Payroll & Workforce Management FAQs

On-premises and cloud-based payroll software automates employee payments, manages payroll, and maintains records. Payroll software that is robust, integrated, and configured adequately can help organisations of all sizes remain compliant with tax laws and other financial regulations, and reduce costs. Payroll software frees human resources (HR) teams from routine tasks so they can focus on planning, budgeting, and other business-driven initiatives. Payroll administration is a critical business process and needs payroll software for processing.

Using online payroll software will allow you to process payroll the same way as you were using manual payroll processing, but without the time drain and with far fewer errors. Your online payroll software will work through the various checks and steps in the payroll process once you have entered employee details (which can easily be imported in) and company information. Online payroll software is subscription software or software as a service solution (SaaS).

Payroll software is a requirement for any business with employees. By using payroll software, you can ensure that your employees are paid correctly and save time by eliminating manual calculations. Since the introduction of STP, most companies have utilised payroll software to ensure they are reporting to the ATO accurately. Not using payroll software results in inaccurate pay runs due to manual calculations, resulting in unhappy employees as their wages are incorrect. Employees expect payroll to be correct and on time this places immense pressure on the payroll team if they are not using payroll software. A flexible payroll solution caters to all pay types, multiple pay calendars, awards, provision policies, shift types, work schedules and even backdated policies.

Payroll is a challenge for most businesses. The payroll team has to ensure a timely pay run, meet payroll compliance requirements, Awards and pay conditions, record the data, and keep it secure as it is sensitive. In addition, the payroll team must ensure that there are no overpayments or underpayments, or misclassifications. On top of this, the payroll team also has to juggle several interconnected dependencies that aren't visible and often not appreciated by the broader organisation.

Payroll software automates the complexities of managing employee remuneration. With legislation changing, such as Single Touch Payroll (STP) and Superannuation, it can be extremely complex to manage payroll in Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands. In today's world, payroll software should be able to accommodate companies of all sizes, industries, and types of businesses, such as multi-entity companies. As payroll calculations depend on various factors, payroll software must be able to support all pay types, multiple pay calendars, awards, provision policies, shift types, work schedules, and backdated policies.

Employers and employees benefit from a business using a flexible payroll solution. If the payroll solution is cloud-based and accessible from anywhere, then the opportunity to streamline processes and offer a good employee experience is invaluable. Typically, small to medium businesses do not have a dedicated human resources department, so a few individuals handle people & payroll processing. In addition to providing better visibility to executives and managers, payroll software allows employees to self-serve core functions such as rostering, requesting leave, viewing payslips, and communicating with managers.

Access Payroll products are available in Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and the Pacific Islands. You can consolidate your company's multi-country payroll operations with Access Payroll products. Learn more about Access Payroll Services.

Payroll compliance is complex and time-consuming with wage and leave calculations, Superannuation, Single Touch Payroll, time and attendance. Failure to manage compliance can have legal consequences and harm a company's reputation. In addition, tax rules may change, which makes tracking them challenging for the human resource department. You can meet your compliance obligations by implementing a fully compliant payroll solution.

Payroll Software products are available in Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and the Pacific Islands. Today's regulatory and business environments make it imperative to remain compliant, competitive and in control. The Access Group monitor and maintain updates to adhere to the latest compliance requirements. All changes, including STP Phase 2, New Zealand Payday, Fair Work Modern Award Act, JobMaker, Super Stapling and more, Access solutions are ISO 27001, SOC2 and IRAP compliant.

Payroll compliance is maintained by capturing the appropriate data at onboarding and ensuring that all new hires' records are readily available when needed. With intuitive payroll software that integrates compliance, you can manage and update employee records and be notified about upcoming compliance updates, so you are always on top of compliance issues.

Employee Directory Software provides a central online staff directory to help manage and share employee information. employee directory software allows employees to search for details of team members like phone numbers, email addresses, job titles, and even a photo is uploaded. Employee directory software empowers employees to manage and maintain their personal information, including next of kin and personal contact details. Additionally, the software offers an organisation structure view with reporting lines and employee photos to help new employees get to know their colleagues.

