This is part of our Payroll and STP series, powered by Employment Hero (Chapter 4 of the QuickBooks tutorial hub):

• Lesson 1: Understanding QuickBooks Payroll Powered by Employment Hero
• Lesson 2: Choosing Standard or Advanced Payroll in QuickBooks
• Lesson 3: Setting Up STP in QuickBooks and Connecting to the ATO
• Lesson 4: Award Interpretation and Running a Compliant Pay Run in QuickBooks
• Lesson 5: Super Clearing Houses in QuickBooks and Payday Super
• Lesson 6: STP Phase 2 Reporting and EOFY Finalisation in QuickBooks

QuickBooks offers two payroll tiers, and the right one usually comes down to how complex your award and timesheet needs are.

1. Standard Payroll

Covers the core requirements for most small businesses, including STP reporting and super.

2. Advanced Payroll

Adds more sophisticated award interpretation and timesheet functionality, useful for businesses with varied shift patterns or multiple awards.

3. Working out which tier fits

If your team is on a single, simple award with regular hours, Standard is usually sufficient. More complex shift work often benefits from Advanced.

4. You can generally move between tiers

If your needs grow, moving from Standard to Advanced is usually straightforward rather than a complete re-setup.

QuickBooks Australia’s YouTube channel compares the two tiers: quickbooks.intuit.com/au/payroll/standard-vs-advanced. Our registered BAS agents can help you decide which tier actually suits your team.