Employer top tips

To make managing your super obligations easier

To assist you with managing your super obligations, we’ve put together some top tips to help you tackle the most common questions we get from employers who use Mercer Employer Portal or Mercer QuickSuper.

If you don’t use Mercer Super as your default fund and you need help, please email our Employer Support team at employer.support@esuper.com.au.

  • How do I create a Mercer Super account for a new employee?

    When an employee selects your default plan via a Choice Form, you’ll need to submit a Member Registration Request (MRR) with all of the relevant information to establish their account.

    Incorrect information may result in the MRR being rejected or the account creation being delayed.

    System Steps
    Mercer QuickSuper
    1. Log into Mercer QuickSuper and open the Administration menu, then select View Employees.
    2. Click Create Employee and enter their personal details and gender as well as:
      • Employment start date
      • Employment status (full time, part time, casual, contractor)
      • Occupation code (in the occupation description field)
      • Weekly hours
    3. Select the Fund Memberships tab and then click Add Fund Membership.
    4. Select Use default fund.
    5. Enter the Member ID as: UNKNOWN.
    6. Scroll down and enter the employee’s salary in the Salary For Insurance field.
    7. Enter the employee’s Fund Registration Date (the date they joined the fund).
    8. Enter the applicable Benefit Category (for more information on benefit categories, see ‘How do I assign an employee a benefit category?’).
    9. Click Save.
    Mercer Employer Portal
    1. Log into the Mercer Employer Portal and head to Add Member.
    2. Enter your employee’s details, including their personal details and gender.
    3. Enter the Member ID as: ‘UNKNOWN’.
    4. Scroll down to the Employment section and enter the below details:
      • Employment Start Date
      • Date joined fund/Fund registration date
      • Weekly hours
      • Salary details
      • Benefit category (for more information on benefit categories, see ‘How do I assign an employee a benefit category?’)
      • Occupation code
    5. Continue scrolling to the Product Details section, and click on Select Fund, then enter your Mercer Super plan details .
    6. Review all the details to confirm they’re correct, and then click Save.
    7. Click Confirm and Send, to update the employee record.

  • How do I assign a benefit category?

    Benefit categories ensure employees get the right insurance and contributions, so it’s important to include the correct benefit category when you set up your employee in the system or upload their employee/member file.

    If your employee prefers to use another super fund, simply enter ‘ACCUM’ in the benefit category field when you create their profile.

    For new employees, please follow the steps in How do I create a Mercer Super account for a new employee?

    To update the benefit category for an existing employee, please follow the steps below.

    System Steps
    Mercer QuickSuper
    1. Log into Mercer QuickSuper and open the Employees menu, then select View Employees.
    2. Click into the employee’s record, and go to the Fund Memberships tab.
    3. Select Edit Fund Membership and update the benefit category in the Benefit Category field.
    4. Click Next and then confirm your changes.
    Mercer Employer portal
    1. Log into the Mercer Employer Portal, and open the Maintenance menu, then select Member Maintenance.
    2. Use the Search bar to find your employee’s record and select it.
    3. Click the icon of a person in the Action column on the left-hand side.
    4. Scroll down through the employee’s details until you reach the Employment Section.
    5. Enter the benefit category in the Benefit Category field, then click Save.
    6. Click Confirm and Send to update the employee record.
    SAFF upload Include it in column CA of your file when you send employer contributions.

    Not sure which benefit category to choose?

    No worries. Reach out to our Employer Support team on 1800 682 525 (option 4) or your Client Executive if you have one.

    You can also find this information in your welcome communication from when you first joined Mercer Super.

  • How do I receive member numbers for new employees?

    Once you have set up a default fund membership for an employee, the member number is then returned to you via SuperStream.

    For employers using the Mercer Employer Portal, these will update on the employee record automatically.

    For Mercer QuickSuper users, these automatic updates can be turned on by heading to Preferences in the Administration menu and turning Apply member ID updates to ‘Yes’, then clicking Save.

    For all future members joining your default fund, you can then view their member number on their records by heading to the Employees menu and then selecting View Employees.

  • How do I update the fund registration date?

    Including the Fund Registration Date (also called ‘Date Joined Fund’) when you register your employees in your default superannuation plan is important, as it ensures their member benefits start from the right date and their insurance coverage is accurate.