The Employee directory in Attache provides a central online staff directory to help manage and share employee information. The Employee Directory is private to the company, and only the account holders and employees of the account holder/company have access to the directory. Using employee directory software, employees can find their colleagues' phone numbers, email addresses, and job titles, as well as upload photos.

The main features of Employee Directory Software are:

• Employee data and detail management.
• Access to personal details - employees can view and review their own data and self-service any changes.
• Employees can manage and share employee information.
• Search for team member information like phone numbers, email addresses, and job titles.
• Additional personal information can also be included, like next of kin and contact information.
• Employee photos can be added of individuals so that employees are easily identifiable.

The Employee Directory Software also offers an organisation structure view with reporting lines and employee photos to help new employees get to know their colleagues.

Single Touch Payroll (STP) works by the employer using a payroll solution with STP reporting capability. The STP processing sends Year-to-Date amounts (YTD) to the ATO each time an employer reports a pay run. When the report is sent to the ATO, it is timestamped, and the ATO uses the timestamp to determine the most recent report. Report status, when sent, is waiting for ATO response. As soon as the ATO responds, the status changes to accepted rejected or accepted with errors. Reports cannot be deleted from the Payroll Reporting Centre or the ATO Business Portal for security and audit reasons. The software will list every pay event and update the event, including deleted pays.

With STP reporting, employers can update their payroll solution with payments such as salaries and wages, PAYG withholding and superannuation information while paying employees. Essentially, the ATO can now access Australian payroll data in real-time, connecting PAYG, Business Activity Statements (BAS), and Superannuation Ordinary Times Earnings Calculation in real-time. The Access Group has completed the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) STP Certification process for all payroll solutions. Learn how our payroll software solutions adhere to the latest STP Phase 2 regulations.

The STP reporting system allows employees to access their tax and super information online through the ATO (accessible via myGov). Tax and Super information are updated each time an employee is paid. The ATO online services account shows year-to-date tax and super payments made by the employer since the start of the financial year. The information is updated each time the employer pays an employee. Employees can access their income statement (previously known as payment summary) and super payment details.

Single Touch Payroll is compulsory for all businesses regardless of how many employees they have. July 2019 marked the introduction of Single Touch Payroll reporting. Companies report their employees' payroll and super information to the ATO each time they pay them.

Single Touch Payroll (STP) is how businesses report employees' tax and super information to the ATO. STP Reporting simplifies business reporting by allowing employers to report salary and wage payments, PAYG withholding, and superannuation directly from their Access payroll solution. The reporting delivers real-time payroll data to the ATO, which links PAYG to Business Activity Statements (BAS) and Superannuation Ordinary Times Earnings Calculations.

Online timesheet software underpins accurate and compliant payroll with award management. With online timesheet software, your payroll team can be confident that payslips are accurate and compliant with Australia's tough regulatory requirements. Timesheet software integrated with payroll software covers casual and salaried employees (under a Modern Award), industry-specific awards, EBAs and contracts. You can record, approve, and adjust timesheets on the go with online timesheets. Online timesheets reduce time and help you measure productivity.

Online timesheet software allows employees to clock on and off on the go, offering a better employee experience. Mobile-enabled timesheet software can alert you or your employee when overtime is approaching or when timesheets are ready for approval. Employees can enter specific job and client codes into their online timesheets to see how they spend their time. Timesheet data can help you identify wasted time and money workflow problems. You can automate many jobs using an online timesheet system that integrates with your other business software. Data can be fed into your payroll software, which will calculate taxes and pay for each employee. You can also use online timesheets to update your accounting software to keep track of your wages daily and hourly.

TimeClock apps allow employees to clock in and out, change duties, take breaks, and request leave from their phones. The TimeClock app can be paired with geo-fencing technology for a site or office-based team to ensure that employees clock in and out at the right time and place. TimeClock is part of the Access Definitiv platform. With only one true data source, the TimeClock feeds live information to Access Definitiv so you can track a team member’s whereabouts and movements in real-time.

