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Payroll officer and bookkeeper recruitment for regional employers

Hire Australia is a regional recruitment specialist. We help councils, health services, accounting practices, construction firms, agribusinesses and regional businesses hire payroll officers, payroll administrators and managers, bookkeepers and accounts officers, from graduates to experienced people. We build your payroll system, awards and pay cycles into the search from the first conversation.

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Illustrative image: a payroll officer checking timesheets against a laptop in a regional business office, with equipment in the yard outside.

Payroll and bookkeeping hiring at a glance

Payroll and bookkeeping ads cluster in the capitals, and many bookkeepers work part-time.1,2

of employers recruiting clerical and administrative staff had difficulty filling the role
29%
The occupation group that includes payroll clerks and bookkeepers. National, September quarter 2026.1
of payroll clerk job ads are outside the major cities
12.4%
148 of 1,196 ads a month, three months to September 2026, against 29.2% of all job ads.2
of bookkeeper job ads are outside the major cities
19.6%
89 of 454 ads a month, three months to September 2026.2
of bookkeepers work full-time hours
40%
Against 71% of payroll clerks. A part-time role can widen the field.3

What do payroll officers and bookkeepers do, and which qualifications do they hold?

Payroll officers prepare payrolls from timesheets, process wages and adjustments, interpret industrial awards and keep employee pay, leave, tax and super records. Bookkeepers keep and reconcile financial records, prepare invoices and reports, and may prepare GST reporting.3 In 2021 about 20,200 people worked as payroll officers and 79,300 as bookkeepers.4

The current national qualification is the Certificate IV in Accounting and Bookkeeping (FNS40222), and the BAS Agent Registration Skill Set (FNSSS00004) covers the GST and BAS units.5,6 Since 1 July 2026, employers must pay super with each payday instead of quarterly, calculated on qualifying earnings, so payroll staff now handle super every pay run.7

Does a payroll officer or bookkeeper need a licence or registration in each state?

The rules are national, so they are the same in every state and territory. What matters is whether the person provides tax or BAS services to clients for a fee.

Registrations that apply to payroll and bookkeeping work, by jurisdiction. Checked 1 November 2026.

JurisdictionLicence or registrationWhen it applies
All states and territoriesRegistered BAS agent, Tax Practitioners Board8,9BAS services for a fee, including payroll services applying a BAS provision through Single Touch Payroll; Certificate IV or higher, a GST/BAS course and 1,400 hours in four years (1,000 for voting members of a recognised association)
All states and territoriesRegistered tax agent, Tax Practitioners Board10Charging a fee for tax agent services beyond BAS, such as income tax returns
All states and territoriesNo occupational licence listed for payroll officers4Payroll work as an employee of the organisation being paid

What does a payroll officer or bookkeeper earn?

The Clerks – Private Sector Award covers private-sector employees whose work is wholly or principally clerical, unless the employer is covered by another award with clerical classifications. Where it applies from 1 July 2026, Level 3, which includes calculating and maintaining wage and salary records and posting journals, is at least $1,182.10 a week ($31.11 an hour). Level 4, which adds preparing payroll data for authorisation and advising on employment conditions and super, is $1,241.40, and Level 5, administering the organisation's payroll, is $1,291.80.11

Median full-time earnings were $1,606 a week for Payroll Clerks, $1,400 for Bookkeepers and $1,442 for Accounting Clerks in May 2025, against $1,852 for all occupations.3 These are national figures; no regional pay series exists for these jobs.

Where are payroll officers and bookkeepers in demand?

Payroll Clerk, Bookkeeper and Accounts Clerk are not rated in shortage nationally in 2026, counting a national or regional shortage rating.12 Regional employers still compete for few local applicants: payroll clerk ads outside the major cities averaged 148 a month in the three months to September 2026, up from 135 a year earlier, and bookkeeper ads 89, down from 101.2

Online job ads a month by state and territory, three-month average to September 2026 and a year earlier, rounded to whole ads. State figures include the capital cities.13

State or territoryPayroll clerk adsA year earlierBookkeeper ads
New South Wales379367141
Victoria361401117
Queensland256214115
Western Australia13811555
South Australia686820
Australian Capital Territory21146
Tasmania886
Northern Territory762
Australia1,2371,192461

What should you tell us about a payroll or bookkeeping role?

The payroll or accounting system, the number of employees and pay cycles, the awards and enterprise agreements the person applies, and whether the role covers STP reporting, payroll tax and super.

For bookkeepers, tell us the entities and the reporting they own, whether BAS lodgement is in scope, and the hours. Part-time and school-hours arrangements suit many experienced bookkeepers.

How we help you hire payroll officers and bookkeepers

You make the hiring decision and employ the person directly. We handle the search and the organising in between.

  1. Step 1

    Understand the role

    We talk with you about your payroll system, headcount, awards and pay cycles, the reporting the role owns and the experience you expect.

  2. Step 2

    Source and screen

    We talk with candidates about the systems and awards they have worked with, the size of the payrolls they have run, their BAS registration if relevant, and the hours that suit them.