    For example, if an employee started work on 1 May 2025 and joined your default super fund on that day, their Fund Registration Date should be 1 May 2025.

    For new employees, please follow the steps in How do I create a Mercer Super account for a new employee?

    To update the Fund Registration Date for an existing employee, please follow the steps below.

    System Steps
    Mercer Quicksuper
    1. Log into Mercer QuickSuper and open the Employees menu, then select View Employees.
    2. Click into the employee’s record, and go to the Fund Memberships tab.
    3. Select the fund membership you’re needing to update, then click Edit Fund Membership.
    4. Enter the fund registration date in the Fund Registration field.
    5. Click Next and then confirm your changes.
    Mercer Employer Portal
    1. Log into the Mercer Employer Portal, and open the Maintenance menu, then select Member Maintenance.
    2. Use the Search bar to find your employee’s record and select it.
    3. lick the icon of a person in the Action column on the left-hand side.
    4. Scroll down through the employee’s details until you reach the Employment Section.
    5. Enter the fund registration date in the Date Joined Fund field and click Save.
    6. Click Confirm and Send, to update the employee record.
    SAFF upload Enter this information in column BZ of your file.

  • How do I review an employee’s contribution history?

    If you need to review the contribution history of an employee, you can do this by following the steps below.

    System Steps
    Mercer QuickSuper
    1. Log into Mercer QuickSuper and open the Employees menu, then select View Employees.
    2. Click on the employee’s record and head to the Contribution History tab.
    3. Update the date filters as required and click Search.
    4. Click Export to download an excel file of their contribution history.
    Mercer Employer Portal
    1. Log into the Mercer Employer Portal and head to the Search/Reports page.
    2. Update the following filters:
      1. Date as required
      2. Message type to Contributions
      3. Member first name and Member surname
      4. Untick Date Initiated so that all information is placed into one report, rather than separate reports for each individual contribution.
    3. Click Search.
    4. Download the report by clicking the icon with the down arrow.

  • How do I update an employee’s super fund?

    Within the super industry it’s common for people to proactively change super funds, for funds to merge, or for Unique Superannuation Identifiers (USIs) to close.

    When this happens, it’s typically your employee’s responsibility to let you know about any changes to their super fund details.

    If you use Mercer QuickSuper or the Mercer Employer Portal, you’ll also receive notifications of any mergers or closures the clearing house has been notified of.

    For Mercer QuickSuper users, you can find this by heading to Notifications within the Administration menu, and for users of the Employer Portal, these will automatically pop up when you log in.

    Updating details

    Once you’re aware of the change, it’s important to update your system to avoid errors when you submit contributions for those employees.

    System Steps
    Mercer QuickSuper
    1. Log into Mercer QuickSuper and open the Employees menu, then select View Employees.
    2. Click into the employee’s record, and go to the Fund Memberships tab.
    3. Select the fund membership you need to update, then click Edit Fund Membership.
    4. Untick the box next to Active, then click Next and confirm your changes.
    5. Go back to the Fund Memberships tab and click Add Fund Membership.
    6. Enter the employee’s new super fund details and click Save.
    Mercer Employer Portal
    1. Log into the Mercer Employer Portal, and open the Maintenance menu, then select Member Maintenance.
    2. Use the Search bar to find your employee’s record and select it.
    3. Click the icon of a person in the Action column on the left-hand side.
    4. If applicable, update the employee’s member number in the Member No. field.
    5. Scroll down to Product Details and click on Select Fund.
    6. Enter the employee’s new super fund details and click Save.
    7. Click Confirm and Send, to update the employee record.

  • How do I find information on rejected contributions?

    Sometimes, a super fund may reject a contribution you’ve submitted for an employee. When this happens, you’ll receive an email letting you know that the contribution has been refunded – this will be sent to the email address registered on the administration/employer contact page of the clearing house.

    You can find details such as the refund reason by following the steps below.

