Built from real sources, every card links to where the number came from. Figures were current as at 26 May 2026; always confirm specifics with your accountant or the relevant authority before acting.
Rules · Super · Big one
Payday Super starts 1 July. If you've got a crew, this isn't optional.
From 1 July 2026 super has to be paid at the same time as wages, not quarterly, and land in your workers' funds within 7 business days of payday. It's the biggest payroll shake-up in years, it changes your cash-flow rhythm, and the penalties for getting it wrong run up to 200% of the shortfall. If you pay apprentices or staff, both your payroll software and your cash flow need to be ready before the first July pay run.
Do this: check with your bookkeeper or payroll software now that it's payday-super ready, and stress-test paying super every cycle instead of every quarter.
Source: ATO & Fair Work Ombudsman ↗
Money · EOFY
$20k instant write-off ends 30 June, then drops to $1,000.
The $20,000 instant asset write-off runs until 30 June 2026, then falls to just $1,000 from 1 July unless the government extends it again. If your turnover's under $10M and you've eyed a sub-$20k tool, trailer or fit-out, the asset has to be installed and ready to use by 30 June, ordering in June but taking delivery in July doesn't count.
Do this: buy and install eligible gear before 30 June, and book your accountant before the EOFY rush.
Source: ATO ↗
Rules · Wages
Award wage decision lands within weeks, effective 1 July.
The Fair Work Commission hands down its 2026 wage decision in the first half of June, taking effect from the first full pay period on or after 1 July. Forecasts point to roughly a 3.25 to 4% lift (the current minimum sits at $24.95/hr). If you quote July work or employ on award rates, build the rise in now, or wear it out of your margin.
Do this: add the expected increase to labour lines on any quote dated for July onwards.
Source: Fair Work Commission ↗
Materials · Costs
Timber's easing, but steel and concrete are about to bite.
Timber has come off its highs, but new tariffs on imported steel (up to 82% on some Chinese hot-rolled coil; rebar duties lifted to 23.7% in May) plus freight disruption are set to push steel up from this quarter. Concrete's already climbing, suppliers have added fuel surcharges around $8/m³, with ready-mix now $120 to 250/m³.
Do this: lock supplier pricing on steel- and concrete-heavy jobs, shorten quote validity to 14 days, and add a price-rise clause.
Source: ABS Producer Price Indexes ↗
Demand · Market
Approvals at a 4-year high, the work's coming, if you can staff it.
Building approvals have hit their highest level in four years, house approvals up about 10% and multi-unit up 36% on two years ago, with detached building strongest in QLD, SA and WA. The catch everyone's hitting isn't demand, it's labour. Crew is the constraint right now, not work.
Do this: booked out? This is the window to lift rates and get picky. Got capacity? Lean your ads in hard while approvals are running.
Source: ABS Building Approvals / HIA ↗
Money · Relief
Behind on the ATO? There's fuel relief and 36-month payment plans.
There's $2.9B in fuel excise relief flowing and the heavy-vehicle road user charge is cut to zero until 30 June. If tax debt's biting, the ATO is running temporary payment plans for fuel-affected businesses, up to 36 monthly instalments, no upfront lump sum, and interest charges potentially remitted. With the ATO chasing $50B+ in debt (two-thirds of it small business), a notice is not something to bury.
Do this: behind on tax? Get your accountant to set up a payment plan before the ATO escalates, ignoring it is the expensive option.
Source: ATO / Treasury ↗