  3. Step 3

    Introduce suitable people

    We introduce the candidates who best match your brief, so you decide who to interview.

  4. Step 4

    Coordinate the hire

    We coordinate the next steps and keep both sides informed through interviews and the offer. You employ the person directly.

Can you recruit payroll and bookkeeping staff for regional or hybrid roles?

Yes. Many payroll and bookkeeping roles are town-based, and some suit a hybrid arrangement once the person knows your systems. Tell us the hours, the days on site and any relocation support, and we build them into the search. If the right person needs a visa or sponsorship, our sister business Australian Immigration Agency can advise.

Looking for payroll or bookkeeping work in the regions?

If you are a payroll officer, payroll manager, bookkeeper or accounts officer, register with Hire Australia. Tell us your systems, the awards you know, your hours and where you would like to work, and we will talk with you about roles that fit.

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Talk to us about your next payroll or bookkeeping hire

Tell us the role, your payroll or accounting system, the hours, the location and when you need the person to start.

Employers pay nothing until the successful candidate has started and stayed two months. Candidates never pay for recruitment.

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A FEW PRACTICAL QUESTIONS

Good to know.

Which payroll and bookkeeping roles does Hire Australia recruit?

Hire Australia is a regional recruitment specialist. We recruit payroll officers, payroll administrators and payroll managers, bookkeepers and accounts officers for regional councils, health services, practices and businesses. We search for people at every level of experience, and build your payroll system, awards, pay cycles and hours into the search from the first conversation.

Does a bookkeeper need to be a registered BAS agent?

Only if they provide BAS services to clients for a fee, and a tax agent without conditions on their registration can do that work too. BAS agent registration needs a Certificate IV or higher, a GST/BAS course and 1,400 hours of experience in four years, or 1,000 for voting members of a recognised association.8,9,14 Hire Australia asks whether your role needs it when we take the brief.

What is the award rate for a payroll officer?

Where the Clerks – Private Sector Award covers the role, Level 3 is at least $1,182.10 a week from 1 July 2026, and Level 5, administering an organisation's payroll, is $1,291.80.11 Median full-time earnings for Payroll Clerks were $1,606 a week in May 2025.3 Hire Australia discusses your pay range with candidates early.

How does Payday Super change a payroll officer role?

From 1 July 2026, employers must pay super for each payday instead of quarterly, calculated on qualifying earnings, and the rate stays at 12%.7 That puts super into every pay run. Hire Australia asks candidates about their experience with the change and with your payroll system when we screen for the role.

Does Hire Australia supply labour hire or temporary staff?

No. Hire Australia recruits people you employ directly, in permanent roles. We don’t supply labour hire or temps, and candidates never work on our payroll. We search for and screen people for your vacancy, introduce the ones who fit, and you make the offer and employ them. That keeps the working relationship between you and your new employee from day one.

What does it cost to use Hire Australia?

Employers pay nothing until the successful candidate has started and stayed two months. Candidates never pay for recruitment. You employ the person directly, and we agree the terms with you in writing before the search begins. The same terms apply whether Hire Australia recruits a part-time bookkeeper or a payroll manager.

Sources (14)

  1. Jobs and Skills Australia, Recruitment Experiences and Outlook Survey, September 2026 data file. Table 3.2, Sept quarter 2026: employers with difficulty filling their latest vacancy. About 1,000 employers a month, 5+ staff, many government bodies excluded, weighted. Accessed 1 Nov 2026. Back to text ↑
  2. Jobs and Skills Australia, Internet Vacancy Index, ANZSCO 4-digit occupations by JSA remoteness and Northern Australia classification, September 2026. Released October 2026. Data: three months to September 2026. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  3. Jobs and Skills Australia, Occupation data - February 2026. Released March 2026. Data: employed and state shares February 2026; full-time share 2025 average; earnings May 2025. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  4. Jobs and Skills Australia, OSCA Occupation data - 2021 Census. Released July 2026. Data: 2021 Census. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  5. training.gov.au, FNS40222 Certificate IV in Accounting and Bookkeeping. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  6. training.gov.au, FNSSS00004 BAS Agent Registration Skill Set. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  7. Australian Taxation Office, About Payday Super. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  8. Tax Practitioners Board, Qualifications and experience for BAS agents. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  9. Tax Practitioners Board, BAS services. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  10. Tax Practitioners Board, Tax agent services. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  11. Fair Work Commission, Clerks - Private Sector Award 2020 [MA000002], clause 16.1 Table 3. Data: from 1 July 2026. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  12. Jobs and Skills Australia, 2026 Occupation Shortage List (6-digit ANZSCO and OSCA). Files dated October 2026. Data: 2026 ratings, ANZSCO 2022 sheet. National ratings; S = shortage, R = regional shortage. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  13. Jobs and Skills Australia, Internet Vacancy Index, ANZSCO 4-digit occupations by state and territory, September 2026. Released October 2026. Data: three months to September 2026. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  14. Tax Practitioners Board, Know your obligations: frequently asked questions. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