How we make this list: we compare pricing pages, product documentation and public user reviews. Ratings come from G2, Capterra or Trustpilot, with the date we checked them.
What is the best payroll software in Australia in 2026?
Employment Hero is the best payroll software in Australia for most small and mid-size businesses because it automates modern award interpretation, Single Touch Payroll Phase 2 reporting, and superannuation from A$10 per employee per month. Xero Payroll suits businesses already on Xero, while MYOB Payroll Only is the cheapest standalone option for teams of four or fewer.
Key takeaways
- Employment Hero leads for award-heavy teams: it automates modern award interpretation, PAYG, and superannuation through its HeroClear clearing house, from A$10 per employee per month.
- Xero Payroll and QuickBooks Payroll only make sense if you already run that accounting system, since payroll is bundled into the subscription rather than sold on its own.
- Global platforms charge in US dollars, and their employer-of-record prices, from US$499 to US$599 per employee per month, are far more than any domestic SME should pay.
- Payday Super starts on 1 July 2026, so check that your tool pays super with each pay cycle and reaches the fund within 7 business days of payday.
What does Australian payroll software have to do by law?
Every pay run must report Single Touch Payroll Phase 2 data to the Australian Taxation Office, and every tool in this list handles that. Employers must withhold PAYG tax, apply Fair Work modern awards with penalty rates, overtime, and allowances where staff are award-covered, and pay state payroll tax at rates that vary by state, roughly 4.75 to 6.85 percent. The superannuation guarantee is 12 percent from 1 July 2025, and from 1 July 2026 Payday Super requires super to be paid with each pay cycle and to reach the fund within 7 business days of payday. Test award setup on your own awards before you commit.
Buy local if your whole team works in Australia. Employment Hero, Xero, MYOB, and QuickBooks Payroll are built around Australian awards, STP Phase 2, and super, and they price in Australian dollars. Global platforms such as Deel, Papaya Global, and Remote are built for companies paying staff in many countries, and their Australian offer is usually employer-of-record or global payroll for a company that owns an Australian entity. Their per-employee prices are in US dollars, and their employer-of-record rates run from US$499 to US$599 per employee per month, which is far more than a domestic SME should pay. Choose a global platform only when you hire across borders.
How much does payroll software cost in Australia?
Local standalone payroll starts low. MYOB Payroll Only is A$20 per month for up to four employees, QuickBooks Standard Payroll is A$6 per active employee per month on top of a QuickBooks Online subscription, and Employment Hero Payroll is A$10 per employee per month. Xero bundles payroll into its accounting plans, from A$37 per month for one person on Ignite to A$107 for five people on Comprehensive, and those figures are third-party reported because the vendor pricing page renders its prices in JavaScript. Global payroll starts at US$29 per employee per month on Deel and Papaya Global and A$29 on Remote, while employer-of-record starts at US$499 on Papaya, US$599 on Deel, and A$916 on Remote.
What should you check before you buy?
Check award handling first, because it is where Australian payroll fails most often. Ask whether the tool interprets your specific modern awards, classifications, and pay points out of the box or whether you must configure them yourself. Check headcount caps, since Xero forces a plan upgrade when headcount passes 2, 5, 10, or 20 people, and Employment Hero applies a 10-user minimum on its HR and Payroll plans. Check how super is paid: Employment Hero uses its HeroClear clearing house, QuickBooks pays super through Beam, and Rippling routes super through SuperChoice, all of which matter for Payday Super. Finally, confirm whether payroll is standalone or bundled, since Xero and QuickBooks both require their accounting subscription.
We picked these 8 tools by checking that each one is a live product in 2026 with a real Australian payroll offer and coverage of Single Touch Payroll Phase 2 reporting. We opened every vendor homepage and pricing page on 11 November 2026 and took prices from the vendor pages where they were visible. Where a vendor page did not show its prices, we say so and mark the figure as third-party reported rather than presenting it as a vendor price. Last verified: 11 November 2026.
