Payroll due and the money isn't there? Keep your people paid.

When the cash and the pay run don't line up

Every business owner who employs people knows the feeling. The pay run is due on Thursday, the big invoice was supposed to be paid last week, and the account balance doesn't cover it. Staff have rent and mortgages too, and missing a pay day damages trust you spent years building.

The cause is usually timing rather than a broken business. A builder waiting on a progress claim, a manufacturer that has just paid for a large batch of raw materials, a labour-hire firm whose clients pay on 60-day terms while staff are paid weekly. The work is done and the money is coming; it just isn't here yet.

Payday Super has changed the timing

From 1 July 2026, Payday Super requires employers to pay superannuation guarantee contributions at the same time as wages, rather than quarterly. Contributions generally need to reach the employee's fund within days of each payday. For many businesses that removes a quiet cash buffer they had been relying on, where super for the quarter was paid weeks after the wages.

The practical effect is that every pay run now carries the super cost with it. Late or missed contributions can bring the superannuation guarantee charge and related penalties, and unpaid super is one of the debts that can lead to a director penalty notice. Your accountant can confirm the exact rules for your payroll; our role is to make sure the cash is there.

Why the usual options fall short

An overdraft increase or a bank refinance needs financials, a credit check and time, often up to three months or more. Many cash flow lenders lend on bank statements that already show the strain, and they may decline or offer less than you need. Trade credit doesn't pay wages.

Equity Tap lends from $50k to $5m for one to twelve months, secured by a first mortgage, second mortgage or caveat over residential or commercial property anywhere in Australia. We don't need tax returns, BAS, profit and loss, an accountant's letter or bank statements for a property-secured loan, and we don't order a valuation before approval.

How a payroll bridging loan works

1. Work out the gap. Add up wages, super and PAYG withholding across the pay runs until the money you are waiting on arrives. Borrow enough to cover the whole gap, not just this week.
2. Call us. On 1300 123 024, tell us the amount, the property and the event that will repay the loan.
3. Conditional approval. Often given on the phone, with a term sheet in about 30 minutes once we have the scenario.
4. Settlement. Eligible loans can settle in as little as 24 hours.
5. No scheduled payments. Interest for up to the first six months can be prepaid or added to the loan, so the loan doesn't compete with the next pay run.
6. Repay on the exit. When the receivable lands, the contract pays, or a refinance completes, the loan is cleared.

Take the money only for as long as you need it

A payroll gap is short by nature. It makes little sense to restructure a business onto a 20 or 30 year loan to fix a six-week problem. With Equity Tap you can take the money for two months if two months is what you need. That is the point of short-term business lending: fast in, fast out.

For example, a cleaning contractor wins a large new site and has to hire and pay a team for six weeks before the first monthly invoice is paid. A short-term loan against the owner's home, on a second mortgage behind the existing home loan, covers wages and super until the client starts paying. The exit is the contract income or a refinance once the new revenue shows in the accounts.

Common exits

• Collection of outstanding receivables or progress claims.
• Payment on a signed contract.
• Sale of equipment, stock or a property.
• A bank refinance once trading figures support it.
• An insurance payout after a business interruption.

Past arrears are not automatically a problem

If super or PAYG is already behind, you're not alone. There is no credit check at initial assessment, and ATO debt, defaults or a past decline are not automatically a problem. If you have older arrears to clear at the same time, see our pages on an ATO tax debt loan and GST and BAS arrears, and our working capital guide.

What we need

ID, property and existing mortgage details, the purpose (the pay runs and super you need to cover) and evidence of the exit, such as aged receivables, a contract or a refinance pre-approval. That is usually enough to give a conditional answer.

Brokers

Clients with a payroll gap need an answer this week, not next quarter. Send the scenario via our broker page and talk directly with the team that decides.

Keep your team paid

We are business owners lending to business owners, and we know what a missed pay day means. Each loan is priced on the client's individual circumstances, aiming for the sharpest rate available for that situation, with the full cost shown before you proceed. Apply online or call 1300 123 024.

Business-purpose lending only. Approval, timing and terms depend on the scenario.

Frequently asked questions

Brokers: send the scenario through the Equity Tap broker channel and you will deal with the same lending team.