A flexible payroll solution supports accurate, compliant, and timely pay runs. Access Payroll solutions are flexible and cater to small and medium businesses with simple and complex awards or EBAs, single or multi-entity. Flexible payroll can be enhanced or upgraded by integrating applications or choosing a fully integrated HRIS platform. Learn more about payroll software at Access. 

Access Payroll offers flexible payroll and workforce management solutions for single to multi-entity businesses. Access customers can expand their payroll needs into a broader HRIS system, including rostering, scheduling, core HR, eLearning, Employee Recognition and more. Access solutions offer a comprehensive set of restful API & Webhooks for customers who want to work with 3rd party applications.

Flexible payroll platforms enable businesses to grow, utilising the existing payroll engine with integrations to key functions such as Time and Attendance and Award Engine. HR, eLearning, Employee Recognition, or a fully integrated HRIS System (Payroll Software, Workforce Management Software, HR Software) platform can be implemented from one vendor, providing peace of mind and ease of use.

Workforce Management software streamlines processes and procedures to manage your team, ensuring you have the right employees with the right skills in the right place. Good Workforce Management software has inbuilt roster management, time and attendance and award requirements, payroll compliance, and a mobile app for employee experience, connectivity and self-service. Workforce management software lessens the administrative burden on the business and delivers a single source of truth for all your employee-related reporting.

Workforce Management software provides the following benefits:

• Streamline employee onboarding of new starters, ensuring compliance from day one.
• Scheduling, rostering, and availability optimisation.
• Controlling labour costs before they affect revenue.
• Inbuilt payroll software for a single source of employee data.
• Employee self service enables a more autonomous workforce.
• Supporting flexible working arrangements improves employee retention.
• Reducing unexpected gaps in the workforce and resolving inefficiencies as soon as possible.
• Reducing absenteeism to increase productivity.
• Avoiding employee fatigue or overwork and ensuring workplace health and safety policies are not violated.
• Keeping payroll compliance governance in check.

Workforce Management (WFM) complements and streamlines various functions of HR management. Depending on your business's size, complexity, and fundamental needs, you may need to consider WFM as part of a Human Resource Information System (HRIS).

The cost of Workforce Management (WFM) software varies depending on the size of the business, the number of users and the level of functionality required. Companies generally look for an integrated solution that includes payroll, HR, eLearning, and workforce management.

A workforce manager oversees productivity for the company. They assist with key business functions related to strategic human capital and resource allocation. They report on and analyse employee productivity at an individual and departmental level. The role also includes rostering & scheduling, time & attendance and ultimately, payroll compliance. Workforce managers are responsible for ensuring they use the right workforce management software.

Implementing Workforce Management software saves costs, including:

• Saving administration costs of onboarding as this can be automated and onboarding completed online.
• Time and attendance are managed with an integrated online app saving manual data entry.
• Fewer payroll errors save time and money by reducing rework and adjustments as the data is in one platform.
• Track hours and reduce unnecessary overtime, which saves costs.
• Employees can access their schedule, leave and payslips from an app anytime, anywhere, saving you time.
• Manage absences and resources from one place and connect with employees from the app - saving you time.
• With the visibility of the data in one place, you can strategically schedule the resources to suit your business budget.
• You will need fewer resources in the HR department due to automation.

Payroll analytics enables organisations to make better business decisions based on data. The ability to surface information in meaningful ways allows teams to monitor and drive proactive change confidently. Your payroll software reporting system provides your teams and executives quick access to everyday queries and dashboards to make strategic business decisions.

Your company can make strategic business decisions based on payroll analytics and workforce management software data when it has the right payroll reporting and data. The data allows you to uncover productivity issues and develop workforce management plans. Reporting becomes simple with the right level of detail, and real-time availability is always up-to-date.

Payroll software and Workforce Management software data is confidential and need to be kept secure. To ensure the integrity and security of your payroll and workforce data, Access Payroll uses industry-leading practices and technology. A 256-bit TLS encryption is used to protect payroll data, the same level of encryption banks use. Permission-based access to payroll and workforce management ensures the right level of access is available to manage your workforce. Single sign-on, two-factor authentication, and custom password policies provide data security for employees and employers. You can detect security breaches through payroll analytics and reporting.

