11 Best Payroll Software in Australia

Calculating employees’ salaries and paying them on time is one of the critical business processes. 

The process of calculating pay includes deducting tax, maintaining compliance, counting the number of days/hours worked, and more. Such calculations are prone to human-made error if done manually. 

The best solution is to automate the entire payroll process using payroll software. 

Payroll software is a set of applications that are designed to automate payroll processes. It helps with accurately calculating the payroll of each employee and disbursing the amount on time. 

You can use payroll software as a standalone solution and integrate it with your accounting software. Or, in some cases, an advanced accounting solution offers payroll processing as its add-on functionalities. But that comes with its own restrictions. 

Every business has its own unique needs. That’s why you should choose the one that fits your requirements. 

There are hundreds of vendors in the market, and having too many options can confuse you. To help you narrow down the list, I have listed the top 11 payroll software that you can consider using. 

 Top 11 Payroll Software in Australia

1. ELMO

ELMO offers an integrated payroll and HR software to help you manage all your employee-related tasks. This integrated platform aims to increase efficiency and reduce operations costs. 

It allows the onboarding process to seamlessly flow into payroll. Thus, it eliminates the need for additional data entry or transfer. Besides, the system ensures that you effectively organize your timesheets and pay your employees on time. 

Features

• Offers a secure and compliant-ready payroll
• Allows you to generate in-depth reports to help you make smart decisions
• Very easy to install and use

2. Xero

Xero offers an integrated payroll system with its accounting software. However, it comes with a full-fledged functionality of a payroll solution. It automatically keeps updating the amount pending to be paid, which you can view from your accounting solution. 

It provides tools to track the number of hours worked by each individual and keep records of the number of leaves taken. Besides, it can be accessed from any device – desktop, mobile phones, and tablets. It syncs the information in real-time. 

Features

• Has an intuitive and clean interface for the ease of use
• Makes it easy for employees to apply for leave or view their payslips 
• The system is SuperStream compliant

3. MYOB

MYOB is one of the best payroll systems that is best suited for small to medium-sized companies. It is designed locally to serve the local businesses with the ATO compliant. 

They offer a single touch payroll that makes the entire process of paying staff super quick. Using the system, you can easily generate detailed reports on all your employee details, the payments made, time tracking and attendance records, and much more. 

Features

• Has an active and reliable support team, available 7 days a week
• Offers a rich and easy-to-use interface 
• Offers high security to protect your business data

4. Payroll Metrics

Payroll Metrics offers an enterprise-level payroll solution that comes integrated with workforce management software. It is an all-in-one solution that enables you to automate your business processes and achieve complete efficiency. 

This modern, reliable payroll software in Australia empowers employees and managers with self-service. Employees can have access to view their payslips, request leaves, and more. 

In fact, it can even create organization charts and workflow hierarchies.

Features

• Compatible with all devices with a web browser
• Generates smart reports for detailed insights
• Can import employee updates from your HRIS software

5. QuickBooks Online

QuickBooks Online is a sophisticated platform that offers an integrated payroll system within its accounting software. 

The system automates the entire process of accurately calculating the payroll and processing the payment on time. It stays compliant with all the requirements of ATO. Besides, it even offers a single touch payroll solution. 

It is quite simple to use. Login to QuickBooks online, enter your business and employee details, and add pay run information. That’s it. 

Features

• Enables employees to update their own personal details
• Offers excellent customer support for any technical issues
• The system is highly scalable and secure

6. Smart Payroll

Smart Payroll is a cloud-based payroll system that is quite popular in Australia. They bring their 10 years of payroll expertise into this solution. 

The system keeps you updated about the correct tax slabs so that no mistake is made. It allows you to automate the process of directly depositing payments into the employee’s account. 

Besides, the system is fully backed up so that you don’t have to stay worried about losing the data. 

Features

• Generates detailed reports as per your business needs
• Enables employee self-service through its MyPay app
• Offers full support to all its customers

7. KeyPay

KeyPay is an award-winning payroll software that offers a robust set of functionalities. This cloud-based solution automates payroll processes, saving you extra time to focus on more important tasks. 

With its self-service app WorkZone, both employers and employees can manage their own information. Using the app or an online portal, they can request for leave, update their timesheets, track their reimbursement status, and more. 

Most importantly, it streamlines the complete payroll process and provides real-time insights into the operating cost of your business. 

Features

• Seamlessly integrates with third-party applications
• Suitable for all size of businesses
• Has a rich and intuitive dashboard for easy access

8. Sage

Sage is a powerful payroll software that can be used by all sizes of businesses. It streamlines and automates the payroll processes, including payslips and tax calculations. 

The system is regularly updated to ensure that the businesses stay compliant with any changes in the payroll and pension legislation. This cloud-based solution aims to minimize payroll administration by offering flexible reporting options. 

Features

• It is a safe, secure, and intuitive payroll solution
• Offers active support for immediate assistance
• Helps you stay single touch payroll (STP) compliant

9. Clockon

Clockon is one of the most popular attendance and payroll software in Australia. It aims to streamline and automate the process of tracking the number of hours worked and accurately calculating payrolls. 

It is endorsed by ATO and stays compliant with single touch payroll. It can generate up to 250 different types of reports to give you a detailed insight into your business management. It also offers dedicated mobile apps to enable employees view their payslips, update timesheets and personal details, and more. 

Features

• Easily integrates with third-party applications
• Can generate and share payslips via email as well as mobile
• Offers good customer support for any kind of assistance

10. ADP

ADP is your one-stop solution to all your payroll needs. It offers you a secure, cloud-based platform to allow you to access your information from anywhere, anytime. It gives you full visibility into your workforce information. 

In fact, it allows employers and employees self-service to request/approve leaves, view payslips, and more. Furthermore, it can seamlessly integrate with HR systems and ERPs for smooth operations. 

Features

• Can generate over 100 standards reports for detailed insights
• Stays in compliant with ATO and STP regulations
• It is quite easy to use with its rich interface

11. Affinity

Affinitiy is another best payroll system that automates and removes errors from payroll processing. It is a cost-effective solution that is quite simple to use and reduces extra effort. 

It offers robust reporting tools that provide you with great insights to help you make smart and informed business decisions. Some of its other functionalities include time management, self-service and workflow, remuneration packaging, leave management, and more. 

Features

• Automated data sensitivity to protect it from new starters and terminations
• Gives you immediate visibility over resource allocation
• Integrates with third-party systems

So that was the end of our list. Make a list of the features are important while choosing payroll software, and be sure to conduct thorough research before you make any final decisions 

Choose wisely.