Managing Super Choice Forms When Hiring Arborist Staff

The 28-Day Rule for New Employees

You must provide eligible employees with a superannuation standard choice form within 28 days of their start date. This isn’t just a suggestion – it’s a legal requirement that applies to all eligible workers regardless of their experience level or how long you think they’ll stay with your business.

For arborist businesses, this timeline can be challenging during busy periods when you’re hiring multiple crew members quickly for new jobs. However, missing this date can lead to compliance issues and potential penalties that will eat into your profits.

Who Gets Choice and Who Doesn’t

Not every worker you hire needs to be offered super choice. Generally, all employees aged 18 and over are eligible for super choice when they start a new job. Employees under 18 are only eligible if they work more than 30 hours in a week.

This is particularly relevant for arborist businesses that often hire younger workers or apprentices. If you have a 17-year-old apprentice working only weekends, they may not be eligible for super choice until they turn 18 or start working more than 30 hours weekly.

Your Default Super Fund Obligations

Before giving any employee a choice form, you must set up your own default super fund where super contributions go if an employee doesn’t make a choice. Your employer’s default fund must be authorised to offer a MySuper product and accept contributions from your business.

The Super Choice Form Process Step-by-Step

Getting the super choice process right from day one saves you headaches down the track and keeps you compliant while you focus on managing your tree service operations.

Completing Section C Before Handing Out Forms

You must complete section c of the superannuation standard choice form with your business and default fund details before giving it to any employee. This includes your ABN, business name, and your default super fund’s details.

Many arborist business owners make the mistake of handing out blank forms, but this creates confusion and delays. Having pre filled forms with your details ready to go speeds up the process and looks more professional to new employees starting their employment with you.

What Employees Need to Provide

When employees return their completed form, they need to fill in specific information depending on their choice. If they’re nominating an existing super fund, they must provide the fund’s details and may need to attach a letter of compliance from the fund confirming it will accept contributions.

For employees who want to use their own fund, they need to provide the account details and tax file number information. If they already have existing super funds from previous jobs, they can choose to keep using that fund or change super funds to a new one.

The Two-Month Action Timeframe

Once you receive a completed form from your employee, you have two months to start making super contributions to their chosen fund. This gives you time to set up new fund relationships and update your payroll systems without rushing the process.

For arborist businesses managing multiple super funds, this timeframe helps you batch administrative tasks and potentially negotiate better fees with fund providers.

Record Keeping Requirements for Arborist Businesses

Proper record keeping isn’t just about staying compliant – it protects your business and makes managing your workforce much easier when dealing with employment obligations.

Five-Year Retention Period

You must keep completed super standard choice forms for five years from the date of employment or when employees chose or changed their fund. This applies whether they stayed with your business for five weeks or five years.

Store these records securely, either digitally or in physical files. Many arborist businesses use cloud storage solutions to ensure records are accessible but secure, especially when working across multiple job sites.

What Records Must Show

Your records need to demonstrate that you offered eligible employees a choice of super fund, details of employees who aren’t eligible for choice, and evidence that you provided the required forms within timeframes.

For arborist businesses with high staff turnover, maintaining these records becomes particularly important. You need to be able to prove compliance even for staff who only worked short periods on various tree service jobs.

Stapled Super Fund Request Documentation

If a new employee doesn’t choose a fund, you must make a stapled super fund request to find their existing eligible employee super account before you pay super contributions. Keep records of these requests and responses, as this documentation proves you followed the correct process.

Handling Staff Who Don’t Choose a Super Fund

Not every arborist staff member will return their choice form, and you need to know how to handle this situation properly to avoid compliance issues.

The Stapled Super Fund Request Process

For employees who started from November 2021, if they don’t choose a fund, you must request their existing super account details before making any payment. This process helps prevent employees from accumulating multiple super accounts, which can cost them in unnecessary fees and insurance premiums.

The request helps you find if they have existing super from previous employment that should continue receiving contributions.

When to Use Your Default Super Fund

You can only pay super into your employer’s default fund if there’s no existing fund found through the stapled super fund request process. For employees who started before November 2021, you can use your default fund if they don’t complete the form.

Following Up on Missing Forms

While you can’t force employees to complete choice forms, you should make reasonable efforts to get them filled in. Send reminders and explain the importance of the decision for their retirement savings, but avoid providing specific fund advice unless you’re licensed to give financial guidance.

Streamlining Super Choice for Growing Arborist Operations

As your arborist business grows and you take on more jobs, managing super choice forms becomes more complex but there are ways to make the process more efficient.

Setting Up Systems Early

Establish clear procedures for handling choice forms before you need them during busy hiring periods. Create a checklist that covers providing forms within 28 days, following up on incomplete returns, and making stapled super fund requests when necessary.

Many successful arborist businesses integrate super choice management into their employee onboarding process, ensuring nothing gets missed during busy job seasons when you’re hiring quickly.

Using Technology to Your Advantage

Consider payroll software that includes super choice functionality and connects to ATO online services. These systems can automatically track dates, generate required forms, and maintain compliance records. While there’s an upfront cost, the time savings and reduced compliance risk often justify the investment.

Some software can even integrate with official systems for stapled super fund requests, further reducing your administrative burden so you can focus on managing your tree service operations.

Training Office Staff on Requirements

If you have office staff handling paperwork, ensure they understand super choice requirements and important dates. Regular training updates help prevent costly mistakes and ensure consistent handling of all staff, from apprentices to experienced climbers.

Document your process so anyone can step in and handle super choice administration if needed. This is particularly important for seasonal arborist businesses where workloads change significantly throughout the year.

Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Learning from other arborist businesses’ mistakes can save you time, money, and compliance headaches while you focus on growing your operations.

Missing the 28-Day Deadline

The most common mistake is failing to provide choice forms within 28 days of an employee’s start date. This often happens during busy periods when hiring is urgent and paperwork gets delayed.

Set up calendar reminders or use payroll software with automated deadline tracking to ensure you never miss this requirement. Make providing the choice form part of your standard first-day paperwork routine for all new employees.

Not Completing Section C First

Handing out forms without your business fund details pre filled creates confusion and delays. Employees can’t complete their section b properly without knowing your default fund information.

Prepare batches of forms with section c completed and store them ready for new hires. This small step makes you look more professional and speeds up the entire process.

Inadequate Record Keeping

Poor record keeping becomes a major problem during ATO reviews or when dealing with employee super disputes. Digital records that can be easily searched and backed up are far superior to paper filing systems that can be lost or damaged.

Implement a systematic approach to record keeping from day one, rather than trying to organise years of paperwork retrospectively.

Integration with Business Growth and Cash Flow Management

Managing super choice forms properly supports your broader business goals and helps avoid cash flow disruptions that could impact your ability to pay employees and take on new jobs.

Avoiding Super Guarantee Charge Issues

Proper super choice management helps ensure your super payments reach the right funds on time. Late or incorrect payments trigger additional charges, which cost significantly more than the original super contribution amount.

For arborist businesses already dealing with seasonal cash flow challenges, avoiding these additional penalties is crucial for maintaining profitability and having money available for equipment and growth.

Supporting Staff Retention

Handling super choice professionally starts with a pre filled online form that’s easy for new staff to complete. It shows you’re organised and that you care about their long-term financial wellbeing and retirement savings.

Guiding each new hire to a complying fund, or helping them stay with a fund they already trust, proves you respect their money and their future. This attention to detail keeps good climbers and ground crew from drifting to competitors.

Putting these simple steps in place from day one cuts down admin headaches and lets you stay focused on managing trees and growing your operation, even when several new jobs land at once.