Does Payroll Metrics handle employee payroll queries directly, or does my HR team have to manage them?

Payroll Metrics is client-retained for Tier-1 support: employees consult your internal HR team, and Payroll Metrics' software support is delivered directly to authorised client leads rather than to employees. Affinity's local AU/NZ team takes Tier-1 employee queries directly.

Is Payroll Metrics onshore, like Affinity?

Yes – Payroll Metrics runs 100% onshore from Melbourne and Sydney, on the same basis as Affinity's Melbourne, Sydney, Auckland, and Whangārei footprint.

How does NZ coverage compare between Payroll Metrics and Affinity?

Payroll Metrics describes its NZ compliance capability as emerging. Affinity runs a native NZ engine tracking continuous gross earnings, OWP, ADP, and leave liabilities directly, built on 40+ years of Holidays Act experience.

Who executes the actual bank payments – Payroll Metrics or the client?

Payroll Metrics generates ABA files with integration into major corporate banking portals, so the client executes the payment run. Affinity operates a provider-managed trust and disbursal model, executing payments directly. Regardless of the model, statutory payroll compliance liability under the Fair Work Act 2009 (AU) and NZ employment law remains with the employer.

What size business is Payroll Metrics built for compared to Affinity?

Payroll Metrics targets 100 to 3,000+ employee organisations with a fast 6 to 12 week implementation. Affinity covers 100 to 10,000+ employees with an 8 to 16 week implementation including full parallel run testing.

Affinity vs Payroll Metrics: outsourced & managed payroll compared

Delivery footprint

Both providers are fully onshore – a genuine point of alignment, though trans-Tasman scope differs.

Affinity

Proprietary multi-tenant cloud SaaS (Affinity Payroll Engine)
100% onshore: Melbourne, Sydney, Auckland, Whangārei
Native AU & NZ processing on a unified database

Payroll Metrics

Pure cloud-native multi-tenant SaaS (Payroll Metrics Cloud Engine)
100% onshore: Melbourne and Sydney technical and operational support
Native AU Modern Awards; emerging NZ compliance capability

Why this matters: because both providers process and support onshore from Australian cities, the footprint decision here is not about offshore risk. It is about trans-Tasman readiness: Payroll Metrics' NZ capability is described as emerging, while Affinity runs native AU and NZ engines on a single unified database with 40+ years of NZ-specific experience behind it. For an AU-only operation, this distinction may not matter; for anything that touches New Zealand employees, it does.

Calculation depth

Payroll Metrics runs a configurable work-pattern rules engine with deep shift penalty and allowance support for Australian Modern Awards – a genuinely strong AU-focused engine. Its NZ side is described as "modern NZ compliance logic covering Holidays Act statutory payment guidelines," which reads as an emerging capability rather than a mature one. Statutory lodgements cover full STP Phase 2 integration and automated SuperStream reporting.

Affinity's rule builder handles the same AU territory – intricate shift penalties, multi-tier EBAs, layered allowances – and pairs it with a native NZ engine that tracks continuous gross earnings, OWP, ADP, and leave liabilities directly, built over 40+ years of Holidays Act interpretation. Affinity also lodges STP Phase 2, is Pay Day Super ready, and handles PAYG/SuperStream and NZ IRD Payday Filing directly.

For an organisation running Australian payroll only, the AU-side engines are broadly comparable in depth. The gap widens materially once New Zealand employees are in scope – Payroll Metrics' NZ capability is still emerging, where Affinity's is a mature, purpose-built engine.

Audit, QA & who owns support

Payroll Metrics runs automated data sanity checks, real-time variance dashboards, and cross-cycle reconciliation alerts – a solid automated QA layer. For support, the model is client-retained: employees consult internal HR, and Payroll Metrics' own support function is a local Tier-2/3 software support desk serving authorised client leads, not employees directly.

Affinity combines pre-payslip automated checking through Payroll IQ with dedicated local payroll manager variance audits – adding a human review layer on top of the automated one. Crucially, Tier-1 employee support is direct provider ownership: Affinity's local AU/NZ team handles employee pay queries itself, with a named local Payroll Manager as the primary operational escalation point. If an employee has a payslip question, it goes to Affinity's team rather than landing on your HR desk.

