Australia
Make employment in Australia easy. Let us handle payroll, benefits, taxes, compliance, and even stock options for your team in Australia, all in one easy-to-use platform.
- Capital City
Canberra
- Currency
Australian dollar ($, AUD)
- Languages
English
- Population size
25,771,300
Facts & Stats
- Capital City
Canberra
- Currency
Australian dollar ($, AUD)
- Languages
English
- Population size
25,771,300
- Ease of doing business
Very easy
- Cost of living index
$$$$ (14 of 139 nations)
- Payroll frequency
Monthly
- VAT - standard rate
10%
- GDP - real growth rate
2.2%
Sun, surf, and incredibly diverse wildlife make Australia a top destination for people from around the world. Despite Australia’s large size, around 85% of its inhabitants live within a short drive of the coast in cities such as Sydney, Melbourne, and Perth. With one of the top global economies and a host of talented workers, Australia is a great spot to make your next hire.
Grow your team in Australia with Remote
Looking to employ workers in Australia? Companies hiring in Australia must either own a legal entity in the country or work with a global employment solutions provider, usually one that provides employer of record services.
Remote can employ your team in Australia on your behalf through our local legal entity in the country and handle payroll, benefits, taxes, and compliance for your Australia team. You can also pay contractors now in Australia with Remote.
Risks of misclassification
Australia, like many other countries, treats self-employed individuals or contractors and full-time employees differently. Misclassification of contractors in Australia may lead to fines and penalties for the offending company.
Employing in Australia
Labour regulations in Australia are split between federal and state laws. Many of the country’s employment rules are codified in the Fair Work Act, which provides structure for collective bargaining agreements and sets minimum standards for employers in certain areas. The Fair Work Act covers issues including minimum leave entitlements, maximum working hours, termination guidelines, and severance pay.
Employers cannot cancel or change a visa in Australia. International workers in Australia still have rights and protections at work that are enforced by the Australian government. Only the government has the power to withdraw or update a work visa.
To employ workers in Australia, contact Remote to learn more about your options.
Minimum Wage
From 1 July 2024, the National Minimum Wage increased by 3.75%. to $24.10 per hour and $915.91 per week, based on a full-time, 38-hour working week bringing the monthly pay to $3,968.47 a month.
The new National Minimum Wage applies from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2024.
Payroll Cycle
For customers of Remote, all employee payments will be made in equal monthly instalments on or before the last working day of each calendar month, payable in arrears.
Onboarding Time
We can help you get a new employee started in Australia fast. The minimum onboarding time we need is only 5 working days.
Our team ensures your employees are onboarded and paid as quickly as possible while keeping your business compliant with all local employment legislation. The minimum onboarding time begins after the employee submits all required information onto the Remote platform. The onboarding timeline is also dependent upon registration with local authorities.
For all non-nationals of the country of employment, the Right to Work assessment (if applicable) will add three extra days to the total time to onboard. There may be extra time required if we need to follow-up on the right to work assessment.
Please note, payroll cut-off dates can impact the actual first day of employment. Remote has a payroll cut-off date of the 10th of the month unless otherwise specified.
9 Public holidays
Want to see and manage all holidays? Sign up for our free HRIS!
Effortless HR in Australia: Take the Tour
Competitive benefits package in Australia
Remote supports our clients by offering competitive benefits packages that will help you attract and retain the best talent across the globe! Our benefits specialists have done the research on norms and requirements in each local market and have crafted packages that will allow your employees to thrive, no matter what country they live in.
Our benefits packages in Australia are tailored to fulfil the local needs of your employees. Typically, our packages contain some or all of the following benefits:
Health Insurance
Dental Insurance
Vision Insurance
Mental Health Support
Pension or 401(K)
Life and Disability Insurance
Local market insights
In Australia, only 10%* of employers offer supplemental health insurance to their workforce. (*based on 3rd-party market research from our partners)
The country has a robust public health system, and while supplemental health insurance is not the norm today, it provides employees with access to a wider range of options for providers and specialists. Having health insurance also offers tax benefits to high-earning employees.
Employees who receive private health insurance are exempt from the Medical Levy Surcharge (MLS), which is an additional tax charge to any employees earning over AUD$90,000 (AUD$180,000 for couples and families) who don’t have locally compliant private health insurance in place.
Having private health insurance is also required for employees on certain visas in Australia.
Remote offers healthcare plans in Australia that satisfy the MLS and visa requirements.
Our core benefits (which often include things like healthcare) are required in most countries where we hire. Because Remote is the employer of record, it’s important for us to offer the same core benefits to all employees in a country to ensure fair equity and non-discriminatory hiring practices, which protects your business and ours. Note that we do not add a markup on any benefits premiums or administration costs.
If you'd like specific information about our benefits packages in Australia, start onboarding your first employee with Remote today.
For more insight into fair equity and benefits best practices, download our Global Benefits Guide and share with the rest of your hiring team.
Fair Pricing in Australia
Employer of Record
Hire and pay your global team
Starting at US$599/month
for annual plans
Top features
Satisfaction guaranteed
No deposits or hidden fees
Zero onboarding or offboarding fees
Compliant equity incentives support including withholding and reporting
Built-in security and compliance
Fast onboarding (average 2-3 days)
Flexible, localised benefits
Contractor Management
Compliantly onboard and pay contractors
US$29
per contractor/month
Top features
Only pay for contractors you actively work with
Work with contractors in 200+ countries
Create, edit, and sign tailored, localised contracts
Approve contractor invoices with one click or auto-pay
Transparent payments with complete visibility
Payroll
Consolidate your multi-country payroll
US$29
per employee/month
Top features
Simplify: Comprehensive platform that integrates all payroll functions
Support: Personalised assistance with a dedicated team and specialists
Accuracy: Test runs and parallel pay runs before implementation
Compliance: Adhere to local labour laws in every country
Timeliness: Accurate and on-time payroll with labour authority reporting handled
Experience: Seamless payroll with easy access to payslips and expenses
Top features
Guided onboarding and offboarding
Employee profile and document management
Time and attendance (time off and tracking)
Expense management and reimbursement
Employee self-serve on the platform and mobile app