Sri Lanka
- Time zone
- UTC+5:30
- Behind AEST / AEDT
- 4.5 hrs / 5.5 hrs
- 9:00am AEST is
- 4:30am in Colombo
- Typical shift to overlap
- Early local start, e.g. 6:00am–3:00pm (10:30am–7:30pm AEST)
Payroll · Full-time · Sri Lanka & Philippines
Hire an Overseas Payroll Specialist Who Knows Australian Payroll
An offshore payroll specialist prepares your pay runs, checks timesheets against the right award, processes leave and super, and reconciles payroll after each run. Elephant Teams recruits full-time payroll specialists in Sri Lanka and the Philippines, screened for Australian payroll knowledge. You approve and release every pay run.
Australian businesses building offshore teams with Elephant Teams
Australian payroll is detail work
Australian payroll is hard to get right. Modern awards set penalty rates, overtime and allowances. Single Touch Payroll Phase 2 reports each pay event to the ATO. Super is due at 12% of ordinary time earnings, and from 1 July 2026, Payday Super requires employers to pay it each time they pay wages, instead of quarterly. Underpayments are a common source of Fair Work back-payments. A dedicated payroll specialist gives that detail the attention it needs, where a busy office manager often can't.
What your offshore payroll specialist handles
- Pay run preparation. Weekly, fortnightly or monthly runs prepared in your payroll system for approval.
- Timesheet and roster checks. Hours checked against rosters, with penalty rates, overtime and allowances applied under the right award or agreement.
- Leave processing. Annual, personal and long service leave processed, with balances kept accurate.
- Onboarding and offboarding. New starter details, TFN declarations and super choice captured. Termination pays calculated for your review.
- Super and STP. Super contributions checked and prepared in your clearing house for approval. STP Phase 2 pay events and end-of-year finalisation lodged.
- Payroll reconciliations. Payroll reconciled to the general ledger, PAYG withholding and super liability each period.
- Employee payroll queries. Payslip, leave balance and pay rate questions answered through your helpdesk or inbox.
Software and tools
Australian payroll mostly runs in Employment Hero (including KeyPay), Xero Payroll, MYOB, QuickBooks Payroll and enterprise systems such as ADP, ELMO and Ascender. Time and rostering often sits in Deputy, Tanda or Connecteam. We check hands-on use of your system and confident use of the Fair Work Pay Calculator and award summaries.
Qualifications we screen
Australian payroll doesn't need a licence, but award interpretation needs real experience.
- Sri Lanka: commerce or HR graduates, often CIMA or AAT Sri Lanka part-qualified, with payroll experience at outsourcing firms that run Australian payroll.
- Philippines: accountancy or HR graduates with payroll experience at shared-services centres serving Australian and US employers.
- Everyone: a skills assessment that can include calculating a pay for a casual on weekend and public-holiday shifts under a common award, a leave accrual check, and a payroll-to-ledger reconciliation.
Payroll data is sensitive personal information. If your business is covered by the Privacy Act, Australian Privacy Principle 8 applies when it's accessed offshore. Use named logins, multi-factor authentication and role-based access. Our managed IT option can handle device security for you.
Sri Lanka vs the Philippines for a payroll specialist
| Sri Lanka | Philippines | |
|---|---|---|
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 | UTC+8 |
| Behind AEST / AEDT | 4.5 hrs / 5.5 hrs | 2 hrs / 3 hrs |
| 9:00am AEST is | 4:30am in Colombo | 7:00am in Manila |
| Typical shift to overlap | Early local start, e.g. 6:00am–3:00pm (10:30am–7:30pm AEST) | Standard local day, e.g. 7:00am–4:00pm (9:00am–6:00pm AEST) |
Philippines
- Time zone
- UTC+8
- Behind AEST / AEDT
- 2 hrs / 3 hrs
- 9:00am AEST is
- 7:00am in Manila
- Typical shift to overlap
- Standard local day, e.g. 7:00am–4:00pm (9:00am–6:00pm AEST)
Swipe to compare 2 options →
Sri Lanka (UTC+5:30) is 4.5 hours behind AEST, 5.5 behind AEDT. Payroll runs on fixed cut-offs, so the gap is easy to plan around. Your specialist processes timesheets once they close, and has the pay run ready for approval by your morning. Sri Lanka's outsourcing sector has run Australian payroll for years, and candidates with direct award experience can be found there.
