Ace Payroll vs Preceda – how they compare for AU/NZ payroll

For: Payroll Managers, HR Leaders, Finance Directors|11 min read|Last updated: August 2026

This comparison is published by Affinity. Vendor information is based on publicly available sources. Contact each provider directly for their current capabilities.

Summary

Ace Payroll is a low-cost desktop payroll tool for small NZ businesses, now being decommissioned. Preceda is an enterprise AU/NZ payroll and time platform now being retired in favour of Dayforce. Both now face an end-of-life timeline set by their respective owners – see the FAQ below for what that means in practice. Affinity is shown here as a separate column: an AU/NZ enterprise payroll specialist for organisations whose complexity is concentrated in Australia and New Zealand.

How Ace Payroll and Preceda differ

Preceda is a 30+ year-old Australian-developed payroll and time platform historically used by mid-market and enterprise organisations, now owned by Dayforce (formerly Ceridian, via its 2021 Ascender acquisition) – itself taken private by Thoma Bravo in February 2026. Dayforce set Preceda's formal end-of-life for 2026, with remaining customer migrations to the Dayforce platform continuing into 2027.

The core distinction for a buyer is what each platform was built to optimise for: Ace Payroll is a low-cost desktop payroll tool for small NZ businesses, now being decommissioned, while Preceda is an enterprise AU/NZ payroll and time platform now being retired in favour of Dayforce. AU/NZ payroll sits within each vendor's broader focus rather than as the sole product, which is where a specialist platform like Affinity differs from both.

One further point matters for this comparison: Ace Payroll is being retired by its owner (see the FAQ below), which means organisations still on it face a mandatory migration rather than a discretionary choice.

Feature comparison

A neutral comparison of Ace Payroll and Preceda across payroll and workforce capabilities, with Affinity shown as a separate AU/NZ specialist column. Vendor capabilities should be confirmed directly with each provider.

Native / strong Available / partial Not offered

Capability	Ace Payroll	Preceda	AU/NZ specialistAffinity
AU award & EBA interpretation	Not offered: NZ-only product – no AU award functionality	Available / partial: Historically a rules-based AU award/EBA engine – platform now being retired	Native / strong: Configurable engine – modern awards, EBAs, shift penalties, allowance stacking
NZ compliance (Holidays Act, KiwiSaver, IRD)	Native / strong: Native IRD Payday Filing, KiwiSaver and ACC levies	Available / partial: Used across AU and NZ historically; Holidays Act depth unconfirmed	Native / strong: Purpose-built Holidays Act engine, KiwiSaver, Payday Filing, NZ team
STP Phase 2 & superannuation	Not offered: Not applicable – NZ-only, no STP	Available / partial: Unconfirmed whether legacy platform received full STP2/Payday Super uplifts before EOL	Native / strong: Full STP Phase 2 & super, Pay Day Super ready
Pre-payslip intelligence	Not offered: No AI/intelligence features found	Not offered: No AI in Preceda itself – AI capability sits with the successor Dayforce platform	Native / strong: Payroll IQ – anomaly & variance checking before the payslip runs
Global / multi-country coverage	Not offered: NZ-only	Not offered: AU/NZ-focused; global reach is a Dayforce, not Preceda, attribute	Not offered: AU/NZ focus – not multi-country
Workforce management	Not offered: Basic leave calendar only – no rostering	Available / partial: Some time-capture capability referenced; advanced rostering unconfirmed	Native / strong: Integrated WFM with real-time labour costing
Delivery / managed payroll	Not offered: Self-managed desktop software only	Available / partial: Ascender/Dayforce-hosted and operated – not a full BPO managed service	Native / strong: SaaS, Supported & Fully Managed on one platform
Named local AU/NZ support	Native / strong: NZ 0800 helpdesk and local trainer network	Available / partial: "My Pathway" migration advisors; ongoing BAU support depth during wind-down unclear	Native / strong: Named AU/NZ contacts who know your configuration
Product longevity / active roadmap	Not offered: Decommissioned 1 April 2027 (MYOB-confirmed) – no further development	Available / partial: Not a stated focus – confirm directly	Native / strong: Independently owned; continuously invested for 40+ years – no sunset

Where Ace Payroll fits

Ace Payroll has historically suited very small NZ employers wanting a low-cost, simple desktop tool for IRD compliance rather than a full-featured platform. With MYOB decommissioning it on 1 April 2027, it is no longer a viable long-term choice – the practical question for remaining Ace Payroll customers is which platform to move to, not whether to move.

Where Preceda fits

Preceda has historically suited AU/NZ enterprises that valued its long-standing rules-based award and EBA processing, hosted and operated by Ascender/Dayforce. With its formal end-of-life set for 2026 and Dayforce actively migrating remaining customers, Preceda is no longer a platform an organisation can commit to – the relevant question for Preceda customers is what specialist or global platform they move to next, not whether to stay.

Where Affinity fits

For organisations whose payroll complexity is concentrated in Australia and New Zealand, a specialist engine with pre-payslip intelligence, delivery-model flexibility, local data residency, and named local support is a different proposition to either Ace Payroll or Preceda. Some organisations run Ace Payroll or Preceda for their broader positioning and Affinity for a complex AU/NZ operation; others choose Affinity specifically because they need genuine cross-Tasman depth that neither platform is built to prioritise.

Frequently asked questions

Is Ace Payroll or Preceda better for Australian payroll?

Ace Payroll is a low-cost desktop payroll tool for small NZ businesses, now being decommissioned. Preceda is an enterprise AU/NZ payroll and time platform now being retired in favour of Dayforce. Which fits better for Australian payroll depends on which of those is closer to what your organisation actually needs. Confirm current AU award and EBA depth directly with both providers. For organisations whose complexity is concentrated in Australia and New Zealand, a specialist engine like Affinity is built specifically for that depth.

Do Ace Payroll and Preceda handle New Zealand payroll?

Ace Payroll: Native IRD Payday Filing, KiwiSaver and ACC levies. Preceda: Used across AU and NZ historically; Holidays Act depth unconfirmed. Confirm current NZ depth directly with each provider – Holidays Act, KiwiSaver and IRD payday filing all require genuine local engine work, not just tax-table updates. Affinity runs a purpose-built NZ payroll engine with 40+ years of Holidays Act experience and an NZ-based support team.

What is the main difference between Ace Payroll and Preceda?

Ace Payroll is a low-cost desktop payroll tool for small NZ businesses, now being decommissioned, while Preceda is an enterprise AU/NZ payroll and time platform now being retired in favour of Dayforce. Both are being retired by their respective owners, so the practical difference that matters most is migration timeline and replacement path rather than day-to-day features.

How does Affinity compare to Ace Payroll and Preceda?

Affinity is an AU/NZ enterprise payroll specialist. It does not try to match Ace Payroll or Preceda on their own ground; it competes on depth of AU/NZ award and Holidays Act compliance, pre-payslip intelligence, delivery-model flexibility, local data residency, and named local support.

Why is Ace Payroll being retired, and what should I do?

Ace Payroll is a New Zealand-only, locally-installed desktop payroll application, owned by MYOB since 2015 and originally built in 1990 for small NZ employers. It handles IRD Payday Filing, KiwiSaver and ACC levies natively, priced on a flat-fee rather than per-employee basis. MYOB has confirmed Ace Payroll will be decommissioned on 1 April 2027, with customers directed to MYOB Business Payroll. If your organisation is still running Ace Payroll, treat this as a forced re-platforming project on a deadline, not a routine software update. It is a reasonable moment to evaluate options on their merits – including a specialist AU/NZ payroll platform like Affinity – rather than defaulting to whatever migration path is offered.

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