The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) has substantial powers to investigate underpayment of super and penalize employers for non-compliance.
A person recently discovered their employer had not paid superannuation for about nine months after leaving the company. The employer paid some amount after being queried, but the individual calculated they were still owed thousands of dollars and reported this to the ATO, which is now investigating.
Michael Hallinan, a special counsel at SUPERcentral, says the individual has done the right thing by going to the ATO to pursue the matter of unpaid workplace superannuation.
The situation is complicated by the company undergoing ownership changes, making it essential to follow up with the ATO to recover the unpaid super.
Author's summary: Recovering unpaid super requires ATO investigation.