Payroll Operations & Governance Software

Payroll that doesn't burn you out

Paytools absorbs the mental load of operations, so payroll leaders can focus on strategy and improvement.

Pay cycle calendar · June 2026 Pay run #143 · live progress · June 2026
On track
Mon 8
King's Birthday
Holiday
Timesheets close
All sites · 412 staff
AC A. Chen · 9:02 AM
Change of employment
2 staff · award change
Tue 9
Reconcile hours
7 variances flagged
JM J. Murphy · due 2:00 PM
EBA check ✓
Clause 14 rates verified
Wed 10Today
Pay run #143
SP S. Patel · 11:15 AM
Approvals
2 of 3 signed off
Thu 11
STP lodged ✓
ATO accepted · #A8821
Off-cycle pay run
Terminations · 3 staff
Bank file
ABA upload · Westpac
Fri 12
Payslips
Published to portal
Super accrued
$148K · SuperStream
Pay run #143 · June 2026
78% complete
11 of 14 tasks · on track for Wed 10 Jun
Approvals
2/3
Overdue
2
Employees
412
Task progress
Timesheets close Done
Hours reconciled Done
Award interpretation In review Done
Pay run #143
62%
STP lodgement Queued
Bank file (ABA) Queued
Trusted across AU / NZ by
The problem

Payroll shouldn't feel like it's running you

You've built structure. You've created checklists, documented processes, made it work - but the tools you're using to hold it together weren't built for this.

DAY 1DAY 2DAY 3DAY 4
Awaiting sign-off

Pay processes are more complex than ever

Endless steps over several days, in strict order, each needing review and sign-off from people outside the team. Keeping it on track falls to one person.

Adjustment
Overpayment
Exception
no formal system of record

Manual work with no home for the detail

Payroll still runs by hand: communications, approvals, manual registers. The detail it generates (adjustments, overpayments, exceptions) has nowhere official to live.

AwardsSTPEBAPAYGLeaveSuper

The memory trap

Too much of how payroll runs lives in people's heads. When they're on leave or move on, the knowledge walks out the door with them.

The solution

The operating system for your payroll team

Paytools gives your team the schedule, the controls and the audit trail all in one place to run calm pay cycles, on time, every time.

Payroll processing

Pay days that end at 5pm

The whole pay cycle laid out for you. Every task for the main pay run, the ad hoc pays and the clean-up steps, in the order they need to happen, each one owned with deadlines and reminders. A complete record of who did what and when.

Complete real-time visibility means nothing gets missed, leadership never has to chase updates & pay day ends on time.

Explore payroll processing
Pay run #143 · June 2026 9 of 12 done
Timesheets imported & lockedA. Chen · 8:42amDone
Award interpretation reviewedA. Chen · 10:03amDone
Calculate pay run #143S. Patel · 10:30am62%
STP lodgement → ATOdue Wed 10Queued
Employee adjustments · 2
WorkCover payment — R. Okafor
Workers' comp top-up · 2 weeks · D. Wong · 9:48am
Approved
Leave adjustment — T. Nguyen
10 days parental leave · J. Murphy · 10:21am
Applied
Obligation register 12 / 12 evidenced
Super Guarantee · pay day Low Resolved
Award rate review Med Resolved
Underpayment · casual loading High Remediating
STP finalisation Low Resolved
Activity log · audit trail
K. Lewis attached evidence to Award rate review10:42am
M. Brown marked Super Guarantee · pay day paidYest 4:15pm
J. Murphy opened remediation · casual loadingMon 9:08am
Governance

Compliance enhanced and audit ready

The state of your payroll operation in one view, not scattered across shared files, inboxes, calendars and people's heads. Obligations, risks, controls and issues, all tracked with owners and due dates.

When it's time to prove it, auditors get view-only access and find everything they need without your team lifting a finger.

Explore payroll governance
For teams of all sizes

Trusted by payroll teams of 10 or more

When payroll runs across multiple streams and entities, the Head of Payroll needs one view of every team's status, a way to give each sub-team only the work that's theirs, and proof of who did what across the whole operation.

And for smaller teams, it's the same calm, structured process - without the old school spreadsheets and heavy mental load.

