Regulator's Newsletter No. 5 – February 2026

Date
9 February 2026

 

February is already off to a flying start and we’re excited to share several important milestones with you.

In this edition, you can find out:

  • where to see the first businesses recognised as fast small business payers for leading the way on faster and fairer payments
  • where you can download the first Regulator’s Update for 2026
  • where to register for our next online Stakeholder Liaison Forum in March
  • what you need to know about reporting and our plans for the system outage as we count down to the new portal go‑live on Monday, 16 February 2026.

The Fast Small Business Payer List is live

The Regulator officially launched the Fast Small Business Payer List – a new way to promote transparency and publicly recognise the businesses that consistently pay their small business suppliers quickly.

Inclusion on the List rewards strong payment practices and the behaviours that support healthier cash flow for small businesses across Australia. It also comes with a clear reputational incentive: businesses on the List can represent themselves as fast small business payers in corporate publications, on their website and in advertising and promotional materials.

View the List on the Payment Times Reports Register.

Read the fact sheet outlining the eligibility criteria for the List and reasons the Regulator may exclude an entity from the List.

Out now: Regulator’s Update for January 2026

The first edition of the Regulator's Update for 2026 is now available to download. It’s packed with in‑depth insights, a closer look at the fast and slow small business payer incentives, a detailed look at the performance of the Commonwealth entities and more.

You’re invited: online Stakeholder Liaison Forum

Register now for the next forum on Thursday, 12 March 2026.

Join us to hear more from the Regulator’s Update, the new fast and slow small business payer incentives and stay informed about our regulatory work in the year ahead.

Reporting through the new portal – what you need to know

The new portal won’t accept old‑format reports (reporting periods starting 30 June 2024 or earlier)

If you have overdue reports for pre‑reform reporting periods (those beginning on 30 June 2024 or earlier), you should submit them electronically through the current portal by Friday, 13 February 2026 before it is decommissioned.

After the new portal goes live, all old‑format reports will need to be manually submitted to the Regulator.

The Scheme and reporting requirements haven’t changed

You will still:

  • report twice a year
  • need to use the SBI tool to identify the ABNs to include in your report
  • calculate your report information the same way
  • type your report information into the same fields.

Stronger validations to help you get it right first time

We’ve improved report validations – think of them as more effective guardrails.

They will:

  • prevent overlapping reporting periods
  • stop entries that aren’t mathematically possible across fields
  • help improve overall data quality.

This reduces the likelihood of incorrect report information and the need for follow‑up contact from the Regulator.

The portal saves a draft of your report

As you move through the steps in the report, the new portal automatically saves your progress. If your connection drops, your session times out, or you need to step away before submitting, your report is saved as a draft so you can pick up where you left off.

A clear summary view before you submit a report

Before submitting, you’ll see your completed report in a clean, sectioned summary view. This makes reviewing your information faster and more manageable. You can also easily print the summary or save it as a PDF for your records.

Revising a report is quicker and easier

If you need to revise a submitted report, the new portal will pre‑populate all of the original report information for review and editing.

Apart from your changes and any system prompts, you’ll simply need to record:

  • who approved the revised information
  • when it was approved.

This means you won’t need to re‑enter the data from scratch like in the current portal, so you are far less likely to inadvertently make a mistake and report inaccurately.

Planned system outage during portal cutover

Subject to successfully completing all testing, the Regulator anticipates taking the system offline over the weekend of 14–15 February to decommission the current portal and set up the new one. You will not be able to use the system during this time, so please plan around this window.

Annual update to the SBI Tool

The Regulator is finalising the annual update to the SBI Tool and plans to load the new file shortly. We’ll keep you informed as soon as it’s available.

Reminder: register to attend an online portal demonstration

Register now for a short online demonstration of the new reporting portal. We are hosting several sessions at different times in the weeks around the release. Each session covers the same content, so you can simply choose the time that best suits you.

Date: 12 February 2026 
Time: 10:00 am – 11:15 am AEDT
Platform: Microsoft Teams webinar

Date: 19 February 2026 
Time: 2:00 pm – 3:15 pm AEDT
Platform: Microsoft Teams webinar

Need help or have questions

Thanks for staying engaged as we deliver these important improvements. In the next issue of this newsletter, we’ll share more information about the SBI Tool update and our resources to help you use the new portal.

If you have any questions about the new portal or upcoming changes, we’re here to help.