There is no single best payroll system for every Australian employer. Xero Payroll is the natural starting point for Xero customers; MYOB Business Payroll suits MYOB users and micro-businesses; Employment Hero Payroll is stronger where HR and award rules are complex; Reckon is a value-focused alternative; QuickBooks Online Payroll fits QuickBooks users; Payroller targets very small employers; Tanda is designed around rosters and shift work; and a mid-market platform such as ELMO Payroll is more appropriate for larger, multi-entity organisations.
Your shortlist should be driven by employee count, awards, rostering, accounting software, controls and the complete super-payment workflow. From 1 July 2026, Payday Super makes that last point critical: super generally has to be paid with wages and received by the fund within seven business days.
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What payroll software should do
A payroll product may include far more than calculating gross-to-net pay. Check which of these functions are native, integrated or left to you:
- Pay-run calculation, PAYG withholding, deductions, leave accruals and final pay.
- STP Phase 2 reporting, payment summaries and end-of-year finalisation.
- Super calculation, clearing-house file creation, payment and reconciliation.
- Award, agreement and pay-condition rules for penalties, overtime, allowances, breaks and minimum engagements.
- Timesheets, attendance, rostering and approved-time data.
- Employee self-service for payslips, leave, timesheets, bank, tax-file-number and super details.
- Onboarding, HR records, permissions, approvals, audit logs and accounting journals.
A roster system can capture shifts without being the payroll system. The practical data path is roster → approved timesheet → payroll calculation → STP report → bank payment → super payment → accounting journal. Confirm where each step occurs.
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Australian compliance tests for every product
STP Phase 2 expands the information sent to the ATO, but STP compliance does not prove that employees are paid correctly under an award. You still need the right award and classification, accurate breaks and timesheets, current rates and a review process. See the ATO STP information and Fair Work award guidance.
From 1 July 2026, Payday Super requires contributions to be paid at the same time as wages and generally received by the fund within seven business days. STP also carries additional qualifying-earnings and super-liability information. The ATO technical guidance and Fair Work explanation describe the rules.
- Ask whether Payday Super is live, on which plan, and whether the claim is vendor-announced or independently confirmed.
- Confirm the clearing-house connection, failed-payment alerts, retries and correction process before the seven-business-day deadline.
- Check fees per employee or transaction and support for unusual employer structures, WPN holders and contractors primarily engaged for labour.
- Businesses using the ATO Small Business Superannuation Clearing House must move to another provider because it closes on 1 July 2026.
Awards can involve casual loading, penalty and overtime rates, split or broken shifts, annualised salaries, allowances, higher duties, meal breaks, junior rates, public holidays, multiple locations and cost centres. From 1 July 2026 the National Minimum Wage is $26.44 an hour ($1,004.90 a week), and award minimum wages rise 4.75%, applying from the first full pay period on or after that date. Check the relevant Fair Work annual wage review and pay guides.
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| Product | Best fit | Payroll category | Scale or price signal | Payday Super position | Main caution |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Xero Payroll | Existing Xero customers | Accounting-suite payroll | Displayed plans include 2, 5 or 10 employees | Verify current plan and clearing-house operation | Lower plans and complex awards may require an integration |
| MYOB Business Payroll | MYOB users; up to four employees | Payroll-only or accounting ecosystem | Payroll Only displayed at $2/month for three months, then $15/month (offer captured) | MYOB says same-time super applies; verify implementation | Payroll Only capped at four employees |
| Employment Hero Payroll | HR- and award-heavy employers | Payroll plus HR/workforce | Module/headcount or quote-based pricing | Listed in ATO Super Product Register; verify selected package | More implementation complexity and cost |
| Reckon Payroll | Value-conscious small business | Accounting/payroll alternative | Payroll Essentials shown at $16/month; Reckon says comparison data was correct June 2026 | Reckon states STP Phase 2 and Payday Super readiness; verify workflow | Independent evidence and limits may be less extensive |
| QuickBooks Online Payroll | QuickBooks users | Accounting-suite payroll | Reckon comparison showed $57/month for Simple Start plus Standard Payroll (June 2026 comparison) | Confirm current Australian product and readiness | Price is competitor-supplied, not official pricing evidence |
| Payroller | Very small employers | Focused payroll product | Current price and limits require direct confirmation | Verify STP, super and Payday Super before purchase | Do not assume award-engine or clearing-house depth |
| Tanda | Hospitality, retail and shift work | Rostering/workforce system integrating with payroll | Subscription or integrated pricing; verify | Another payroll engine may perform payment and reporting | Not automatically a standalone accounting payroll replacement |
| ELMO or another mid-market platform | 100+ employees, multiple entities or formal HR | Mid-market HR/payroll suite | Usually quote-based | Confirm product-specific support | Specific ELMO plan and readiness require verification |
The eight strongest starting points
1. Xero Payroll — best for Xero users
Xero combines Australian STP payroll, automated calculations, PAYG, super and leave with accounting, bank feeds, BAS and reporting. The Xero Me app lets employees view payslips and leave balances, request leave and submit timesheets. Its displayed Australian plans include payroll for two, five or 10 people, so check the allowance before subscribing. Details are on Xero’s payroll page.
