Ace Payroll is retiring. This is your chance to move up, not just move on.
Migrate to enterprise-grade AU/NZ payroll – more automation, less manual effort, and compliance handled correctly.
Built for organisations that have grown past what Ace Payroll was designed to do.
MYOB Ace Payroll is being retired in New Zealand, with decommissioning expected around April 2027. Ace customers – especially those with 150+ employees – should plan a migration now. Affinity is an enterprise-grade AU/NZ payroll platform offering automation, time & attendance, integration and built-in Holidays Act and IRD compliance, with a structured, parallel-run migration that avoids disruption.
Is this page for you?
Ace did a good job for small, simple payroll. This page is for organisations that have grown past that.
This is likely you
- 150+ employees, and growing
- Manual, spreadsheet-heavy payroll processes
- No time & attendance or workforce management
- Limited integration with your other systems
- Compliance is checked manually, not built in
Probably not you (yet)
- A small business with simple, stable payroll needs
- Ace already covers what you need it to
- No growth in headcount or complexity on the horizon
You'll still need to move off Ace before decommissioning – a self-service SMB tool may be the simpler like-for-like option for you.
The decision Ace's end of life forces
The deadline is real. The risk isn't moving – it's making the wrong move.
The deadline is coming
Ace Payroll's retirement forces a decision. Doing nothing means being rushed into a choice later, on someone else's timeline.
You've outgrown small-business payroll
Manual processes, no automation, limited reporting, no time & attendance, weak integration – the effort scales with headcount, and so does the risk.
A lateral move re-creates the ceiling
Switching to another self-service, small-business tool solves the deadline but not the growth problem. You'll be back here again in a few years.
| In three years, on... | Staying on Ace | A lateral SMB switch | Affinity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Not possible – retired | ✕ | Available | Available |
| Automation & time & attendance | None | Basic, if any | Built in |
| Room to grow past 150+ employees | ✕ | Same ceiling, new vendor | Built for it |
| Option to hand payroll off as you scale | ✕ | ✕ | SaaS, Supported or Fully Managed |
We know why this decision keeps getting put off
Changing payroll systems feels risky – the fear of a bad pay run or a compliance gap is what keeps it on the back burner. Ace's retirement removes the option to wait. The goal is to move once, safely, to something you won't outgrow.
- Deep AU/NZ complianceHolidays Act, KiwiSaver and IRD/payday filing handled correctly, out of the box – not bolted on.
- Proven migration methodologyStructured process with parallel runs, so nothing goes live until you're confident.
- Dedicated payroll specialistsNZPPA-trained payroll managers, not a generic support queue.
An upgrade, not a downgrade
Ace is self-service only, with no option to hand payroll off as complexity grows. Affinity offers three delivery models on one platform – move between them as your needs change, without re-implementing or switching vendors.
Your path off Ace
A proven, structured process that protects your business and your people.
Assess
We review your Ace setup, data, award and leave rules, and integration needs.
Migrate
Structured build, full data migration, and parallel runs until you're confident.
Operate
Go live with automation, time & attendance and support in place – payroll gets easier as you grow.
Discovery
- Data audit and mapping, including full pay, leave and compliance history
- Award and leave rule review
- Integration requirements
Configuration
- System setup and rules
- Historical data migrated and validated, nothing left behind in Ace
- Integration testing
Parallel runs
- Run Ace and Affinity side by side
- Compare and validate results
- Fine-tune configuration
Go-live
- Cutover to Affinity
- First live pay run
- Hypercare support
Our commitment: we run parallel payrolls until you're completely confident, and your full pay, leave and compliance history moves with you – nothing gets stranded in a decommissioned system.
Don't wait for Ace to stop working
No rushed cutover – we run parallel payrolls until your first live pay is accurate.