    System Steps
    Mercer QuickSuper
    1. Log into Mercer QuickSuper and open the Search menu, then select Search Transactions.
    2. Click on the refund entry in your transaction list – this will appear as a Credit.
    3. Find the super fund marked Employer Credited under the Current Status heading, then click View Details.
    4. Find the employee marked Employer Credited and click View Details to see the rejection reason.
    Mercer Employer Portal
    1. Log into the Mercer Employer Portal and head to Search/Reports.
    2. Set the Message Type filter to show ‘Contributions’ and your Feedback Severity filter to show ‘Error’. Untick the Date Initiated field and then click Search.
    3. Download the report by clicking the icon with the down arrow.
    4. View the rejection reason on the far right of the report.

    Once you know why the contribution was rejected, update the information in your system and resubmit the contribution for your employee.

  • How do I avoid making unmatched payments?

    When using Mercer QuickSuper or the Mercer Employer Portal, sometimes payments may not match the contribution file you’ve created. This is called an unmatched payment, so the contribution can’t be processed to the super fund.

    To avoid unmatched payments, we’ve got three things you can check beforehand:

    1. Has the contribution batch been fully submitted?
      If your contribution batch isn’t fully authorised and submitted, the payment can’t be allocated. If you’ve already submitted it, try going back in and submitting it again to allow the payment to be processed.

    2. Has the right amount been paid?
      Overpaying or underpaying causes the clearing house system to fail matching your payment to the batch. Always make sure the payment amount matches the batch total exactly – down to the cent.

    3. Has the correct payment reference number (PRN) been used?
      The PRN links your payment to your contribution submission. If you forget to include it, the payment won’t match. If you realise you’ve made a payment without the PRN, email our team at employer.support@esuper.com with a screenshot of your payment confirmation. We’ll help get your payment processed correctly.

  • How do I tell you when an employee has left the business?

    When an employee is no longer employed by the business, it’s important to let us know so we can move them out of your employer plan and into the Retained or Individual Section of Mercer Super.

    If we aren’t told, they’ll remain listed as active in your employer plan and may continue paying for insurance, they’re no longer eligible for.

    This could cause problems for them later – eroding their balance and potentially leaving them without insurance cover if they try to make a claim.

    Updating their employment status helps avoid unnecessary stress and financial hardship when they need support the most.

    How to let us know

    Once you’ve made any final contributions for the employee, you can let us know they’ve left via your normal SAFF file by updating columns BD and BE (Employment End Date and Employment End Reason) with their termination details.

    You can also let us know by following the steps below.

    System Steps
    Mercer QuickSuper
    1. Log into Mercer QuickSuper and open the Employees menu, then select View Employees.
    2. Click into the employee’s record, and go to the Fund Memberships tab.
    3. Scroll down and click End Employment.
    4. Fill in the fields for Employment End Date and End Reason.
    5. Click the End Employment button again.
    Mercer Employer Portal
    1. Log into the Mercer Employer Portal, and open the Maintenance menu, then select Member Maintenance.
    2. Use the Search bar to find your employee’s record and select it.
    3. Click the icon of a person in the Action column on the left-hand side.
    4. In the Member Management section which displays the employee’s information, scroll down to the Employment tab.
    5. Fill in the fields for Employment End Date and Employment End Reason, then click Save.
    6. Click Confirm and Send, to update the employee record.

  • How do I add an employee’s self-managed super fund?

    When an employee gives you their self-managed super fund (SMSF) information, we suggest adding it to the system before linking it to their profile. This means if any SMSF details change you can update them in one place without creating duplicate records.

    Adding an SMSF to the system

    System Steps
    Mercer QuickSuper
    1. Log into Mercer QuickSuper and open the Funds menu, then select Create Fund.
    2. Enter the SMSF’s ABN (Australian Business Number), then click Look Up ABN.
    3. When the SMSF details appear, click Next.
      (Note: If the SMSF does not appear, please confirm with the employee that the details they’ve provided you match with what has been registered with the ATO).
    4. Follow the prompts to enter the SMSF details, including, employee details, bank account information and the Electronic Service Address (ESA).
    5. Once complete, click Save.
    Mercer Employer Portal
    1. Log into the Mercer Employer Portal, and open the Maintenance menu, then select Employer Maintenance.
    2. Select your company name and then click the Manage Funds tab.
    3. Scroll down to Manage SMSFs and click Add SMSF.
    4. Enter the SMSF details, including employee details, bank account information and the Electronic Service Address (ESA) and click OK.
    5. Click Save at the bottom left of the page.