It is a strong integrated choice when your general ledger already lives in Xero. Investigate Deputy, Tanda or Employment Hero if you need deeper award interpretation, rostering or attendance. Also confirm exactly how Payday Super, clearing-house payments, failed contributions and any employee caps work on your plan.
2. MYOB Business Payroll — best for MYOB users and micro-businesses
MYOB’s Payroll Only product supports up to four employees and, when captured, displayed $2 per month for the first three months followed by $15 per month. It includes direct STP reporting, automated tax compliance, super contributions, leave calculations, online onboarding and desktop/mobile access. See MYOB Payroll Only.
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This is attractive for a four-person business that does not need a larger suite. Confirm the post-promotion price, award and rostering depth, and whether Payday Super payment and reconciliation are included rather than merely calculated. MYOB’s general payroll messaging is at MYOB payroll features.
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Employment Hero is a payroll-and-HR platform for employers that need onboarding, employee self-service, timesheets, leave, HR records and workforce administration alongside pay runs. It is listed in the Xero marketplace and in the ATO’s Super Product Register as an integrated data-and-payment clearing solution.
Use it when award rules, workforce processes or growth matter more than the lowest subscription price. Pricing and modules vary, so ask which awards, approvals, integrations and Payday Super functions are included. Treat references to KeyPay carefully: current market coverage describes Employment Hero Payroll as the continuation of that platform, but confirm branding and product scope with the vendor.
4. Reckon Payroll — best value-oriented Australian alternative
Reckon advertises STP, super, leave and entitlement tracking, payslips, pay runs, reporting and an employee app. Its comparison page displayed Payroll Essentials at $16 per month and says its comparison data was correct as of June 2026. See Reckon’s comparison and payroll product page.
Reckon states that it supports STP Phase 2 and Payday Super readiness; that is a vendor claim to test against your required clearing-house workflow. Confirm employee limits, support levels, payroll-only versus accounting features and migration tools before treating the displayed price as your total cost.
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QuickBooks is worth investigating first when invoices, expenses, bank feeds and the general ledger already run in QuickBooks Online. Reckon’s June 2026 comparison showed a configuration of QuickBooks Simple Start plus Standard Payroll at $57 per month and described STP, super, leave, employee app, payslips, reporting and pay runs.
That price and feature list are competitor-supplied. Confirm the current Australian plan name, employee limits, official price, Payday Super workflow and support on QuickBooks Australia before relying on them.
6. Payroller — best for very small employers
Payroller may suit an employer that wants focused payroll rather than a full accounting suite. However, current first-party evidence for its pricing, employee caps, award handling, super-payment process and Payday Super operation must be checked directly at Payroller. Do not assume a low-cost entry plan includes award interpretation, paid support, historical-data migration or a clearing-house connection.
7. Tanda — best for shift-based businesses
Tanda is especially relevant to hospitality, retail, healthcare and other workplaces where rosters, attendance and award-aware timesheets drive payroll. The Xero marketplace lists Tanda under payroll/HR and time tracking and describes rostering, attendance and compliance tools.