Quick comparison
| Tool | Best for | Starting price | Free plan |
|---|
 Employment Hero | Award-heavy Australian SMEs that want HR and payroll in one system | A$10 per employee/month for the standalone Payroll plan; the per-employee unit, 10-user minimum, and ex-GST treatment are third-party reported | No free plan and no free payroll trial; evaluation is by guided demo |
 Xero Payroll | Businesses already running Xero accounting | A$37/month for Ignite (payroll for 1 person), A$78 for Grow (2 people), A$107 for Comprehensive (5 people); third-party reported, since the vendor pricing page renders its prices in JavaScript | No free plan; one month free (30-day free trial) advertised on Xero's own Australian pages |
 MYOB | Micro-businesses and tradies that want the cheapest standalone payroll | Payroll Only A$20/month after the offer period (A$2/month for the first 3 months), standalone browser payroll for up to 4 employees | No free plan; 14-day free trial on Business Pro and AccountRight Plus and Premier, per MYOB's own offer terms |
 QuickBooks Payroll | Small businesses already on QuickBooks Online | Standard Payroll A$6.00 per active employee/month, including GST; a QuickBooks Online subscription is also required | No free plan; QuickBooks Online offers a 30-day free trial, no credit card required |
 Rippling | Growing mid-size businesses that want HR, IT, and payroll unified | Plans start at A$12 per employee/month plus an additional monthly base fee; payroll itself is quote-only in AUD | No free plan and no free trial; eligible venture-backed Australian startups get 6 months free under Rippling's startup program |
 Deel | Foreign companies hiring in Australia without setting up an entity | Global Payroll from US$29 per employee/month (third-party reported); Employer of Record from US$599 per employee/month, verified on the vendor pricing page | No free plan and no free trial on the pricing page; Deel HR has a free tier for up to 200 employees |
 Papaya Global | Mid-size and larger companies paying staff in five or more countries | Payroll Plus from US$29 per employee/month; Employer of Record from US$499 per employee/month | No free plan and no free trial; demo and tailored quote only |
 Remote | Australian companies hiring abroad, and foreign companies hiring in Australia | Global Payroll from A$29 per employee/month; Employer of Record from A$916 per employee/month for annual contracts; Contractor Management from A$44 per contractor/month | No free plan and no free trial found on the vendor page |
Is your product missing or out of date?
We review this list regularly. Vendors can request a listing, send updated pricing or ask about featured placement.
| Tool |
Best for |
Starting price |
Free plan |
| Employment Hero |
Award-heavy Australian SMEs |
A$10 per employee/month |
No free plan |
| Xero Payroll |
Businesses already on Xero |
A$37/month (Ignite, 1 person) |
30-day free trial |
| MYOB |
Micro-businesses and tradies |
A$20/month (Payroll Only, up to 4 staff) |
14-day free trial |
| QuickBooks Payroll |
QuickBooks Online users |
A$6 per active employee/month |
30-day QuickBooks trial |
| Rippling |
Growing teams unifying HR, IT, and payroll |
A$12 per employee/month plus base fee |
No free plan |
| Deel |
Hiring in Australia from abroad |
US$29 per employee/month (Global Payroll) |
No free plan |
| Papaya Global |
Multi-country payroll at scale |
US$29 per employee/month (Payroll Plus) |
No free plan |
| Remote |
Hiring abroad and in Australia |
A$29 per employee/month (Global Payroll) |
No free plan |
Starting priceA$10 per employee/month for the standalone Payroll plan; the per-employee unit, 10-user minimum, and ex-GST treatment are third-party reported
Free planNo free plan and no free payroll trial; evaluation is by guided demo
Employment Hero is the strongest domestic pick in this list because its payroll was built for Australian conditions rather than adapted from another country. It automates award interpretation across modern awards, PAYG and super calculations, STP Phase 2 reporting to the ATO, and SuperStream compliance, with HeroClear paying super with every pay run for Payday Super. Employees use the Employment Hero Work app for payslips, leave, and personal details, and payroll journals integrate with Xero, MYOB, and QuickBooks. It suits award-heavy SMEs in hospitality, retail, healthcare, and childcare, but very small teams should model the 10-user minimum before committing.
What we like- Australian-born platform built on the KeyPay engine, with automated modern award interpretation, STP Phase 2 reporting, and super paid through the HeroClear clearing house
Watch out for- A 10-user minimum applies to the HR and Payroll plans, so a business with 3 or 4 staff still pays for 10 seats
#2
Xero Payroll
Best for: Businesses already running Xero accounting
Visit xero.com
Starting priceA$37/month for Ignite (payroll for 1 person), A$78 for Grow (2 people), A$107 for Comprehensive (5 people); third-party reported, since the vendor pricing page renders its prices in JavaScript
Free planNo free plan; one month free (30-day free trial) advertised on Xero's own Australian pages
Xero Payroll suits Australian businesses already running Xero accounting, because payroll, invoicing, bank feeds, GST and BAS, and super sit in one ledger with no separate payroll subscription to reconcile. It calculates pay, tax, super, and leave, files STP Phase 2 with each pay run, and lets employers pay super directly from Xero. It fits small businesses with a handful of staff and an accountant or bookkeeper already on Xero. Larger or award-complex teams should check whether Xero's award handling is deep enough for them, since complex modern-award setup is manual compared with Employment Hero.
