Australian Hospitality in 2026: What’s Changing and How to Prepare
Australia’s hospitality industry has always operated under pressure. But 2026 has brought an unusual convergence of change alongside continuing cost pressures and increasingly cautious consumers.
Some of those changes have already arrived. Payday Super commenced in July and the ATO’s Small Business Superannuation Clearing House has closed. The next major deadline is the end of card surcharges on 1 October.
None of this is a reason to panic. But it is a year that rewards preparation.
The headline changes
Card surcharges will end from 1 October 2026
Super must now be paid with every pay run
The ATO’s Small Business Superannuation Clearing House has closed
Operating costs remain high
Consumers continue to spend carefully
If you run a venue, these changes affect your pricing, cash flow, payroll and systems.
1. Card Surcharges Are Ending
From 1 October 2026, card networks will prohibit businesses from adding a surcharge to payments made using eftpos, Visa, Mastercard and American Express.
The change covers debit, prepaid and credit card payments. It applies to card surcharges, not hospitality weekend or public holiday surcharges or genuine fees for separately identifiable services.
For customers, pricing becomes simpler.
For venues, the surcharge disappears but the cost of accepting cards does not.
Venues will still pay merchant, processing, terminal and other payment-related costs. Those costs will need to be absorbed, reduced or incorporated into the venue’s broader pricing.
The RBA is also lowering interchange fee caps. This should reduce payment costs for many businesses, but interchange is only one component of the total merchant fee. A lower interchange cap does not necessarily mean your complete transaction rate will fall by the same amount.
The actual result will depend on your provider, pricing arrangement, transaction mix and whether the savings are passed through.
What to do now…
Gather at least three months of merchant statements
Calculate how much surcharge income the venue currently receives
Ask your existing provider for the total rates and fees that will apply after 1 October
Compare providers using the complete cost—not just an advertised transaction rate
Check contract terms, exit fees, terminal costs and POS compatibility
Review every place customers pay, including EFTPOS, pay-at-table, QR ordering, online orders, deposits and payment links
Make pricing decisions only after you understand the likely financial impact
Changing payment arrangements can take time. Venues considering another provider should begin comparing their options now, rather than waiting until late September.
Payment and ordering providers may also change how their fees, settlements and reports operate before October. Check what the customer will pay, what the venue will receive and how transactions will appear in your POS and accounting system.
2. Payday Super has started
Since 1 July 2026, employers have been required to pay superannuation contributions at the same time as wages.
In most cases, the contribution must reach the employee’s nominated super fund within seven business days of payday. Different timeframes can apply in limited situations, including the first contribution for a new employee.
For hospitality businesses, this has changed both payroll processes and cash-flow timing.
Many venues have:
Large casual workforces
Frequent staff turnover
Weekly or fortnightly pay runs
Irregular weekly revenue
New employees commencing at short notice
Limited time to correct incomplete super details
Payday Super has also brought existing payroll issues to the surface more quickly. Incomplete onboarding, invalid fund details and rejected contributions now leave far less time for follow-up.
What venues should be checking
Super is being processed with every pay run
Contributions are reaching employee funds within the required timeframe
Rejected or returned payments are followed up promptly
Employee super details are collected and checked during onboarding
Payroll and super reports are reconciled
Cash-flow forecasts reflect the new payment frequency
Better onboarding and faster follow-up have never been more important.
3. The ATO clearing house has closed
The ATO’s Small Business Superannuation Clearing House closed permanently on 1 July 2026 and is no longer available.
Businesses that previously used it need an alternative SuperStream-compliant payment method.
If your venue has not completed that transition, it needs immediate attention. Payroll software may offer an integrated super payment option, but businesses should confirm that it is active, properly configured and successfully sending contributions.
The transition should also include checking:
Who is responsible for submitting each super payment
When payments are authorised
How rejected contributions are identified
Where payment confirmations and reports are stored
How super liabilities are reconciled against payroll and the general ledger
The broader operating reality
These reforms are not happening in isolation.
Hospitality businesses continue to manage rising wages, insurance, energy, food and beverage costs. At the same time, households are watching discretionary spending more closely, which can affect both visit frequency and average spend.
Costs keep stacking up while competition for the customer dollar increases.
That makes operational discipline more important than ever.
Key dates for 2026
1 July 2026: Payday Super commenced
1 July 2026: The ATO Small Business Superannuation Clearing House closed
1 October 2026: Card surcharges end
The bottom line
Hospitality businesses will adapt, as they always do. But the venues in the strongest position will be those that:
Understand their true payment costs
Compare merchant arrangements before the deadline
Adjust pricing deliberately rather than reactively
Keep payroll and super processes clean
Monitor cash flow closely
Check that operational and accounting systems remain aligned
The card surcharge ban is the next major deadline. There is still time to prepare, but reviewing merchant costs and provider arrangements should start now.
As always, we are here to help if you need us.