Australian payroll is complex. Your system shouldn't make it harder.
Modern Awards, Enterprise Agreements, STP Phase 2, and now Payday Super. You need a platform that handles the complexity so you can focus on running your business.
Affinity is enterprise payroll software built from the ground up for Australian compliance. Award interpretation, automated STP2 lodgement, and real-time visibility – with local experts who actually understand your obligations.
The compliance landscape is getting harder, not easier
Australian payroll teams are navigating more regulatory change than ever before. One miscalculation can trigger back-pay claims, Fair Work penalties, and reputational damage that takes years to repair.
The external challenge
- •Modern Awards and EAs with frequent Fair Work updates and endless variations
- •STP Phase 2 requires disaggregated, real-time reporting
- •Payday Super from July 2026 changes how super is paid
The internal impact
- •Your team spends days checking what should be automated
- •Award interpretation lives in spreadsheets or one person's head
- •Every regulatory change creates a scramble, not a smooth update
It shouldn't be this hard
Your people deserve to be paid correctly, every time. Your payroll team deserves a system that makes compliance the default, not the exception. And your business deserves better than crossing its fingers every pay run.
We've been solving Australian payroll complexity for 40+ years
Affinity isn't a global platform adapted for Australia. We're payroll specialists who built our technology around the reality of Modern Awards, Enterprise Agreements, and the regulatory obligations Australian employers face every pay cycle.
Intelligence
Real-time visibility. Issues flagged before the payslip. Variances explained automatically so your team stops detective work.
Partnership
A named local specialist who knows your awards, your EAs, and your setup – not a ticket queue or offshore call centre.
Local
Built for Australian compliance from day one. Modern Awards, STP2, payroll tax, long service leave – native, not configured.
Three compliance challenges. One platform.
Award interpretation, ATO reporting, and superannuation are the three areas where Australian payroll teams spend the most time and carry the most risk. Affinity automates all three.
Modern Award & EA interpretation
Every organisation applies awards differently – no one pays exactly to award. Instead of translating legal documents into configuration screens, Affinity's intelligent interpretation engine parses your actual documentation into precise rules.
- Your awards, EBAs, and agreements parsed into implementation code
- You validate and refine – not specify from scratch
- When awards change, we re-parse and update your rules in days, not months
Your exact requirements implemented precisely. No "close enough" compromises.
STP Phase 2 automation
STP Phase 2 requires disaggregated reporting of income types, deductions, and tax treatment codes to the ATO. Affinity handles it automatically – no manual mapping, no separate lodgement step.
- Disaggregated gross, tax, super, allowances, and deductions
- Income type and country codes mapped to ATO requirements
- Lodgement happens when you finalise the pay run – no extra steps
ATO reporting always current, always compliant, zero manual effort.
Payday Super readiness
From 1 July 2026, employers must pay super alongside each pay run instead of quarterly. This is the biggest structural change to Australian super in a decade – and Affinity is ready.
- Super calculated and submitted with every pay run
- Clearing house integration ensures timely delivery
- No workflow changes – compliance built into the process
The cost of getting Australian payroll wrong
Without the right system
- Fair Work penalties exceeding $93,000 per serious contravention
- Back-pay remediation averaging $500k+ for underpayment claims
- Manual award interpretation creates key-person risk and errors
- STP lodgement errors trigger ATO scrutiny and rework
- Payday Super non-compliance from July 2026 adds new penalty exposure
With Affinity
- Award interpretation built from your documents – precise, auditable, no compromises
- STP Phase 2 lodged automatically with every pay run
- Payday Super readiness built into the platform before July 2026
- Real-time visibility cuts checking effort by approximately 50%
- One platform, one partner – audit-ready at any time
Choose how you run Australian payroll
Whether you want full control, expert support alongside your team, or to hand payroll over entirely – we have a delivery model that fits. One platform across all three.
SaaS Payroll
You run payroll
Full control on an intelligent cloud platform. Award interpretation, STP2, and compliance automation handle the complexity while your team stays in the driver's seat.
