Payroll services, Brisbane QLDFreeMyCloud runs payroll for Brisbane businesses remotely: a university-qualified graduate accountant, employed by FreeMyCloud and based in our Manila office, prepares each pay run, its Single Touch Payroll report and the super payment inside your own payroll software, for your approval on payday. Queensland payroll tax and public holidays are built into the pay calendar. Typically 50 to 70% less than a local payroll officer.
The short answer
Checked against Queensland Revenue Office, Rates and threshold, the Fair Work Ombudsman and the ATO on 1 October 2026. The payroll tax, public holiday and super figures below come from those pages, linked beside each one.
Every step of the pay cycle except pressing pay. Your dedicated payroll accountant collects timesheets and leave, applies the award or agreement rates, prepares the pay run and the Single Touch Payroll report, works out super guarantee at 12% of qualifying earnings, prepares the super payment so the fund receives it within 7 business days of payday, tracks wages against the Queensland payroll tax threshold, and reconciles payroll at year end. You approve each pay run before it goes.
The work is done remotely, inside your Xero, MYOB, QuickBooks or Reckon payroll, during QLD business hours. There is no FreeMyCloud office in Brisbane; payroll is software work, and that is why the cost is lower.
FreeMyCloud is not a registered BAS agent. Your accountant prepares the figures and reports for your approval and your registered agent’s review; the outsourced payroll services page explains how the roles fit together.
QLD rules
| Item | What applies | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Payroll tax threshold | $1,300,000 of annual Australian taxable wages | Queensland Revenue Office, Rates and threshold, updated 3 July 2026 |
| Payroll tax rate | 4.75% on Australian taxable wages up to $6.5 million a year, 4.95% above that | Same source |
| Monthly threshold | worked out from the $1.3 million annual threshold | Same source |
| Other points | Businesses with $1.3 million or less in wages may still need to register. Regional employers can qualify for a discount, and a mental health levy applies above $10 million. | Same source |
| Public holidays, July 2026 to June 2027 | Wednesday 12 August 2026, Royal Queensland Show (Brisbane area only); Monday 5 October 2026, King’s Birthday; Thursday 24 December 2026 from 6 pm, Christmas Eve part-day holiday; Friday 25 December 2026, Christmas Day; Monday 28 December 2026, Boxing Day holiday; Friday 1 January 2027, New Year’s Day; Tuesday 26 January 2027, Australia Day; Friday 26 March to Monday 29 March 2027, Easter; Monday 26 April 2027, Anzac Day holiday; Monday 3 May 2027, Labour Day | Fair Work, 2026 public holidays and 2027 public holidays |
| Super guarantee | 12% of qualifying earnings, received by the fund within 7 business days of payday (20 business days for a new starter’s first contribution) | ATO, Payment deadlines for Payday Super, updated 29 September 2026 |
| Single Touch Payroll | Reported to the ATO on or before each payday from your payroll software | ATO, Single Touch Payroll |
| Awards | The awards most often seen in Brisbane payrolls are the Building and Construction General On-site Award, the Hospitality Industry (General) Award, the Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services Industry Award, the Health Professionals and Support Services Award, the Road Transport and Distribution Award and the Clerks Private Sector Award. Your award is identified on engagement. | Fair Work Ombudsman, Awards |
| Long service leave | Long service leave in Queensland is governed by the Industrial Relations Act 2016 (Qld), with portable schemes for building and construction (QLeave) and other industries. | Fair Work Ombudsman, Long service leave (links to the Queensland rules) |
Figures as at 1 October 2026. The super due dates page lists every non-business day in 2026-27 and worked examples.
Each pay run
| Stage | What is done | What you do |
|---|---|---|
| Before payday | Timesheets, leave and new starters collected; award rates, allowances and penalty rates applied; pay run and STP report prepared | Approve the pay run |
| Payday | Super contribution prepared through your clearing house so the fund receives it within 7 business days | Release the payment |
| Each month | Wages reconciled to the general ledger; Queensland payroll tax tracked and the return prepared if you are registered | Approve the return |
| Each quarter | PAYG withholding reconciled to the BAS figures prepared for your registered agent | Nothing extra |
| Year end | STP finalisation, leave balances reconciled, payroll tax annual reconciliation prepared | Approve the finalisation |
Get in touch
Tell us a little about your business and what you need looked after. We reply within one business day, Australia-wide, and fifteen minutes on the phone is enough to say whether a dedicated bookkeeper suits you and what it would cost.
Prefer to talk? 1300 66 88 14
Choosing
| In-house payroll officer | Payroll bureau (per payslip) | Dedicated FreeMyCloud accountant | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who does the work | One employee | A processing team | The same graduate accountant every pay run |
| Knows your awards and people | Yes | Partly | Yes, from the first pay run |
| Also does the bookkeeping | Sometimes | No | Yes, if you want it |
| Cover for leave | You arrange it | Built in | Arranged by FreeMyCloud |
| Cost | Salary plus on-costs | Per employee per pay | Typically 50 to 70% less than a local payroll officer |
| Suits | Large headcount, complex agreements | Simple payroll, no bookkeeping | Payroll plus bookkeeping in cloud software |
When a local payroll officer is the better choice. If you run an enterprise agreement with hundreds of staff, or need someone on site to handle cash wages or paper timesheets, hire locally.
Getting started
Most Brisbane employers are running within three business days of the first call.
You describe the headcount, the award, the pay cycle and the software.
We match a graduate accountant to your payroll software and workload.
The NDA is signed and you invite your accountant into your payroll file.
Your accountant prepares it for your approval, with the super due date already in the calendar.
Related pages
Frequently asked questions
A dedicated FreeMyCloud payroll accountant typically costs 50 to 70% less than a local payroll officer, with no setup fee and no lock-in contract. The figure depends on headcount, pay frequency and whether bookkeeping is included. The savings calculator gives an estimate.
$1,300,000 of annual Australian taxable wages, with payroll tax at 4.75% on Australian taxable wages up to $6.5 million a year, 4.95% above that, as published by Queensland Revenue Office and current as at 1 October 2026. Businesses with $1.3 million or less in wages may still need to register. Regional employers can qualify for a discount, and a mental health levy applies above $10 million.
Within 7 business days of each payday, received by the employee's fund, for wages paid from 1 July 2026. A whole-of-state public holiday anywhere in Australia does not count as a business day. The super due dates page has every 2026-27 date and worked examples.
Your payroll accountant prepares the pay run and the Single Touch Payroll report inside your payroll software for your approval; the report goes to the ATO from your software when the pay run is finalised. FreeMyCloud is not a registered BAS agent and does not lodge on your behalf.
No. Payroll is prepared remotely inside your payroll software by a dedicated accountant in our Manila office, during QLD business hours. FreeMyCloud is Australian owned with offices in Melbourne and Manila.
Xero Payroll, MYOB, QuickBooks Payroll and Reckon, and the payroll module of most industry systems. No change of platform is needed.
This page is general information about payroll obligations for Brisbane employers, current as at 1 October 2026. It is not tax, financial or legal advice. FreeMyCloud is not a registered tax agent or BAS agent and does not lodge on your behalf. Rates, thresholds and dates change. Confirm your own position with your registered tax or BAS agent.
Fifteen minutes on the phone is enough to tell you whether a dedicated payroll accountant suits your business, and what it would cost.