Access Payroll solutions provide comprehensive reporting and payroll analytics to see your labour costs, for example, at the pay item and summary levels. A powerful analysis and report writing capability allow your teams to identify any adverse trends and take action accordingly. Provide effective cost control on time with proactive reporting, such as reviewing labour costs before they commit to a roster.

Access Payroll Services professionals have an average 10 years tenure, so you can be confident knowing that you have a team behind you dedicated to helping you achieve your goals. What the Access Payroll Services offer:

• Payroll Outsourcing - You can reduce costs, administrative overheads, and compliance risks by outsourcing your payroll to a team of highly experienced and qualified professionals with diverse knowledge across industries and legislative boundaries.
• Payroll Recruitment - Access Recruitment can help you find your next payroll, human resources, or accounting hire.
• Payroll Training - Training Consultants assist you in implementing changes and identifying suitable reporting options for your Access payroll solution.
• Payroll Consulting - You can maximise your investment with payroll, workforce management, and HR implementation and consulting services from the #1 payroll company in Australia.

We recognise that every business is unique in size, industry and focus, which greatly affects how you use your payroll software solution. Understanding your payroll system helps you manage your people and business. With payroll software training, you will learn how to implement business processes that increase your business efficiency and productivity using the Access payroll solution. Our Training team have extensive industry experience in payroll systems and HR management solutions and provides in-depth advice on implementing changes. We guide you through the processes necessary to meet your goals in every consulting session by focusing on what you want to achieve.

Payroll software training helps you get the most out of Access Payroll Software, such as Access Definitiv, Access MicrOpay and Access WageEasy. The Access Payroll Training team runs classroom training, online training, workshops, seminars and web classes that cater to a wide range of learning requirements. It is also possible to customise the training according to your needs.

Payroll software training helps you get the most from the payroll solution. Every business has unique payroll requirements from set up, award interpretation and compliance. Access Payroll Training offers classroom training, online training, workshops, seminars, and web classes that meet a wide range of learning requirements. Our consultative training options can be tailored to meet your business's specific needs if they require additional training.

Finance and HR professionals without payroll experience may find payroll processing challenging. Keeping up with changing legislation, meeting ATO deadlines, and managing compliance is time-consuming. The management of payroll in-house can be costly and requires specialised skills. Sometimes payroll outsourcing is a better option to ensure compliance and provides access to experienced payroll professionals. There are pros and cons to both in-house and outsourced payroll - Pros and Cons of Inhouse: Ability to control your payroll data, manage your pay run, and have instant access to your data. Some cons are; data sharing with a third party, not having instant access, and hidden charges. Pros and Cons of Outsourced Payroll: You save time, reduce the need for in-house payroll training, and avoid the expense of purchasing and maintaining a payroll system. You can reduce the risk of payroll errors and omissions and late processing.

The Payroll Outsourcing service from Access provides end-to-end payroll management. You can customise our services to suit your unique business circumstances, as the service is flexible. Outsourced payroll services include end-to-end payroll management, including compliance, STP processing, payroll tax obligations, EOFY reconciliation and rollover, and payments - removing the burden of processing payments by managing all associated payments. Also, Access Payroll integrates directly with your ERP system using APIs to produce payroll costing and leave provision journals. If you want to move payroll in-house, Access Outsourced Payroll provides full data portability, payroll continuity in case of disaster, streamlined implementation, privacy, and security. To meet the Australian data sovereignty requirements by ensuring your data remains on Australian servers, including backups and replications. inefficiencies as soon as possible.

• Reducing absenteeism to increase productivity.
• Avoiding employee fatigue or overwork and ensuring workplace health and safety policies are not violated.
• Keeping compliance governance in check.

Access Outsourcing Payroll Services are:

• Adaptable to the changing demands of growing organisations.
• Delivered via a 100% SaaS framework with cutting-edge technology.
• Measured by accuracy, timeliness, and customer satisfaction.
• Serviced by payroll professionals based in Australia.
• Processed and managed in Australia.
• Data integrity and security with local backups.