- Intelligent award interpretation
- STP Phase 2 auto-lodgement
- Real-time variance detection
Supported Payroll
You run payroll with us
Keep payroll in-house and add a named Australian payroll specialist for complex awards, troubleshooting, and compliance guidance when you need it most.
- Dedicated AU specialist
- Complex award guidance
- Risk reduction on every cycle
Fully Managed Payroll
We run payroll for you
Hand Australian payroll to our accredited team. We process, check, and lodge using our own platform – with full compliance accountability and measurable outcomes.
- End-to-end processing
- Full compliance ownership
- Predictable outcomes
Built for the reality of Australian payroll
Every feature exists because Australian payroll teams need it – not because a global product roadmap included it as a checkbox.
Modern Award & EA Interpretation
Your awards and EAs intelligently parsed into precise rules – validate and refine, not configure from scratch
STP Phase 2 Automation
Disaggregated reporting lodged to the ATO automatically with every pay run
Payday Super Ready
Super calculated and submitted with each pay cycle from July 2026 – built into the workflow
Real-Time Payroll Intelligence
Issues flagged before the payslip. Variances explained. Checking effort halved.
Employee Self-Service
Payslips, leave, timesheets, and personal details – accessible from any device
Multi-State Compliance
Payroll tax, long service leave, and workers' comp rules applied by state automatically
Why Australian businesses choose Affinity
Award Expertise
40+ years of Australian payroll complexity. We parse your documents into rules – no generic templates.
Scalable Technology
From 100 to 10,000+ employees. The platform grows with your business.
Compliance First
STP2, payroll tax, Payday Super – compliance is the default, not a configuration exercise.
Local Partnership
Australian support. Named specialists. No ticket queues or offshore handoffs.
See how we help Australian organisations like yours
"User-friendly product and best of all, the Affinity team provides fantastic customer service support which is personable, competent and convenient."– Payroll Operations Lead, George Weston Foods Limited
Frequently asked questions
How does Affinity handle Modern Award interpretation for Australian businesses?
Every organisation applies awards differently based on their operational context – no one pays exactly to award. Instead of forcing you to translate legal documents into configuration screens, Affinity intelligently parses your actual award documentation, EBAs, and employment agreements into precise implementation code. You validate and refine rather than specify from scratch. When Fair Work updates come through, you let us know and we re-parse the updated documentation and apply the changes – days, not months.
Is Affinity compliant with STP Phase 2 reporting requirements?
Yes. Affinity has been STP Phase 2 compliant since the ATO mandate. Every pay run automatically generates and lodges the required disaggregated data – gross, tax, super, salary sacrifice, allowances, deductions, and lump sums – in the format the ATO expects. There's no manual mapping or separate export step.
How is Affinity preparing for Payday Super from 1 July 2026?
Affinity is building Payday Super compliance directly into the pay run workflow. When the legislation takes effect, super contributions will be calculated and submitted alongside each pay run rather than quarterly. We're working closely with clearing houses and the ATO to ensure the transition is seamless for our customers. We'll handle the technical changes – you just keep running payroll.
Can Affinity support multi-state payroll with different state-based rules?
Absolutely. Affinity handles state-specific payroll tax thresholds, long service leave legislation, and workers' compensation requirements natively. Whether you operate in one state or across all of them, the platform applies the correct rules based on each employee's work location – no manual overrides required.
What level of support do Australian clients receive?
Every Affinity customer gets a dedicated local specialist who knows your business, your awards, and your setup. We don't use offshore call centres or ticket queues. Our support team is based in Australia and New Zealand, understands local legislation, and can help with everything from configuration questions to complex award interpretation scenarios.
Can Affinity handle both Australian and New Zealand payroll on one platform?
Yes. Affinity is purpose-built for trans-Tasman operations. You get one platform with jurisdiction-specific compliance for both countries – Modern Awards and STP in Australia, Holidays Act and Payday Filing in New Zealand – with unified reporting and a single support relationship.
Australian payroll doesn't have to be this hard
Whether you're managing complex awards, preparing for Payday Super, or just tired of firefighting every pay cycle – we'd love to show you what compliant, controlled payroll actually looks like. No pressure, just a conversation about what you need.