Employment Hero Review Australia 2026

AU-MadePayrollHr
5.0 / 5— SoftwareHQ AU Rating
Pricing verified 2026-03-18

Overview

Employment Hero is all-in-one hr, payroll and benefits platform for au businesses. Founded in 2014 and headquartered in Sydney, NSW, it serves Australian businesses with local data hosting and AU-based support.

All-in-one HR, payroll and benefits platform for AU businesses

AU Compliance Scores

BAS Lodgement
0/5
STP Phase 2
5/5
Payday Super
5/5
Modern Awards
5/5
GST Handling
0/5
Bank Feeds
0/5
Modern Awards Note50+ pre-configured Modern Awards with auto-interpretation of penalty rates, overtime, allowances, and leave loading. Rates auto-update when Fair Work Commission publishes changes. Powered by KeyPay award engine.

Pricing (AUD inc. GST)

All prices below are in Australian dollars (GST not included). Pricing verified as of 2026-03-18.

Lite
$20/mo
per employee
$20/employee/month (excl. GST), $200 minimum/month. Includes core HR, rostering, time tracking, payroll, STP Phase 2 reporting, super, and Modern Award interpretation.
  • Employees: unlimited
Most Popular
Plus
$40/mo
per employee
$40/employee/month (excl. GST), $400 minimum/month. Adds performance management, expense claims, and limited recruitment tools.
  • Employees: unlimited
Unlimited
$60/mo
per employee
$60/employee/month (excl. GST), $600 minimum/month. Full platform with recruitment, telephone support, and all features unlocked. Contact for enterprise pricing (250+ employees).
  • Employees: unlimited

Pros & Cons

Pros

  • All-in-one HR + Payroll eliminates multiple subscriptions — onboarding, leave, rostering, payroll, and compliance in one platform
  • Best-in-class Modern Award auto-interpretation: 50+ pre-configured awards with automatic Fair Work rate updates (powered by KeyPay engine)
  • STP Phase 2 compliant (ATO-recognised since Sept 2022) and Payday Super ready via HeroClear real-time NPP payments
  • AU-made (Sydney, 2014), AU-hosted (AWS Sydney), SOC 2 Type II (Oct 2025) and ISO 27001 certified
  • Native integrations with Xero, MYOB, and QuickBooks Online — payroll journals sync automatically
  • Employee self-service app for payslips, leave requests, and personal detail updates — reduces HR admin
  • Digital onboarding with paperless contracts, TFN declarations, and super choice forms
  • 300,000+ businesses globally — one of Australia's largest HR tech platforms

Cons

  • Per-employee pricing with high minimums: Lite $200/month minimum means businesses under 10 employees pay more per head
  • Significantly more expensive than standalone payroll: $20/employee vs KeyPay $4/employee or Payroller free for 1 employee
  • Prices exclude GST — actual cost is $22-66/employee/month incl. GST
  • Phone support locked to Unlimited plan ($60/employee/month) — Lite and Plus get email and chat only
  • Rostering described as basic — lacks staff list views, advanced filtering, and live budget forecasting compared to Deputy or RosterElf
  • No accounting, invoicing, or BAS lodgement — requires separate accounting software (Xero, MYOB, QuickBooks)
  • HR features (performance management, recruitment) may be overkill for businesses that only need payroll
  • Support limited to AEST business hours (Mon-Fri 8am-6pm) — no 24/7 support

Who Is Employment Hero Best For?

  • Growing Business 10 Plus
  • Hospitality
  • Retail
  • Healthcare
  • Hr And Payroll Combined
  • Modern Award Compliance

Employment Hero may not be the best fit for:

  • Sole Trader No Employees
  • Micro Business 1 5 Staff
  • Full Accounting Needs
  • Payroll Only Needs

Employment Hero Alternatives

If Employment Hero doesn’t quite fit your needs, consider these alternatives for Australian businesses:

  • Xero — Australia's most popular cloud accounting platform. From $35/mo inc. GST.
  • MYOB — Australia's original business management platform. From $35/mo inc. GST.
  • KeyPay — Cloud payroll built for AU accountants and bookkeepers. From $4/mo inc. GST.
  • Payroller — Simple payroll for AU small business. Free plan available.
  • Deputy — Rostering, time tracking, and workforce management. From $6.75/mo inc. GST.

Related Comparisons

Head to Head
Xero vs Employment Hero 2026
Employment Hero scores 5/5 on Modern Award interpretation vs Xero's 4/5 and bundles HR features like...
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MYOB vs Employment Hero 2026
Both score 5/5 on Modern Awards and STP Phase 2, but Employment Hero is confirmed Payday Super ready...
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KeyPay vs Employment Hero 2026
Employment Hero acquired KeyPay, so both share the same Modern Award engine (5/5) and Payday Super r...
Head to Head
Employment Hero vs Payroller 2026
Employment Hero delivers full Modern Award auto-interpretation (5/5), confirmed Payday Super readine...
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Employment Hero vs Deputy 2026
Employment Hero is a complete HR + payroll platform with onboarding, leave management, Modern Award ...
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Employment Hero vs Tanda 2026
Employment Hero bundles HR, payroll, onboarding, and leave management with 5/5 Modern Award complian...

Migration Guides

Step-by-step switching guides involving Employment Hero for Australian businesses.

Hard
How to Switch Payroll Provider Mid-Year
4-8 hours · 7 steps
Moderate
How to Migrate from Employment Hero to KeyPay
3-5 hours · 8 steps
Moderate
How to Switch from Manual Payroll to Software
3-6 hours · 8 steps

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