Outsourcing payroll means hiring a team of payroll experts that are external to your company to handle your payroll. A fully managed payroll service, a flexible part-managed payroll solution, or a processing-only payroll service are all options for outsourcing payroll. More and more businesses are opting for fully managed payroll outsourcing as a solution, as payroll drains resources and time. Payroll outsourcing ensures payroll compliance, reduced errors, meeting reporting deadlines and peace of mind. Download the brochure to find out more about Payroll Outsourcing.

No matter how many employees your business has, a well-managed payroll function is essential. Paying people on time and accurately is the most significant financial well-being and engagement. Using payroll outsourcing services could be beneficial if Payroll drains valuable resources and time. Should you consider Outsourcing Payroll?

• Are you struggling to pay employees correctly and on time?
• Are you missing critical payroll deadlines or just hitting them?
• Do you have to rework Payroll due to errors and data duplication?
• Are you spending a lot of time dealing with payroll queries and admin?
• Would you like to review your internal payroll resource costs?
• Are you concerned or struggling with payroll compliance?
• Do you need a payroll expert?

If you have answered yes to any of the above, learn more about running payroll in-house and Outsourcing by downloading our eBook Outsourced Payroll vs. In-House Payroll

Before considering the cost, you must determine if outsourcing payroll is right for your business. The total cost of payroll processing includes people, processes, security, compliance, and employee experience. These costs are what is incurred in your business today. The cost of outsourcing payroll depends on the level of service you need, the features you want to utilise and what the payroll outsourcing companies offer. One size does not fit all. Read our blog: 5 questions to help you decide if it’s time to outsource your payroll

When you outsource payroll processing to a reputable organisation, you can reduce labour, administrative overheads and compliance risk. Outsourcing payroll means that you work with a payroll team that is highly experienced and qualified with versatile knowledge across industries and legislative borders. The cost savings are eliminating payroll software management, administrative upskilling, dedicated headcount and IT infrastructure so your teams can focus on workforce efficiency and the core business of serving your customers. Payroll outsourcing is a cost-effective way to ensure business continuity, compliance, and peace of mind for your business.

The Payroll Outsourcing service from Access provides end-to-end payroll management. We offer customisable services to suit your business needs. Access Outsourced payroll services include end-to-end payroll management, payroll compliance, STP processing, payroll tax obligations, EOFY reconciliation and rollover, and payments. The Access Outsourced Payroll can also remove the burden of processing payments by managing all associated payments for your business. By using APIs, Access Payroll integrates directly with your ERP system to produce payroll costing and leave provision journals.

With 20 years of payroll outsourcing experience in Australia & New Zealand, I have designed, developed, maintained and supported solutions for various industries, business sizes, and complexity levels. Access Group is your complete payroll outsourcing partner, providing accurate, compliant, and timely payroll services. In our Australian office, our Access Outsourcing team consists of qualified professionals with extensive experience processing payroll for companies of all sizes, industries, and legislative borders ranging from 1 to 25,000 employees. We work with you to customise a solution that meets your unique business requirements if you have an unusual business structure or needs. Our focus is to partner with you so you can focus on running your business with the peace of mind that experts handle payroll needs.

With extensive industry experience in payroll, workforce management, and HR solutions, our HR and payroll consultants provide in-depth advice on implementing changes and identifying appropriate reporting options for your business. Our consultants focus on what you want to achieve before guiding you through the processes necessary to ensure you get the most from your payroll and HR solution. Our goal is to provide your team with the foundation required to increase your efficiency, productivity, and opportunities. Access consulting services always focus on what you want to achieve before guiding you through the processes necessary to achieve your goals.

Access HR and payroll implementation and consulting focuses on what you want to accomplish. Our implementation and consultation services accelerate your time to value, minimise disruption, and reduce maintenance costs. Using a proven methodology called Flightpaths, we deliver value from your investment as quickly and fully as possible. A dedicated team delivers a professional, efficient, low-risk implementation journey for today's demanding businesses. The implementation and consultation service covers audit and analysis - reviewing any anomalies, business change management - payroll data acquisition, system reorganisation, and system integration - help with third-party interface configurations, such as finance, ERP, or other productivity applications.