SME desktop payroll (NZ, decommissioning)

Ace Payroll is being decommissioned – what NZ small businesses need to know

Ace Payroll is a low-cost desktop payroll product for small NZ businesses, being decommissioned 1 April 2027 – existing customers need a migration plan before that date.

Ace Payroll has served small New Zealand businesses as a low-cost, desktop-based payroll product for many years, but is being decommissioned on 1 April 2027.

Businesses currently on Ace Payroll should start evaluating a cloud-based replacement well ahead of the decommissioning date, since a forced migration under time pressure carries more compliance and data-integrity risk than a planned one.

For small NZ businesses used to a simple desktop tool, the main adjustment is moving to a cloud platform – the trade-off is ongoing compliance updates (Holidays Act, KiwiSaver, Payday Filing) being handled automatically rather than via manual desktop updates.

Affinity: 40+ years of AU/NZ payroll – 500,000+ employees processed, ISO 27001 certified, single AU/NZ database.

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What's involved in moving off Ace Payroll?

Ace Payroll is being decommissioned on 1 April 2027, so moving off it is a question of when, not whether – and planning early avoids a rushed, higher-risk migration close to the deadline.

  • From desktop to cloud – in a cloud platform, Holidays Act, KiwiSaver and payday filing updates are applied for you rather than through manual desktop updates
  • Desktop data export – pay history and employee records held in a desktop install or local backups, and who will extract them
  • NZ payroll continuity – Holidays Act leave history, KiwiSaver and IRD payday filing, so entitlements and filings carry across without gaps
  • Year-to-date balances and payday filing – earnings, PAYE and KiwiSaver for the current tax year, so IRD payday filing continues cleanly
  • Parallel runs and timing – how many pay cycles you'll run both systems side by side, and whether to switch at a natural break such as the 1 April tax year – well before the decommissioning date

Build agreed before you commit, two parallel pay runs minimum, and most projects reach first go-live in 3–4 months (indicative) – how Affinity migration works →

Not sure where to start? Talk it through with the Affinity team – we'll look at your Ace Payroll setup, awards and pay cycles and what a move would involve.

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Frequently asked questions

When is Ace Payroll being decommissioned?

Ace Payroll, a low-cost desktop payroll product for small NZ businesses, is being decommissioned on 1 April 2027.

What should Ace Payroll customers do before the decommissioning date?

Start evaluating a cloud-based replacement well ahead of 1 April 2027. A planned migration carries far less compliance and data-integrity risk than one rushed close to the deadline.

What changes when moving from a desktop product to a cloud platform?

The main shift is ongoing compliance – Holidays Act, KiwiSaver, and IRD Payday Filing – being handled automatically within the platform, rather than via manual desktop software updates.

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