Banking & who carries the liability

Payroll Metrics generates ABA files with integration into major corporate banking portals – the client runs the actual bank payment through their own portal, with Payroll Metrics handling the file generation.

Affinity operates a provider-managed trust and disbursal model, executing net pay, ATO, IRD and super fund payments directly on the client's behalf.

Regardless of which banking or disbursal model is in place, statutory payroll compliance liability is non-delegable under the Fair Work Act 2009 (AU) and equivalent NZ employment law. Whether the client runs the ABA file or the provider executes payment directly, the employer remains legally accountable for correct and timely payment of wages, tax, and superannuation – outsourcing the mechanics does not outsource the liability.

Retained resourcing & implementation

How much of your own team's time this arrangement still requires, and how long it takes to get live.

Dimension	Affinity	Payroll Metrics
Retained client FTE	0.15 – 0.3 FTE per 1,000 employees	0.3 – 0.5 FTE per 1,000 employees
Implementation velocity	8 to 16 weeks (full parallel run testing)	6 to 12 weeks
Ideal profile	100 to 10,000+ employees; complex Modern Awards, EBAs, and trans-Tasman workforces	100 to 3,000+ employees; organisations seeking strong native rostering and award logic

Where Payroll Metrics excels

Payroll Metrics is genuinely strong in several areas, particularly for AU-focused organisations wanting fast implementation.

100% onshore, same as Affinity

Payroll Metrics runs entirely onshore from Melbourne and Sydney – a genuine strength shared with Affinity and one of the clearer differentiators against hybrid or offshore competitors.

Fast implementation

Payroll Metrics' 6 to 12 week implementation is quicker than Affinity's 8 to 16 week timeline, an advantage for organisations that want to move fast and whose requirements are more contained.

Strong native rostering and Australian award logic

Payroll Metrics' configurable work-pattern rules engine offers deep shift penalty and allowance support, and it is well suited to organisations that specifically want strong native rostering alongside award logic.

Real-time variance dashboards

Payroll Metrics runs automated data sanity checks, real-time variance dashboards, and cross-cycle reconciliation alerts – a solid automated QA layer for catching issues as they occur.

Where Affinity excels

Affinity's advantages centre on mature NZ depth, direct employee support, and headroom to scale.

Mature, native NZ Holidays Act engine

Affinity's native NZ engine tracks continuous gross earnings, OWP, ADP, and leave liabilities directly – built on 40+ years of Holidays Act experience, rather than Payroll Metrics' described 'emerging' NZ compliance capability.

Direct Tier-1 employee support

Affinity's local AU/NZ team takes Tier-1 employee queries directly. Payroll Metrics keeps employees with the client's internal HR, and its own support desk serves authorised client leads rather than staff.

Provider-managed disbursal

Affinity can execute net pay, ATO, IRD and super fund payments directly on the client's behalf, rather than leaving the client to run ABA files through their own banking portal.

Scales further for trans-Tasman growth

Affinity's ideal profile reaches 10,000+ employees with genuine trans-Tasman complexity, ahead of Payroll Metrics' 3,000+ ceiling – relevant for organisations expecting to grow or expand across the Tasman.

Dedicated local payroll manager variance audits

Affinity pairs automated pre-payslip checking (Payroll IQ) with a human review layer – a dedicated local payroll manager auditing variances, on top of the automated dashboards.

Who's each provider best for?

The right fit depends on whether NZ is in scope, and how much you want employee support handled directly by the provider.

Choose Affinity if you:

Have employees in New Zealand, or expect to soon
Want employees to raise pay queries with the provider, not your HR team
Expect to scale beyond 3,000 employees
Prefer provider-managed disbursal over running your own ABA files

Choose Payroll Metrics if you:

Are Australia-only, 100 to 3,000+ employees
Want strong native rostering alongside award logic
Prioritise a fast 6 to 12 week implementation
Are comfortable keeping Tier-1 employee queries with your own HR team

Consider both if you:

Are currently Australia-only but see a New Zealand expansion on the horizon
Value onshore delivery highly and want to compare two providers that both meet that bar
Are weighing implementation speed against how much Tier-1 support stays with your HR team

Affinity vs Payroll Metrics – outsourced & managed payroll compared