Payroll software · New Zealand · Head-to-head
Crystal Payroll vs Smartly
Two New Zealand payroll software options, compared side by side for New Zealand trades.
Which should you choose?
Crystal Payroll and Smartly 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 New Zealand-specific notes below against your trade and region.
Crystal Payroll
Tier S · Published pricesAuckland-made cloud payroll with automatic IRD payday filing, running since 2005
Crystal Payroll is a New Zealand cloud payroll and timesheet service based in Birkenhead, Auckland, which says it has been running since 2005 and serves thousands of Kiwi businesses. It says it is an IRD-accredited PAYE intermediary and files payday returns to IRD for you two working days after payday, from a Payday Filing Dashboard. It handles KiwiSaver and holiday pay calculations, including for variable-rate and shift workers, and connects to Xero, MYOB, Reckon and Farm Focus.
Pros
- + Automatic IRD payday filing from a Payday Filing Dashboard
- + Holiday pay and leave calculations for variable-rate and shift workers
- + Employee app for timesheets and leave requests
- + No minimum period, and money back within 30 days of your first pay run, Crystal says
Cons
- − Published price covers up to 5 employees; bigger teams use a calculator or ask sales
- − One-off $50 registration fee, and training costs $60 an hour
- − Data migration priced on request
New Zealand note
Crystal Payroll says it is an IRD-accredited PAYE intermediary and files payday returns automatically two working days after the pay date. It says it manages holiday pay and leave calculations under New Zealand law, including for staff on variable rates and shift workers, and employees can submit timesheets and leave requests through its app.
Smartly
Tier S · Published pricesNew Zealand payroll software, formerly SmartPayroll, with self-run and Smartly-run payroll plans
Smartly, formerly SmartPayroll, is New Zealand payroll software that pays employees into their bank accounts, deducts PAYE, KiwiSaver and other deductions, and files returns with Inland Revenue. It sells self-managed payroll plans, optionally with people management tools, and Smartly-run plans where its team runs the payroll.
Pros
- + Handles PAYE, KiwiSaver deductions and Inland Revenue filing
- + Choice of running payroll yourself or having Smartly run it
- + Optional people management tools on top of payroll
Cons
- − A monthly platform fee applies on top of per-employee charges
- − Prices exclude GST
- − Charges apply per employee on every pay run, so weekly pay cycles cost more than monthly ones
New Zealand note
Built for New Zealand payroll: PAYE and KiwiSaver deductions and filing with Inland Revenue. Pricing is per employee per pay run plus a monthly platform fee, excluding GST.
More New Zealand options
See all New Zealand payroll software vendors and the rest of the New Zealand directory.