Establish whether Tanda is your payroll system of record or feeds another engine. Confirm supported awards, split shifts, breaks, penalties, payroll processing, STP, super and Payday Super responsibilities. The combined cost of Tanda plus Xero, MYOB, Employment Hero or another payroll product can exceed a basic payroll subscription.
8. ELMO Payroll or another mid-market platform — best for larger employers
Employers with 100-plus staff, multiple entities, formal approval chains, enterprise agreements, cost centres, payroll-tax reporting or managed-payroll requirements should compare mid-market products rather than micro-business accounting add-ons. Candidates include ELMO, Access MicrOpay, Access Wage Easy, Workday Payroll for Australia and MYOB Acumatica; the ATO register lists relevant software but does not endorse any product.
Current first-party evidence for a specific ELMO plan, price and Payday Super implementation is not established here. Request a demonstration and test multi-entity processing, audit logs, APIs, implementation, migration, super-payment failures and support terms. See the ELMO site and the ATO register.
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Choose by business profile
- Two-person office: compare MYOB Payroll Only, Reckon and Payroller on total price, ease of use and accounting integration.
- Already on Xero: start with Xero Payroll; add a workforce integration if award or roster complexity exceeds native features.
- Already on MYOB or QuickBooks: test the native payroll module before accepting migration and reconciliation work.
- Café, restaurant or retail: prioritise Tanda or another award-aware workforce system, then verify which payroll engine pays super and reports STP.
- Construction or field teams: test allowances, site allocation, job costing, travel, timesheets and multiple pay calendars.
- Growing HR-led company: compare Employment Hero with a mid-market suite for onboarding, permissions, reporting and scalability.
- 100-plus employees or multiple entities: obtain demos from ELMO, Access, Workday or another verified enterprise provider.
Score the shortlist instead of counting features
Start with these weights, then change them for your workforce:
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| Criterion | Suggested weight |
|---|---|
| Australian compliance and STP | 15% |
| Payday Super and payment workflow | 15% |
| Award and pay-condition handling | 15% |
| Pay-run ease and controls | 10% |
| Accounting and other integrations | 10% |
| Employee self-service | 10% |
| Rostering and timesheets | 10% |
| Reporting, audit and approvals | 5% |
| Scalability and multi-entity support | 5% |
| Price transparency and total cost | 5% |
Implementation and ownership checks
Budget for the whole operating model, not the advertised subscription. Include per-employee charges, accounting bundles, rostering and timesheet add-ons, clearing-house fees, employee-app charges, implementation, migration, premium support, additional entities and historical-data access. Mark promotions with their end date, standard price, GST treatment and included headcount.
Before the first live pay run, reconcile employee tax and super details, opening leave balances, year-to-date figures, payroll categories, award mappings and general-ledger accounts. Run at least one parallel payroll and have your accountant or payroll adviser review the result. Test maker-checker permissions, locked periods, backdated corrections, off-cycle pay, reversals, termination payments, multiple bank accounts, audit history and error recovery.
For security, verify the vendor’s current privacy, encryption, two-factor authentication, role-based access, export, retention, backup and support-access documentation. Do not rely on an unsupported claim that data is hosted in Australia or that a product is “secure”.
Questions to ask before subscribing
- Which exact plan includes our employee count, entities, awards, timesheets and integrations?
- Does “automated super” mean calculation only, file submission, payment, reconciliation or all four?
- Is Payday Super live now, and how are rejected contributions detected, corrected and retried?
- Which modern awards and enterprise-agreement rules are supported, and who maintains rate updates?
- Can employees submit leave and timesheets and update bank, tax and super details securely?
- Can we export payroll history, leave balances and journals if we change systems?
- What implementation, migration, support and per-transaction costs sit outside the headline price?
The Bottom Line
Choose the payroll system that fits your pay conditions and super-payment process, not the one with the longest feature list. For a simple small business, stay within your accounting ecosystem; for awards and shifts, prioritise workforce rules; for HR complexity or scale, move up to a dedicated payroll-and-HR platform. Confirm current plan limits and Payday Super operation in writing before committing.
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