    Linking the SMSF to the employee’s profile

    Once you’ve added the SMSF information, you should link it to the employee’s profile by:

    System Steps
    Mercer QuickSuper
    1. Log into Mercer QuickSuper and open the Employees menu, then select View Employees.
    2. Select the employee’s record and head to the Fund Memberships tab.
    3. Click Add Fund Membership.
    4. In the Non-default funds field, enter the SMSF ABN or name and click Search.
    5. Select the SMSF you just created and click Save.
    Mercer Employer Portal
    1. Log into the Mercer Employer Portal, and open the Maintenance menu, then select Member Maintenance.
    2. Use the Search bar to find your employee’s record and select it.
    3. Click the icon of a person in the Action column on the left-hand side.
    4. Scroll down through the employee’s details until you reach the Product Details section, then tick the SMSF field and click Select Fund.
    5. Enter the name of the SMSF you just added.
    6. Click Save, then Confirm and Send to finalise.

  • What should I do with an Electronic Service Address error?

    If you have employees with a self-managed super fund (SMSF), you might get error messages saying the Electronic Service Address (ESA) has rejected the contribution message.

    Here’s what you need to know:

    • This error doesn’t mean the contribution itself was rejected – only the data message (the remittance advice) was rejected by the ESA provider.
    • To fix this, talk to your employee and ask them or their accountant to double-check the ESA details they gave you for their SMSF.
    • If the ESA details are correct, the employee or their accountant should contact their ESA provider to make sure their registration is still active, valid, and up to date.

  • How do I add a user to the QuickSuper or Employer Portal?

    When a new colleague needs access to Mercer QuickSuper or the Mercer Employer Portal, you can set them up yourself – no need to wait for the Employer Support team.

    System Steps
    Mercer QuickSuper
    1. Log into Mercer QuickSuper and open the Administration menu, then select Users.
    2. Select Create User (note: this option only appears if you have permission to edit users – if you don’t have this, please speak to a member of your team with administrative access who can provide you with the required access).
    3. Fill in the new user’s details on the Create New User page. This includes:
      • Entering a username for them – this is what they’ll use to sign in . We recommend using their company email address.
      • Assigning them the relevant permissions (such as uploading contribution files, editing company details etc.) by ticking the appropriate boxes. For more info on these permissions, check the online help available on the page.
    4. When you’ve completed the form, you’ll need to enter your own username and password for security purposes.
    5. Click Save to create the user.


    Once saved, Mercer QuickSuper will automatically email the new user their sign-in details and instructions to get started.
    Mercer Employer Portal
    1. Log into the Mercer Employer Portal, and open the Maintenance menu, then select User Maintenance. (note: depending on your set up, this could be labelled as Maintain Users, User Details, or User Maintenance).
    2. Click Add User.
    3. Fill in the User Account details and click Save.
    4. Enter their contact details and click Save (note: a valid email address is required as the user will receive a login link via their email once you’ve clicked Save).
    5. Set their User Access Level and assign them access to relevant employers.
    6. Adjust their preferences to suit their needs.
    7. Click Save one final time to complete the set up.


    NOTE: After saving, the system may automatically lock their new user account. Click ‘Unlock’ to resolve this.

More information


You can find more information on these and other topics in the Mercer QuickSuper Guide and Mercer Employer Portal Guide.

You can also email our Employer Support team at employer.support@esuper.com.au - we’re here to help.

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Issued by Mercer Superannuation (Australia) Limited (MSAL) ABN 79 004 717 533, Australian Financial Services Licence #235906, the trustee of the Mercer Super Trust ABN 19 905 422 981 (‘Mercer Super’).

Any advice provided is of a general nature and does not take into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. Before acting on any advice we recommend you obtain your own financial advice and consider the Product Disclosure Statement available at mercersuper.com.au/pds. The product’s Target Market Determination setting out the class of people for whom the product may be suitable can be found at mercersuper.com.au/tmd. ‘MERCER’ and Mercer SmartSuper® are Australian registered trademarks of Mercer (Australia) Pty Ltd ABN 32 005 315 917.