The Philippines (UTC+8) is 2 hours behind AEST, 3 behind AEDT. That helps when payroll means answering staff queries during the day, chasing managers for timesheet approvals before cut-off, or making same-day corrections. Filipino payroll candidates often come from large shared-services centres with strong process and audit discipline.
The people behind every placement
Our recruiters brief your role, run the skills assessment and interview every candidate before you see a shortlist.
How we screen candidates →
What a shortlist looks like
Example payroll specialist profiles
These illustrative profiles show the experience, qualifications and software we typically see on a payroll specialist shortlist. They are examples, not real candidates. Your shortlist is built from a fresh job ad for your role, and wages are confirmed with you before you commit.
Sri LankaExample profile
Payroll officer, Australian payroll
- Experience
- 4 years
- Qualification
- BCom, AAT Sri Lanka
- Software
- Employment Hero, Xero Payroll, Deputy
- Typical wage
- A$800–1,150 a month
- Fortnightly pay runs for 200+ employees
- Award interpretation under supervision
- STP and super reconciliations
PhilippinesExample profile
Payroll specialist
- Experience
- 5 years
- Qualification
- BS Accountancy
- Software
- Employment Hero (KeyPay), MYOB, Tanda
- Typical wage
- A$1,450–2,000 a month
- Timesheet checks and leave accruals
- Termination pay calculations for review
- Payroll reports for finance
Plan options for a payroll specialist
If your finance manager or accountant owns payroll and will review each run, Ready for You (employ them yourself or through us) keeps ongoing costs at $0 or $350/month. If you're moving payroll off the owner's desk and want documented procedures, HR guidance and regular check-ins, Managed for You gives that support for 12 months. It also extends the replacement guarantee to 5 months.
| Ready for You | Managed for You | |
|---|---|---|
| Upfront | $5,999+GST one-off recruitment fee | $0 recruitment fee |
| Ongoing | You employ them ($0/month), or we employ them as Employer of Record ($350/month) | $1,000/month per team member, 12-month commitment (we employ and manage) |
| Who employs | You, or Elephant Teams (EOR) | Elephant Teams |
| Included | Sourcing, screening, interviews, offer and placement, IT setup coordination | Everything in Ready for You, plus onboarding playbooks, HR policy templates, regular check-ins and advisory support |
| Replacement guarantee | 3 months | 5 months, up to two free replacements in the first 12 months |
Ready for You
- Upfront
- $5,999+GST one-off recruitment fee
- Ongoing
- You employ them ($0/month), or we employ them as Employer of Record ($350/month)
- Who employs
- You, or Elephant Teams (EOR)
- Included
- Sourcing, screening, interviews, offer and placement, IT setup coordination
- Replacement guarantee
- 3 months
Managed for You
- Upfront
- $0 recruitment fee
- Ongoing
- $1,000/month per team member, 12-month commitment (we employ and manage)
- Who employs
- Elephant Teams
- Included
- Everything in Ready for You, plus onboarding playbooks, HR policy templates, regular check-ins and advisory support
- Replacement guarantee
- 5 months, up to two free replacements in the first 12 months
Swipe to compare 2 options →
Team member wages are paid on top of either plan. Multi-hire savings are available.
IT options (pick any, with any plan): Self-managed, where you or your team member supply the equipment. Hardware coordination, where we buy and configure a laptop that you own. IT management, where we handle devices, setup and security, with leasing available. See IT security.
Frequently asked questions
Do your offshore payroll specialists understand Australian awards?
We screen for it. Candidates are assessed on award interpretation, penalty rates, leave and super, and many have direct experience running Australian payroll for outsourcing firms.
Who approves the pay run if payroll is done offshore?
You do. Your payroll specialist prepares and checks the run, and an authorised person in your business approves it and releases payment. That keeps control of wages onshore.
Can an offshore payroll specialist handle STP Phase 2 and Payday Super?
Yes. They lodge STP pay events and end-of-year finalisation through your payroll software, and process super through your clearing house in line with Payday Super from 1 July 2026.
Which payroll software do your candidates use?
We screen for Employment Hero (KeyPay), Xero Payroll, MYOB, QuickBooks Payroll, ADP, ELMO and Ascender, plus Deputy and Tanda for timesheets.
How much does it cost to hire an offshore payroll specialist?
A local payroll officer costs about $8,150 a month including super, based on SEEK's median salary (our estimate). We confirm the offshore wage before you commit. Our fee is $5,999+GST once, or $1,000 a month.
Related roles
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