What's at risk if this is rushed or lateral
A rushed or lateral move
- Compliance failures under the Holidays Act or with IRD
- Pay errors that erode employee trust
- Historical data stranded in a decommissioned system
- Hidden costs of a tool you'll outgrow again
- Lost time and management attention
A planned move to Affinity
- Full NZ compliance, checked before every pay run
- Accurate pays your employees can rely on
- Complete historical data preserved and accessible
- A platform built for where the business is going, not just where it is now
- Time back for your team, not more of it lost
What success looks like
Without the right partner
- A rushed replacement chosen against a deadline, not a plan
- Manual effort and compliance risk simply move to a new tool
- Historical data lost when Ace is decommissioned
- Back in the market again in a few years
- No path to hand payroll off as the team grows
With Affinity
- Accurate, smooth first pay run
- Automation and time & attendance replacing manual effort
- Full historical pay, leave and compliance data preserved
- Holidays Act, KiwiSaver and IRD compliance handled out of the box
- A platform that scales with the business, with support that scales with it too
Ace Payroll vs Affinity
Ace did a good job for small, simple payroll. Here's the gap between a small-business tool and an enterprise platform.
| Feature | Ace Payroll (retiring) | Affinity |
|---|---|---|
| Product status | End of life (NZ) | Active – enterprise AU/NZ specialist, 40+ years |
| Built for | Small, simple payroll | Mid to enterprise, complex payroll (150+ employees) |
| Payroll processing | Manual / desktop-based | Fully automated, configurable for complex scenarios |
| Time & attendance | None | Integrated workforce management and labour costing |
| Award / pay-rule interpretation | Basic | Configurable engine – complex NZ pay rules and AU awards/EBAs |
| NZ compliance | Holidays Act, KiwiSaver, IRD | Full NZ compliance plus configurable checking and anomaly detection |
| Cross-Tasman (AU) | No | Native AU and NZ on one platform |
| Integrations | Limited | Real-time APIs – HRIS, ERP, T&A, finance, ELMO two-way |
| Reporting & analytics | Basic | 200+ reports, SQL database, Power BI |
| Payroll intelligence | None | Payroll IQ – pre-payslip variance and anomaly detection |
| Delivery model | Self-service only | SaaS, Supported, or Fully Managed – move between as you grow |
| Support | Standard product support | Dedicated, NZPPA-trained payroll specialists |
| Historical data at decommission | At risk of being stranded | Structured migration, full history preserved |
| Security | – | ISO 27001:2022 certified |
This comparison is published by Affinity. Ace Payroll information is based on publicly available sources. Contact MYOB directly for Ace Payroll's current capabilities.
Want to learn more about what makes Affinity different?
"We weren't going to make this change and then have to do it again in five years' time."
"The Affinity system increased our compliance and best practice without needing to implement an additional HRIS immediately."
Starting a payroll review?
Run it properly. The free guide defines what you need; the toolkit turns it into a scored brief you can send to every vendor.
Frequently asked questions
When is Ace Payroll being decommissioned?
MYOB has signalled decommissioning for New Zealand around April 2027. We'd recommend confirming the exact date directly with MYOB, but the direction of travel is clear – it's time to start planning your migration.
What happens to my payroll data when Ace shuts down?
Once Ace is decommissioned, your historical pay, leave and compliance records risk being stranded in a system you can no longer access. A structured migration moves your full history across before that happens, so nothing is lost.
Is Affinity too big for my organisation?
If you're running a small, simple payroll with no plans to grow, a like-for-like small-business tool may suit you better. Affinity is built for organisations around 150+ employees and up – where manual processes, compliance exposure and a lack of automation are already causing real friction.
How long does migration from Ace take?
Every migration is scoped in the Assess phase against your specific data, awards and integrations. Ace's smaller datasets typically mean a more contained migration than a full enterprise system replacement, and we won't cut the parallel-run phase short to hit a date.
Will my Holidays Act and IRD compliance be handled correctly?
Yes. Holidays Act, KiwiSaver and IRD/payday filing are built into Affinity, not bolted on, with configurable compliance checking and anomaly detection ahead of every payslip.
Can I keep my historical pay and leave records?
Yes. Data migration and validation is a core part of the Configuration phase – your historical pay, leave and compliance records move with you, so you're never locked out of your own history.
Ready to move up, not just move on?
Get a migration assessment and transition plan today.