ClockOn

ClockOn is workforce software for Australian employers combining staff scheduling, attendance, payroll and HR. It is most compelling for businesses that need award-aware rostering and Australian payroll in one system. Its breadth is useful, but the employee-licence minimum and different plan terms deserve close attention.

Overview

Founded in 2000 and based in Erina, New South Wales, ClockOn serves employers in fields including pharmacy, retail, hospitality, medical practices and clubs. It brings scheduling and employee administration together with payroll rather than concentrating on one task.

Its Australian payroll orientation is a practical advantage: scheduled pay runs, tax and super calculations, allowances, payslips and Single Touch Payroll reporting to the ATO sit alongside configurable rules for awards, penalties and overtime. That combination suits employers who need to account for these rules while managing shifts. Businesses seeking only a lightweight roster tool may find the wider payroll and HR scope unnecessary.

Key features

Rostering and attendance

Drag-and-drop scheduling, roster templates, labour-cost calculations and support for multiple locations give managers a useful set of planning tools. Availability collection, open-shift management, time-off management and auto-scheduling extend that workflow. Employees can clock in via mobile or a tablet kiosk, with offline workflows, GPS and geofencing options. These choices help accommodate different workplace setups, though location controls are options rather than a substitute for deciding how attendance should be managed.

Payroll and HR

Payroll covers scheduled runs, tax and super calculations, allowances, payslips and ATO reporting. Configurable award rules can apply penalties and overtime, making the system relevant to employers whose pay calculations depend on those conditions. HR features include employee records and document storage, onboarding, leave management, incident records and work-rights documentation, bringing several administrative needs into the same platform.

Integrations, privacy and support

ClockOn lists integrations with Xero, MYOB, Flare, Beam, SAFF-compatible superfund exports, Sage MicrOpay and Pronto. Flare is available in ClockOn Web; Sage MicrOpay and Pronto exports are supported by the Desktop/Windows software, so the required integration may influence which environment suits a business. Its privacy policy describes handling personal information under Australian privacy laws and identifies tax, bank and superannuation details among employee data it may collect. Australian phone support, onboarding and training are also offered.

Pricing

ClockOn has both free and paid options, but the plans differ substantially in scope and billing basis.

• Starter Package: free. It provides basic payroll and STP for eligible new businesses, for up to 12 months or 27 STP submissions. The cap makes it a limited starting point, not a full rostering and HR package.
• ClockOn Pro: $8.80 a month, billed per active employee licence, per month. It includes rostering, labour planning, attendance, payroll, STP, award interpretation, mobile app, onboarding, HR and compliance. This is the broadest stated self-service package, but per-employee billing means costs rise with the active workforce.
• ClockOn Standard: custom pricing, with a five-employee licence minimum and extra employees billed per employee per month. It covers payroll, STP, award interpretation, time tracking and a mobile app; integrated rostering is optional or limited. The minimum may make it a poor fit for very small teams, and businesses needing full rostering should check the package scope.
• Outsourced Payroll: $190 a month, billed per payslip and based on employee numbers and pay-run frequency; a minimum monthly processing charge applies. It is a managed payroll service, while ClockOn Pro and additional services are priced separately. This is aimed at employers wanting payroll managed for them, not a single all-inclusive price for the software suite.

Platforms

ClockOn supports Android, iOS, web and Windows. That spread accommodates mobile clock-ins and desktop payroll work, while the Windows-specific export support for Sage MicrOpay and Pronto is worth considering when choosing an integration workflow.

Who it's for

ClockOn is best suited to Australian employers that need rostering, award-aware payroll and staff administration together, particularly in sectors such as hospitality, retail, pharmacy, medical practices and clubs. Businesses should compare their employee count with Standard's five-licence minimum and consider whether Pro's active-licence billing or outsourced processing better matches their operation.

Pros and cons

• Pro: Payroll, STP, configurable award rules and rostering are combined, which can reduce fragmentation for employers managing schedules and pay obligations together.
• Pro: Mobile, kiosk and offline attendance workflows, with GPS and geofencing options, offer several ways to record time across different work settings.
• Pro: HR tools cover onboarding, leave, employee documents, incidents and work-rights records in addition to payroll and scheduling.
• Con: Standard requires five employee licences, which can rule it out for smaller teams even before considering its custom pricing.
• Con: Pro charges by active employee licence, so monthly spend depends on workforce size rather than a flat subscription.
• Con: Standard's integrated rostering is optional or limited, making it less suitable for employers who need a complete scheduling workflow at that tier.

Alternatives

For businesses where restaurant-specific payroll is the priority, compare Restaurant Payroll Software. If scheduling is the main need, Employee Scheduling Software is a more focused place to compare options.

Kit by KitchenSync may suit a restaurant location seeking finance, weekly P&Ls, AP automation, payroll, HR and banking in one package; its Kit Essentials plan is $1,500 a month per location and includes one manager and five employees. Choose it only if that location-based scope and price fit better than ClockOn's employee-licence model.

ADP Workforce Now is another paid payroll option, with Essential Payroll covering processing, tax filing, direct deposit, employee access and multi-jurisdiction payroll; consider it when those payroll capabilities are the priority.

RUN Powered by ADP is a paid alternative with payroll-focused and payroll-and-HR plan options; compare it if that scope better matches your needs.

isolved HCM offers customized pricing and a modular platform for organizations of every size and industry, making it an option for buyers seeking a configurable HCM approach.

Workforce.com offers paid scheduling and all-in-one plan options, so it is worth considering if scheduling or scheduling combined with HR and payroll is the central requirement.

OnPay has a Payroll plan at $49 a month, billed as a $49 base fee per month plus $6 per worker per month, with unlimited pay runs and schedules and year-end filings included. It may be a better fit for buyers prioritizing that stated payroll package over ClockOn's Australian award and workforce-management mix.

Paycom uses customized pricing dependent on workforce size and selected tools, with a one-time implementation fee and ongoing support from a dedicated representative; consider it if that tailored pricing model is preferable.

Paycor offers paid plans including Basic, Essential, Complete and HCM; consider it as another paid workforce software option.

Verdict

Choose ClockOn if your Australian business needs award-aware payroll, rostering and HR administration in one system, and its licence terms suit your headcount. Its strongest reason to buy is the combination of configurable pay rules and local payroll workflows with scheduling and attendance. Look elsewhere if the five-licence Standard minimum, per-active-employee Pro billing or limited Standard rostering does not fit your team.