Hire an offshore payroll officer for your Australian business
An offshore payroll officer handles the recurring weekly, fortnightly, and monthly payroll work — running pay cycles, processing super contributions, STP submissions, leave management, and payroll reconciliations. Through Lite-Force, they're employed properly via an EOR structure with payroll, compliance, and HR support included. Most hires are live within 2–4 weeks.
Day in the life
A day in the life of an offshore payroll officer.
Typical responsibilities:
- Pay run processing — weekly, fortnightly, and monthly cycles in your payroll platform
- Single Touch Payroll (STP) submissions to the ATO each pay event
- Superannuation processing — quarterly SuperStream contributions across multiple funds
- Leave management — annual, personal, long service leave accruals and balances
- Award and EBA interpretation — applying the correct rates, allowances, and penalties
- PAYG and FBT calculations — withholding, BAS-relevant figures, fringe benefit treatments
- Termination payments — final pays, leave payouts, redundancy calculations
- End-of-year processing — payment summaries, finalisation declarations, reconciliations
Why offshore
Why payroll works well offshore.
Payroll is rule-driven and procedural.
Pay cycles, STP events, and super runs follow strict cadence. Once your offshore payroll officer knows your award setup and payroll calendar, they execute consistently — no missed deadlines.
Payroll platforms are fully cloud-based.
Xero Payroll, MYOB, KeyPay/Employment Hero, Reckon, ADP, Ascender — all browser-based with STP-enabled. Your offshore payroll officer works in the same instance as your finance team.
Timezone overlap covers pay cycles.
Philippines hours align with Australian business hours. Pay-day processing happens in real time; queries from employees get responded to during your trading day.
Removes the single-point-of-failure risk.
Small businesses often have one person who knows payroll. When they leave or get sick, payroll breaks. Offshore payroll capacity creates redundancy and gets the work out of an overworked bookkeeper or office manager's lap.
Cost comparison
What does a payroll officer cost — local vs offshore?
Indicative comparison based on typical Australian salary ranges for this role.
Local Australian hire
Lite-Force offshore
Indicative comparison based on typical Australian salary ranges for mid-senior payroll officer roles (sources: SEEK May 2026, PayScale, Indeed — Sydney/Melbourne market). Actual costs vary by headcount, award complexity, and number of pay frequencies. Lite-Force pricing confirmed on a per-role basis during your discovery call.
What's included
What you get with a Lite-Force payroll officer.
Included in the service
- Full sourcing, screening, and shortlisting
- EOR employment contract structured for local compliance
- Monthly payroll and statutory contributions
- Leave tracking and management
- HR support and regular check-ins
- Replacement commitment within initial period
Typical candidate profile
- 3–7 years Australian payroll experience (must have AU-specific exposure)
- Strong English (written and verbal — for employee enquiries)
- Hands-on with Xero Payroll, MYOB, KeyPay/Employment Hero, or comparable platforms
- Solid understanding of STP Phase 2, super, PAYG, Fair Work, and modern awards
- Filipino or Southeast Asian — timezone-aligned with Australia
Getting started
Three steps to your offshore payroll officer.
Book a discovery call
Tell us about your headcount, pay frequencies, award coverage, and payroll platform.
We source and shortlist
You review candidates with relevant AU payroll experience, interview your favourites.
They start
Employment, payroll, and onboarding handled. You manage the work.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions.
Do they understand Australian payroll requirements?
Yes — and this is non-negotiable for us. We only shortlist candidates with hands-on Australian payroll experience. That means knowing STP, super, PAYG, modern awards, Fair Work obligations, leave entitlements, and termination calculations. Generic offshore payroll candidates without AU exposure don't make it through screening.
Are they authorised to lodge STP on our behalf?
STP lodgement happens through your payroll platform under your ABN. Your offshore officer prepares and submits via that system — same as a local would. Authority to submit sits with your business; tax agent involvement (where required) remains with your accountant or BAS agent.
Can they handle complex award interpretation?
Mid-senior candidates can — many have run payroll for businesses on Fast Food, Retail, Hospitality, General Retail, and Clerks awards. For specialist EBAs or unusually complex setups, we screen specifically. Confirm during scoping.
Who handles tax agent / BAS agent obligations?
Your nominated BAS or tax agent (typically your accountant) retains those obligations. Your offshore payroll officer prepares the data, runs the cycle, and supplies reports — they don't act as the registered BAS agent. This split is standard.
What if the hire doesn't work out?
Replacement commitment within the initial engagement period. If technical accuracy or fit isn't right, we source again at no additional placement cost. Details confirmed in your service agreement.
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