Payroll Services in Canberra, STP and Super Compliant

Payroll That Is Right First Time, Every Pay Run

Payroll is the one part of your books your staff check every fortnight. A wrong pay rate, a missed super payment or a late STP report is noticed immediately, and since 1 July 2026 the cost of getting super wrong has gone up. Ascend runs payroll for Australian employers the way a CPA-led, registered BAS agent should: calculated correctly, reported to the ATO on time, and reconciled back to your books so nothing drifts.

We work inside your existing payroll platform (Xero Payroll, QuickBooks Payroll powered by Employment Hero, MYOB or KeyPay), or we set one up with you if you are hiring for the first time.

What’s included

• Pay run processing: wages, allowances, overtime and deductions calculated and paid on your schedule, weekly, fortnightly or monthly
• Single Touch Payroll: every pay event reported to the ATO on time, with year-end finalisation handled
• Superannuation under Payday Super: contributions calculated each pay run and paid so they reach the fund within the required window
• Leave and entitlements: annual, personal and long service leave tracked and accrued correctly
• Onboarding and offboarding: new starters set up with the right tax, super and award details; final pays and terminations done properly
• Reconciliation to the books: wages, PAYG withholding and super reconciled to the general ledger every month, so BAS and year end are clean

Payday Super: what changed on 1 July 2026

From 1 July 2026, employers must pay super guarantee at the same time as salary and wages, not quarterly. Super counts as on time only if the fund receives it within 7 business days of payday. In practice that means the clearing house timing, the pay calendar and the cash in the account all have to line up every single pay run, not four times a year.

We build that into the process: super is calculated and submitted with the pay run, the clearing house lead time is planned around your pay date, and we tell you before a pay run if the cash is not there to cover it. If you have been paying super quarterly, we will move you across and reconcile what has already been paid.

How it works

1. Review: we check your current setup first: pay rates against the award, super settings, leave balances and STP status. You get a plain-English list of anything that needs fixing.
2. Set up: employees, pay items, super funds and the pay calendar configured once, properly, in your platform.
3. Each pay run: you send timesheets or approvals; we process, you approve the totals, payments and STP go out, super is submitted.
4. Each month: payroll reconciled to the ledger, PAYG withholding ready for the BAS, and a short report on what was paid and to whom.

Pricing

Payroll is priced per employee, from $50 per employee per month, alongside your bookkeeping package or on its own. The figure is indicative: your headcount, pay frequency and award mix are confirmed in a written proposal before anything starts, and catch-up work is quoted separately.

Behind on super or STP?

Missed super and late STP reports are common and they do not fix themselves. We regularly bring employers up to date: reconciling what has been paid, correcting what has not, and where appropriate dealing with the ATO on your behalf as your registered agent. Tell us where things stand and we will tell you plainly what it takes to fix.

Who this is for

Employers across Australia, from a first hire to a multi-site team: trades and construction, medical and allied health practices, professional services, hospitality and retail, and online businesses. If you employ across state borders, we assess payroll tax by state rather than assuming one national answer.