Employ and run payroll with ease in

Australia
australia flag

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.

Services available in this country:
Employer of Record ProductContractor ManagementPayroll
  • Capital City

    Canberra

  • Currency

    Australian dollar ($, AUD)

  • Languages

    English

  • Population size

    25,771,300

Services available in this country:
Employer of Record ProductContractor ManagementPayroll
The sydney opera house and sydney harbour with boats in the background.

Facts & Stats

Australia
  • 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

Want to hire employees in Australia? Companies hiring in Australia are typically required to either own a local legal entity or work with a global employment platform like Remote that can legally provide employment services in the country.

Remote can employ team members in Australia and keep you compliant at all times. Remote can hire, onboard, and pay your Australia team so you don't have to set up local HR services in the region. Remote also makes it easy to pay contractors in Australia. now to get started or talk to an expert for more details.

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

Labor 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 salary 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 installments 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

Jan
Monday, January 1, 20241New Year's Day
Friday, January 26, 20242Australia Day
Mar
Friday, March 29, 20243Good Friday
Saturday, March 30, 20244Day following Good Friday
Sunday, March 31, 20245Easter Sunday
Apr
Monday, April 1, 20246Easter Monday
Thursday, April 25, 20247ANZAC Day
Dec
Wednesday, December 25, 20248Christmas Day
Thursday, December 26, 20249Boxing Day

Want to see and manage all holidays? Sign up for our free HRIS!

Effortless HR Australia: Take the Tour

Seamlessly manage your workforce, from first hire to final paycheck

Competitive benefits package in Australia

At Remote, we’re passionate about helping you craft the best possible employee experience for your team. We are leading the way in developing globally competitive benefits programs. This means making sure employees everywhere have access to both the required and supplemental benefits they need to thrive, and your company has the localized expertise needed to attract and keep the best global talent.

Our benefits packages in Australia are tailored to fulfill the local needs of 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 $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, localized benefits

Contractor Management

Compliantly onboard and pay contractors

$29

per contractor/month

Top features

  • Only pay for contractors you actively work with

  • Work with contractors in 200+ countries and territories

  • Create, edit, and sign tailored, localized contracts

  • Approve contractor invoices with one click or auto-pay

  • Transparent payments with complete visibility

Payroll

Consolidate your multi-country payroll

$29

per employee/month

Top features

  • Support: Personalized assistance with a dedicated team and specialists

  • Accuracy: Test runs and parallel pay runs before implementation

  • Compliance: Adhere to local labor laws in every country

  • Timeliness: Accurate and on-time payroll with labor authority reporting handled

  • Experience: Seamless payroll with easy access to payslips and expenses

HR Management

Manage all of your employees in one place

Free

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