Payroll pricing shouldn't be a guessing game.
Per-employee-per-pay billing. Fees for every out-of-cycle run. A different number on every invoice. That's the industry norm – and it's not how we do it. Here's how Affinity actually prices payroll.
The real cost isn't the price. It's the surprises.
Most payroll providers price per employee, per pay – so your bill moves with every hire, every weekly run, every ad-hoc request. That makes budgeting a moving target.
The Surprise Invoice
An out-of-cycle pay run lands and suddenly you're looking at another $500–$800 charge you didn't budget for.
The Metered Help Desk
Every phone call, every email to support feels like it's ticking a meter, so you stop asking questions you should be asking.
The Moving Budget
Per-employee-per-month or per-employee-per-pay billing means your finance team can never quite lock in what payroll will cost this year.
We've heard it from hundreds of businesses: "Just tell me what this actually costs."
For over 40 years we've priced payroll for Australian and New Zealand businesses, and we've seen what per-head, per-pay billing does to a budget. So we built our pricing around certainty instead.
Your price is your price. We don't bill for extra things, and our help desk and managed services team are some of the lowest-billing departments in the business.
Certainty, Not Surprises
Fixed, quoted annually and paid in advance – not a running tally that changes with every pay run. Your contract flexes with real changes in your business, so the certainty holds as you grow.
Local Team, Always
You'll only ever deal with people based in Australia or New Zealand – we don't offshore support.
Here's how our pricing works.
Every solution starts with the same SaaS pricing, then adds only what you actually need on top of it. All three are fixed, quoted annually, and billed in advance – nothing hidden, nothing billed by surprise.
SaaS
Priced on your employee count – fixed, annual, and paid in advance, so it doesn't move with pay frequency or every help desk call.
Supported
Your SaaS pricing, plus a fixed annual fee for a defined amount of named payroll specialist support – so you know exactly who's on hand and what it costs, with no per-contact billing.
Fully Managed
Your SaaS pricing, plus a fixed annual fee based on the effort it takes us to run your payroll for you – set upfront, not metered per pay run or per phone call.
Every solution is fixed, quoted annually and paid in advance – but that doesn't mean it's rigid. Your contract flexes with genuine changes in your business, like headcount growth, so the certainty holds even as your business does.
Implementation is quoted separately from ongoing pricing, and depends on whether it's an assessed, customer-led setup or a fully managed implementation where we own more of the work. Either way, you'll see the number before you sign – not discover it in your first invoice.
Every business is different. Tell us about yours and we'll give you a clear, tailored number.
Get Your PricingPicture this: an invoice with no surprises on it.
No dread before the next out-of-cycle run. No second-guessing whether a phone call to support is going to cost you. Just the number you agreed to, every time.
Annual pricing, agreed up front
Out-of-cycle or per-contact fees
AU/NZ-based support, no offshoring
Moving off Preceda or Ace Payroll?
Both are retiring – see what a predictable price looks like on the other side.
Leaving something else? Get in touch.
Frequently asked questions
Do you charge per employee, per month?
Our SaaS pricing is based on your employee count, but it's fixed annually and billed in advance – not a per-employee-per-month subscription that creeps every time you hire. Your contract flexes for genuine changes in your business, like headcount growth, so you get certainty without losing flexibility.
Will I be charged extra for an out-of-cycle pay run?
No. Some providers bill anywhere from $500 to $800 every time you need an off-cycle or ad-hoc pay run. We don't. Your price is your price, and we don't bill for extra things.
What's the difference between Supported and Fully Managed pricing?
Supported adds a set fee on top of your SaaS pricing for a defined amount of named payroll specialist support – so you know exactly who you can call and what it costs. Fully Managed is priced largely on the effort required to run your payroll for you, since we take on as much of the work as possible.
Is implementation extra, or hidden in the price?
Implementation is quoted separately and depends on whether it's an assessed, customer-led setup or a fully managed one where we do the heavy lifting. Either way, you'll see the number before you commit – no surprises buried in month one.
Will I get stung for every phone call to your help desk?
No. Our help desk and managed services team are some of the lowest-billing departments in the business. You're not paying a toll every time you pick up the phone or send an email.
Who actually handles our payroll and support?
People in Australia and New Zealand – full stop. We don't offshore support, so the person helping you understands local legislation and speaks your timezone.
Not ready to talk pricing yet?
Two free guides for the two decisions that come before a vendor conversation – whether the change is worth making, and how to judge who can make it.
Build a payroll business case that gets approved
Cost the status quo, value the change, and get to the payback, ROI and NPV a board actually decides on. Includes a savings estimator and a board-ready template.
Choosing a payroll provider
Define what you actually need before you compare a single vendor – then turn it into a scored brief every vendor answers. Includes an RFP template and weighted scoring tool.