The start of a new financial year brings a long list of updates for small business owners, but a handful are worth paying attention to straight away.
From payday super and higher award wages to new seafood labelling rules and increased ASIC fees, here’s what changes from 1 July, and what it means for your business.
The seven 1 July 2026 changes you need to know
1. Super will be paid on payday
One of the biggest changes for employers is the move to payday super. Instead of paying superannuation quarterly, employers will need to pay super at the same time they pay wages.
The change is designed to reduce unpaid super and ensure employees receive their entitlements sooner. For business owners, the biggest impact is likely to be cash flow. Super will need to be funded every pay cycle rather than set aside and paid every few months.
Businesses that currently use the ATO’s Small Business Superannuation Clearing House will also need to find an alternative provider, as the service closed on 1 July.
Why it matters
Many businesses have built their cash flow around quarterly super payments. Moving to payday super means reviewing payroll processes and making sure sufficient funds are available each pay run.
What to do
Review your payroll software, check your super payment process and update your cash flow forecasts to account for more frequent payments.
2. Minimum wages are increasing
The Fair Work Commission has announced a 4.75 per cent increase to the National Minimum Wage and minimum award wages.
From the first full pay period on or after July 1, the National Minimum Wage increased to:
$26.44 per hour
$1,004.90 per week
Award rates will also increase.
Why it matters
Businesses with employees covered by awards will need to update pay rates and ensure payroll systems reflect the new minimums.
What to do
Check the awards that apply to your employees and make any necessary payroll adjustments for your pay run.
3. The $20,000 instant asset write-off is staying
After years of temporary extensions and uncertainty, the federal government has made the $20,000 instant asset write-off permanent for eligible small businesses with turnover under $10 million.
The measure allows eligible businesses to immediately deduct assets costing less than $20,000 instead of depreciating them over several years.
Why it matters
The permanent arrangement provides greater certainty when planning purchases such as equipment, machinery, technology upgrades and other business assets.
What to do
If you’ve been considering a business purchase, talk to us about whether it qualifies and how it fits into your broader tax strategy.
ASIC fees are increasing
A range of ASIC fees will rose from 1 July 2026.
Among the changes:
Business name registration (one year) increased from $45 to $47
Business name registration (three years) increased from $104 to $108
Company registration increased from $611 to $636
Annual review fees for proprietary companies increased from $329 to $342
Why it matters
The increases are relatively slight, but they add to the cost of running a company and should be factored into business budgets.
What to do
If you have company registrations, annual reviews or business name renewals due in the coming months, be aware of the higher fees.
5. New seafood labelling rules begin
Restaurants, cafes, pubs and other hospitality businesses that serve seafood will need to provide country-of-origin information for seafood sold to customers.
Businesses must indicate whether seafood is Australian, imported or a mix of both.
Why it matters
The new requirements are aimed at giving consumers clearer information about the seafood they are purchasing.
What to do
Review menus, signage and supplier information to ensure your business can accurately identify the origin of seafood products.
6. SMS marketing rules are changing
Businesses that use branded SMS sender IDs will need to comply with new registration requirements designed to reduce scams and fraudulent text messages.
Why it matters
Businesses that rely on SMS marketing, appointment reminders or customer communications may need to update their arrangements with messaging providers.
What to do
Contact your SMS provider and confirm any branded sender IDs used by your business are properly registered.
7. Check your compliance
While none of these changes are particularly complicated on their own, they affect some of the most important parts of running a business: payroll, compliance, staffing costs and customer communications. July is often when business owners review budgets, update systems and map out priorities for the year ahead. It’s also a good opportunity to check whether payroll software, bookkeeping processes and compliance requirements are up to date.
What to do
Add the 1 July changes to your EOFY checklist and work through them before they become a problem.
Source: Flying Solo
This article is reproduced with the permission of Flying Solo – Australia’s micro business community. Find out more and join over 100K others https://www.flyingsolo.com.au/join.
Important: This provides general information and hasn’t taken your circumstances into account. It’s important to consider your particular circumstances before deciding what’s right for you. Any information provided by the author detailed above is separate and external to our business and our Licensee. Neither our business, nor our Licensee take any responsibility for any action or any service provided by the author. Any links have been provided with permission for information purposes only and will take you to external websites, which are not connected to our company in any way. Note: Our company does not endorse and is not responsible for the accuracy of the contents/information contained within the linked site(s) ac www.flyingsolo.com.au