What we like- Payroll, invoicing, bank feeds, GST and BAS, and super sit in one ledger with no separate payroll subscription to reconcile
Watch out for- There is no standalone payroll-only plan, so a business that only needs payroll must buy the full accounting subscription
#3MYOB
Best for: Micro-businesses and tradies that want the cheapest standalone payroll3.7/5 on
G2 (51 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit myob.com
Starting pricePayroll Only A$20/month after the offer period (A$2/month for the first 3 months), standalone browser payroll for up to 4 employees
Free planNo free plan; 14-day free trial on Business Pro and AccountRight Plus and Premier, per MYOB's own offer terms
MYOB is the long-established Australian accounting brand, and its Payroll Only plan is one of the cheapest standalone payroll options in the country for a micro-business with up to four staff. It covers simple pay runs, direct ATO reporting, automated tax compliance, automated super contributions, online onboarding, and leave calculations. Businesses that outgrow it can step up to Business Pro or AccountRight Plus without changing vendor, gaining invoicing, inventory, BAS lodgement, and unlimited payroll. It suits very small Australian employers and tradies who want a local, ATO-connected product, but award-heavy or multi-state employers should test its award handling against Employment Hero before switching.
What we like- The long-established Australian accounting brand, with simple pay runs, direct ATO reporting, automated tax compliance, and automated super contributions
Watch out for- Payroll is a paid add-on on Lite and Pro, so the headline plan price understates the real bill, and Payroll Only is capped at 4 employees
#4QuickBooks Payroll
Best for: Small businesses already on QuickBooks Online4.4/5 on
G2 (496 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit quickbooks.intuit.com
Starting priceStandard Payroll A$6.00 per active employee/month, including GST; a QuickBooks Online subscription is also required
Free planNo free plan; QuickBooks Online offers a 30-day free trial, no credit card required
QuickBooks Payroll is the payroll add-on for QuickBooks Online, running on Employment Hero's Australian payroll engine, which gives it credible local compliance from day one. Standard covers automated pay runs, employee self-service, ATO integration with STP compliance, SuperStream compliance, and comprehensive reporting, with super paid through Beam, its clearing-house partner, ahead of Payday Super. Advanced adds pre-built modern awards, rostering, time and attendance, and a pay-conditions engine. It suits small businesses already on QuickBooks Online that want payroll inside the same login, but anyone needing awards should budget for Advanced, not Standard.
What we like- Runs on Employment Hero's Australian payroll engine, which gives it credible local compliance from day one, with super paid through Beam ahead of Payday Super
Watch out for- Award interpretation, rostering, and time and attendance are locked behind the Advanced tier, so the A$6 headline rate buys only basic payroll
#5Rippling
Best for: Growing mid-size businesses that want HR, IT, and payroll unified4.8/5 on
G2 (13,464 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit rippling.com
Starting pricePlans start at A$12 per employee/month plus an additional monthly base fee; payroll itself is quote-only in AUD
Free planNo free plan and no free trial; eligible venture-backed Australian startups get 6 months free under Rippling's startup program
Rippling runs Australian payroll on a single unified employee record that also drives HR, IT, and spend, so one onboarding flow provisions payroll, devices, and system access together. It auto-calculates PAYG withholding, submits STP Phase 2 to the ATO, generates ABA files or pays net wages, super, and taxes at the press of a button, and applies modern award base pay, overtime, penalty rates, and allowances through its Time and Payroll modules. It suits growing mid-size businesses that want HR, IT, and payroll unified, but it is overkill and opaque on price for a small domestic-only team.
What we like- One unified employee record drives HR, payroll, IT, and spend, so one onboarding flow provisions payroll, devices, and system access together
Watch out for- You cannot budget from the website, since payroll pricing is quote-only, the core platform is a required purchase before payroll, and annual contracts are typical
#6Deel
Best for: Foreign companies hiring in Australia without setting up an entity4.7/5 on
G2 (6,959 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit deel.com
Starting priceGlobal Payroll from US$29 per employee/month (third-party reported); Employer of Record from US$599 per employee/month, verified on the vendor pricing page
Free planNo free plan and no free trial on the pricing page; Deel HR has a free tier for up to 200 employees
Deel is a global hiring platform covering more than 150 countries, and its Australian offer is genuinely local: its own Australian entity handles payroll, PAYG withholding, 12 percent superannuation, state payroll tax, and Fair Work compliance, with contracts, benefits, and onboarding in one dashboard. It suits Australian businesses hiring their first overseas employee, or foreign companies hiring in Australia without setting up an entity. For a purely domestic Australian SME with its own company, Deel's global payroll tier is the relevant product, not employer of record, and local tools such as Employment Hero or MYOB will usually be far cheaper.
