Payroll software · Australia · Head-to-head
Deputy vs Reckon
Two Australia payroll software options, compared side by side for Australia trades.
Which should you choose?
Deputy and Reckon are both Tier S: our check found each one's prices published on its own website, so you can compare their costs before talking to sales. The tier is not a quality ranking: weigh the pros, cons, pricing and Australia-specific notes below against your trade and region.
Deputy
Tier S · Published pricesSydney-founded rostering, time clock and award interpretation, with an optional Deputy Payroll add-on
Deputy is a workforce management platform founded in Sydney in 2008 by Steve Shelley and Ashik Ahmed; it says more than 390,000 workplaces worldwide use it. Its plans cover rostering, timesheets, time clocking and award interpretation, and approved timesheets can flow to Xero, MYOB, QuickBooks or Reckon, or to Deputy's own Payroll add-on. Deputy says its regularly updated award templates auto-fill employee entitlements, which suits award-covered trade crews.
Pros
- + Award interpretation included from the Lite plan, with regularly updated award templates
- + Deputy Payroll add-on designed for STP Phase 2 reporting, Deputy says
- + Timesheets connect to Xero, MYOB, QuickBooks and Reckon
- + Published per-user AUD prices; 30-day free trial on the Payroll add-on
Cons
- − Payroll is a paid add-on ($5 per user per month) on top of a base plan
- − Minimum spend of AUD $30 a month per invoice on monthly Lite, Core and Pro plans since 1 September 2025
- − Per-user pricing grows with the crew, and HR, Messaging+ and Analytics+ cost extra below Pro
- − SMS charged at 5c per 160 characters
Australia note
Deputy says Deputy Payroll is designed to support Single Touch Payroll Phase 2 reporting, and its payroll page notes that under Payday Super, super must be paid on each payday rather than quarterly. Award interpretation is included from the Lite plan (Core adds advanced award interpretation); AU prices are in AUD excluding taxes.
Reckon
Tier S · Published pricesAustralian payroll app and Reckon One payroll: STP Phase 2 and Payday Super, from $16 a month
Reckon is an ASX-listed Australian software company founded in 1987 by Greg Wilkinson. Its Reckon One cloud software offers accounting and payroll plans, and the standalone Reckon Payroll App runs pay runs on phone or web. It suits a sole trader or small crew that needs pay runs, super and STP reporting without paying for a full accounting suite.
Pros
- + STP Phase 2 and Payday Super compliance stated for its payroll
- + Built-in SuperStream to calculate, lodge and pay super, Reckon says
- + Low entry price: Payroll Essentials $16 a month for up to 4 employees
- + Payroll App on iOS, Android and web, plus the Reckon Mate employee app for payslips and leave
Cons
- − Award interpretation is not mentioned on its payroll pages
- − Priced by employee band (up to 4, up to 10, unlimited), so a growing crew moves up a plan
- − No rostering or time clock mentioned; employees submit timesheets for approval
- − Introductory offers last 6 months: the $1 Reckon One offer closes on 31 October 2026 and the $0.99 in-app Payroll App offer on 31 December 2026
Australia note
Reckon says its payroll is fully ATO registered, Single Touch Payroll Phase 2 compliant and Payday Super compliant, with built-in SuperStream to calculate, lodge and pay super. Its Payroll App page says data is hosted in Australia.
More Australia options
See all Australia payroll software vendors and the rest of the Australia directory.