The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) is reminding employers of their obligations regarding super stapling with almost 80 per cent of individuals holding one super account.
The move to a large proportion of the population holding only one account is being viewed as a positive as it means members avoid holding duplicate accounts and incurring repeated fees or insurance.
ATO data shows the proportion of people with a single super account has increased steadily in recent years, rising from 76 per cent in 2022 to 79 per cent in 2025, reinforcing a clear trend towards consolidation.
For employers, the push towards super fund stapling brings about additional obligations.
“Under associated changes around advertising of super funds, there is a requirement that new employees must be shown information about their existing super fund, if they have one, alongside any other advertising of information about alternative funds. This helps prevent employees from unintentionally or inadvertently opening new super accounts,” the ATO said.
It also recommended employers request stapled super fund details through the ATO as a key safeguard against fraud and to protect privacy. Employers need to establish the employment relationship early in the onboarding process by submitting an STP pay event or lodging a tax file number (TFN) declaration as mismatched tax details can result in a lack of completion for the member.
For those employers using payroll or onboarding software should confirm their provider is authorised to act on their behalf to ensure only legitimate and authorised requests and information provided to the ATO is accurate.
ATO deputy commissioner, Ben Kelly, said: “‘Super fund stapling is designed to keep workers connected to the same super account as they move between jobs, helping them avoid unnecessary duplicate accounts and fees, and employers are central to making that work.”
‘For employers, the most important step is using the correct, ATO-authorised processes when requesting stapled super details, so employees receive the full benefit of the system.
“Providing accurate and complete information helps us correctly match records and return stapled fund details to employers, so double check with your employee that the details they’ve provided will match with ATO records.”