What we like- Its own Australian entity handles payroll, PAYG withholding, 12 percent superannuation, state payroll tax, and Fair Work compliance in one dashboard
Watch out for- At US$599 per employee per month, employer of record is an extremely expensive way to pay an Australian team if you already have an Australian entity
#7Papaya Global
Best for: Mid-size and larger companies paying staff in five or more countries4.5/5 on
G2 (55 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit papayaglobal.com
Starting pricePayroll Plus from US$29 per employee/month; Employer of Record from US$499 per employee/month
Free planNo free plan and no free trial; demo and tailored quote only
Papaya Global is a payroll-first global platform whose differentiator is its own licensed payments infrastructure: same-day payroll in more than 130 currencies, worker wallets, automated statutory payments, and standardised gross-to-net reporting with journal entries ready for the ledger. Payroll Plus gives managed payroll, in-country experts, AI-powered payroll validation, automated payslip distribution, and BI analytics for finance-led teams. It suits mid-size and larger companies paying staff in five or more countries that treat payroll as a payments and finance problem. A domestic Australian SME should not shortlist it ahead of Employment Hero, Xero, MYOB, or QuickBooks.
What we like- Its own licensed payments infrastructure offers same-day payroll in more than 130 currencies, automated statutory payments, and standardised gross-to-net reporting
Watch out for- It is built for enterprise scale, with third-party sources reporting a 101-employee minimum on global payroll plans, so it is a poor fit for a small Australian-only team
#8Remote
Best for: Australian companies hiring abroad, and foreign companies hiring in Australia4.5/5 on
G2 (5,000 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit remote.com
Starting priceGlobal Payroll from A$29 per employee/month; Employer of Record from A$916 per employee/month for annual contracts; Contractor Management from A$44 per contractor/month
Free planNo free plan and no free trial found on the vendor page
Remote employs people through its own legal entities in every country it covers, including Remote Australia Pty Ltd. Its global payroll product handles local gross-to-net calculations, tax filings, statutory contributions, timesheets, time off, and expenses, with self-serve or fully managed processing and one consolidated invoice across countries. It suits Australian companies hiring abroad, and foreign companies hiring in Australia without an entity. For a domestic-only Australian SME, the global payroll tier is the relevant comparison point, and local tools will usually be simpler and cheaper.
What we like- Employs people through its own legal entities in every country it covers, including Remote Australia Pty Ltd, with AUD billing available
Watch out for- The A$916 employer-of-record rate is very expensive for a single Australian hire, and the A$29 global payroll rate only helps if you already own an Australian entity
Frequently asked questions
What is Single Touch Payroll Phase 2?
Single Touch Payroll Phase 2 is the Australian Taxation Office reporting standard that requires employers to report pay, tax, superannuation, and leave details with every pay run. All 8 tools in this list handle it, so the difference between them is not whether they report, but how well they handle awards, allowances, and leave types inside the report. Check that your tool reports the income types your staff actually receive before you commit.
How much does payroll software cost in Australia?
Local standalone payroll starts at A$20 per month for MYOB Payroll Only, A$6 per employee per month for QuickBooks Standard Payroll on top of a QuickBooks subscription, and A$10 per employee per month for Employment Hero. Xero bundles payroll into accounting plans from A$37 per month. Global payroll starts at US$29 per employee per month on Deel and Papaya Global, while employer of record starts at US$499 on Papaya and US$599 on Deel.
Do I need a local payroll tool or a global one?
Choose a local tool if your whole team works in Australia, since Employment Hero, Xero, MYOB, and QuickBooks Payroll are built around Australian awards, STP Phase 2, and superannuation, and they price in Australian dollars. Choose a global platform only when you hire across borders, since its employer-of-record service becomes the legal employer in the country where your worker lives, which is what you need when you have no local entity.
What is Payday Super and when does it start?
Payday Super starts on 1 July 2026 and requires employers to pay superannuation with each pay cycle, with the money reaching the fund within 7 business days of payday. The superannuation guarantee is 12 percent from 1 July 2025. Check that your payroll tool pays super through a clearing house with each pay run, as Employment Hero does through HeroClear and QuickBooks does through Beam, rather than quarterly.
Can I switch payroll software mid-year?
Yes, but plan the switch around a pay period boundary and bring your year-to-date pay, tax, super, and leave balances with you. Most vendors offer an onboarding or migration service, and some charge for it, so ask for the fee in writing. Run one parallel pay run in the new tool before you cut over, and confirm that your STP Phase 2 reporting and super clearing house connections are live before the first real pay run.
Sources we checked (8)
- https://employmenthero.com/products/payroll-software/
- https://www.xero.com/au/pricing-plans/
- https://www.myob.com/au/pricing
- https://quickbooks.intuit.com/au/payroll/
- https://www.rippling.com/en-AU/payroll
- https://www.deel.com/pricing/
- https://www.papayaglobal.com/pricing/
- https://remote.com/en-au/lp/get-started
Is your product missing or out of date?
We review this list regularly. Vendors can request a listing, send updated pricing or ask about featured placement.
Shihab Mia · Founder, Rankite
Shihab has 5+ years in B2B and SaaS SEO. He writes Rankite's software buying guides from pricing pages, documentation and public user reviews. More about Shihab.