All teams · pay status 4 streams
Retail AU · 220 staff On track
Hospitality NZ · 140 staff In review
Corporate services · 60 staff Approved
Manufacturing · 310 staff Action needed
The payroll operations layer
Paytools
Run the process. Prove it ran. Point to the evidence.
Pay processingGovernanceAI-assisted payroll
Two neighbours we don't replace
Payroll engine
Calculates & pays
SAP · Chris21 · ADP · Dayforce · Aurion · MicrOpay · Preceda
We don't calculate pay. Paytools runs alongside it — no integration needed.
File storage
Stores your files
SharePoint · Network / UNC drives · Google Drive
Paytools indexes and links your files where they live.
Where Paytools fits

Built for what your payroll system can't do

Paytools runs and governs your payroll activities: task ownership, deadlines, compliance evidence and a complete record of who did what and when. We don't calculate pay or host your files - your payroll system and your document stores keep doing exactly what they do today.

Plus native Microsoft Teams notifications, so stakeholders stay informed without needing a Paytools login.

Results from teams using Paytools
0%

Less manual work when processing a pay run.

ITW Construction
0 wks

For new staff to run a pay run independently (previously 6 months).

Cerebral Palsy Alliance
0x

Stronger governance practices for non-BAU tasks.

Avivo

Up and running in a few short weeks

Bring a real process. 60 minutes and we'll show you exactly how it fits and how easy it is to get started.

Book a demo
BK
Beti Kouloumendas
Director of Operations
Carer Solutions
★★★★★

"I would strongly recommend Paytools, it's an amazing tool that has added significant value. Plus, it was one of the best implementations that I've ever sat through in my career."

Read more →
DW
Daniel Watson
Senior Manager, Payroll
Cerebral Palsy Alliance
★★★★★

"Before Paytools, we used to have to stay back until 7pm on pay days to complete all tasks. Now we can confidently leave at 5pm knowing everything has been completed accurately."

Read more →
NS
Nicole Watson-Spry
Platform Payroll Lead
ITW Construction, APAC
★★★★★

"Paytools is a must-have. With features like the shared calendar, centralised registers and obligation library, it's far superior to using Microsoft Office tools and you should absolutely be using it!"

Read more →
GD
Gavin Day
Financial Controller
Avivo
★★★★★

"With Paytools, we've been able to streamline two complex pay runs onto one airtight process. Plus, our governance practices are 10x better — especially with non-BAU tasks."

Read more →
MQ
Mel Quinn
Head of HR & Payroll
University of Sydney
★★★★★

"Paytools has allowed us to better identify and track our payroll compliance activities. It provides comfort and oversight to management that essential activities are being completed on time."

Read more →
CF
Chris Fletcher
Chief Financial Officer
Medical & Aged Care Group
★★★★★

"With a new payroll team and a hybrid model, Paytools has been immensely beneficial. We're already experiencing many advantages of the tool, including the ability for anyone to seamlessly step in and complete a pay run."

Designed for what's coming

Ready for AI-assisted payroll?

Agentic AI needs governed workflows, structured data and a complete audit trail to operate safely. Paytools is building that layer (with direct read/write access for AI agents) via the Paytools MCP.

When your organisation moves toward AI-assisted payroll operations, this is an easy and safe way to get started.

Speak to our team to learn more.

Paytools Copilot
June cycle · run #143
↺ Logged & reversible
What's the status of the current weekly pay run?
In run #143, 6 of 14 checks have been completed. 
Timesheet reconciliation
Pending approval by Jane
John Smith only had a 7-hour break between shifts.
Suggest how I can improve my pay processing checklists.
Turn reviews into outcomes
“Confirm super file totals match” instead of “Review super”.
Duplicate check names
Two checks called “SLP” — rename to “SLP - STD” / “SLP - CHEL”.
Ask Paytools Copilot…
FAQ

Common questions

Everything you need to know about getting set up, staying compliant, and running calmer pay days.

Still have questions? Chat to sales →
No. Most teams are live within a few short weeks. We map your existing pay cycle, import your checklists and documented procedures, and configure owners and reminders with you.
No, Paytools is a payroll operations platform. Think of your payroll system (like SAP, Workday or Chris21) as the engine that calculates the numbers. Paytools is the cockpit, it's where you manage the team, track the deadlines, document the procedures and house the governance that ensures those calculations are correct. We sit on top of your existing software to manage the 'human' side of the process.
Paytools stores operational metadata, tasks, owners, deadlines, procedures and evidence, not the pay calculations themselves. Data is encrypted in transit and at rest, hosted in-region for AU/NZ.
Spreadsheets and shared docs have no ownership, no version history, no audit trail and no reminders. Critical knowledge lives in individuals' heads, and nothing connects the procedure to the task that uses it.
Pricing scales with the size of your payroll team and the number of pay groups you manage. Book a demo and we'll put together a tailored quote.
Yes, native Microsoft Teams notifications keep stakeholders informed without needing a Paytools login, and reminders land where your team already works.