Xero launches integrated payroll for Australian customers
28 May 2012
Melbourne, Australia – Xero online accounting
software today announced the launch of its integrated
payroll solution – Xero payroll – a product that gives Australian customers
access to both their accounting software and payroll together in the cloud.
Chris Ridd, managing director, Xero Australia, said: “Offering integrated payroll is the most significant development since Xero launched in Australia. Xero payroll removes the last hurdle for Australian small businesses looking to move their accounting systems to the cloud with no additional cost.”
Xero payroll allows users to get closer to their accounting by offering everything in one sophisticated cloud application and a single login. Small businesses can have complete visibility across all of their financial information, with access to both accounts and payroll from anywhere at any time.
Xero integrated payroll follows the acquisition of Australian online payroll provider, Paycycle, in July 2011. The transition to fully integrated payroll includes the free inclusion of Paycycle into all Xero accounts from March 2012 and customers with an existing Paycycle account will have their payroll data automatically migrated to their Xero account today.
Not only do small business owners save time and money by using the one solution for all their accounting needs, but small business employees are also a key feature in Xero payroll. By logging in to the employee portal, staff can apply for annual leave, check to see when they’ve been paid, and access payment summaries that can be sent to their personal accountant.
“Salaries are the largest outgoing expense for any small business so it’s vital for them to see how payroll affects their cash flow,” said Chris Ridd. “With Xero payroll, small business owners can access all their accounts, including payroll, in real time.”
Xero payroll takes the headache out of the administrative payroll task for small businesses, with automatic superannuation payments available on the Large Xero plan, and direct access for accountants.
What customers are saying
Shane Jones, owner of Brumby’s bakery in Bendigo, Victoria, uses Xero payroll and believes it’s a huge time saver: “I’m a great baker, but I’m a terrible accountant,” says Shane. “It’s not unusual for me to work an 80 hour week just to maintain my business and the last thing I need is to spend additional hours every week just paying my staff; it’s time I don’t have. With Xero, my accountants can look at my finances and payroll and things can get done without me having to worry about how it’s getting done, and that’s awesome.”
Tim Mcfarlane, general manager of accounting firm MTA Optima, thinks Xero payroll has not only saved his company time and money, but enabled him to make better decisions for his clients: “After we moved to Xero, we saw huge time savings straight away,” said Tim. “Payroll is now a 20 minute process for us, which has saved us around 20 hours per week, or roughly $30,000 to $35,000 in cost savings.”
“Recording leave, approving leave and payslips are all completely automated processes with Xero payroll,” continued Tim. “Staff simply go online and click a button that I can approve with another click of a button.”
“With Xero, we can now make more effective decisions for our clients as well because we’re confident in the data we have,” concluded Tim. “We can look at the bigger picture better than we ever could before Xero.”
Xero payroll is available for no additional cost in the existing Xero plans. Xero Small Plan ($29 per month) accommodates one employee’s payroll, Xero Medium Plan ($49 per month) accommodates 20 employees and Xero Large Plan ($64 per month) is unlimited.
About Xero
Xero is beautiful accounting software designed for small business and their advisors. The company has 78,000 paying customers in more than 100 countries, with teams established across Australia, New Zealand, the UK and the US. In Australia, Xero has formed strategic marketing partnerships with Telstra and ANZ.
