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GST and BAS are federal and identical across New South Wales, so the local variable is payroll tax: it starts once Australian wages exceed A$1,200,000, at rates up to 0.0545%, administered by Revenue NSW. This page compares the products a business in New South Wales would realistically shortlist, judged against what New South Wales actually requires rather than against a global feature list.
Showing New South Wales, Australia — AUD, GST, DD/MM/YYYY.
Three buying questions, each answered against New South Wales's own rules.
Accounting software
The general ledger itself — where transactions land, how they get classified, and how the local tax return comes out the other end.
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BAS & GST software
Getting GST codes right during the quarter so the Business Activity Statement is a review rather than a rebuild.
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Payroll software
Single Touch Payroll Phase 2, superannuation, and the state payroll-tax threshold that decides whether you owe anything at all.
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What a product has to get right to be usable by a business registered in New South Wales.
| Requirement | What it demands | HelloBooks |
|---|---|---|
| BAS lodgementLegal requirement · ATO ↗ | GST-registered businesses lodge a Business Activity Statement monthly or quarterly, reporting GST collected, GST credits, and PAYG amounts. | Covered |
| Tax invoice requirementsLegal requirement · ATO ↗ | A tax invoice must show the supplier ABN, the words "Tax invoice", the GST amount or a statement that the total includes GST, and the buyer identity above the notified value. | Covered |
| Single Touch Payroll Phase 2Legal requirement · ATO ↗ | Every pay run must be reported to the ATO on or before payday with disaggregated gross income components. | Partly covered |
| PAYG withholding without an ABNLegal requirement · ATO ↗ | Where a supplier does not quote an ABN, the payer must withhold at the top rate and remit it. | Covered |
| Taxable payments annual report (TPAR)Legal requirement · ATO ↗ | Businesses in listed industries must report payments to contractors annually. | Covered |
GST and BAS are federal and identical across New South Wales, so the local variable is payroll tax: it starts once Australian wages exceed A$1,200,000, at rates up to 0.0545%, administered by Revenue NSW.
Region authority: Revenue NSW ↗ · New South Wales compliance guide
Start with the product you are actually evaluating.
Accounting software
HelloBooks vs Xero
Xero is what every bookkeeper here uses — what would make me switch?
Compare in New South Wales →
BAS & GST software
HelloBooks vs Xero
Which prepares and lodges BAS with less fiddling?
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Payroll software
HelloBooks vs Xero
We need STP Phase 2 and super handled properly.
Compare in New South Wales →
Across Sydney, Newcastle, Wollongong and the wider New South Wales market, the products most businesses are already running are the ones worth comparing against first.
Partly. GST and BAS are federal and identical across New South Wales, so the local variable is payroll tax: it starts once Australian wages exceed A$1,200,000, at rates up to 0.0545%, administered by Revenue NSW. The national GST rules are the same wherever you are registered, so the software shortlist barely moves — what moves is the configuration. Anything you choose has to handle payroll tax from a$1,200,000 · up to 0.0545% correctly on every tax invoice without you remembering to set it per transaction.
Payroll tax in New South Wales has a tax-free threshold of A$1,200,000 in annual Australian wages. NSW threshold is annual, prorated for part-year employers. The deduction shrinks as group wages rise — at $1.2M you get the full deduction; the deduction phases out completely above the threshold so the rate effectively applies to all NSW taxable wages above $1.2M. Revenue NSW is the authority to check for anything region-specific — see https://www.revenue.nsw.gov.au/taxes-duties-levies-royalties/payroll-tax.
Pricing is national, not regional: $22 and $55 per month, billed annually, in AUD, plus a free tier. Prices are in AUD and exclude GST. Prices are per organisation with unlimited users, so a business in New South Wales pays the same as one anywhere else in Australia.
In practice the shortlist here is usually Xero, QuickBooks Online, MYOB Business — those are the products with the most local install base and the most registered BAS agents who already know them. That familiarity is a genuine cost saving, and it is the main reason to stay put if nothing else is broken.
Yes, and at no extra cost. Advisors get their own login with their own permissions, and the seat is free — so bringing in a New South Wales-based registered BAS agent does not change your bill. That matters most where the advisor relationship, not the software, is the real switching cost.
Each market has its own tax regime, currency, and shortlist of incumbents. Switch to the one where your business is registered.
Australia comparison hub · All states and territories · Australia compliance hub