Answer
Lightning Payroll can be used to record and pay superannuation contributions for contractors or non-employees when your business has a super obligation for them.
The recommended approach is to set them up so their super is included in the normal Pays >> Payday Super workflow. The Super Fund Deposits screen should only be used for exceptional catch-up, legacy or support-directed handling.
Set Up The Contractor
- Add the contractor or non-employee as an employee record.
- In Pay Settings, set their pay period in line with the relevant pay cycle.
- Tick Super-only contractor? (No TFN, not reported in STP) if the person is being recorded only for super and should not be included in STP wage reporting.
- Do not enter a TFN for a super-only contractor unless your reporting setup specifically requires it.
- Enter the basic contact details and add their super fund, member number and primary fund selection under Employees >> Super >> Superannuation Fund.
Create The Super-Only Pay
- Go to the Pays screen and open the contractor pay.
- Click Edit next to Super.
- Enter the required amount in Compulsory Super or the appropriate super contribution field.
- Save and complete the pay.
Process The Contribution
After the pay is complete, click Payday Super on the Pays screen and include the contractor pay with the other pays in the run. Lightning Payroll will validate the fund and member details before creating the contribution batch.
Important: In the desktop app, contractors ticked as super-only are left out of STP automatically. If a contractor is not set up as super-only and is not being reported through STP, untick or exclude them when lodging STP for that pay run. Paying super and reporting wages are separate decisions.
If you are unsure whether a contractor is entitled to super, confirm with the ATO or your adviser before processing the contribution.
