping.com.au
Final Thought
The ATO Small Business Clearing House shuts down soon.
At first, it feels like another compliance change.
But with the right setup, it can actually make things simpler.
The difference usually comes down to one thing.
Having the right system behind the scenes.