Award interpretation software in Australia: what it does and which tools include it
What award interpretation software does and doesn't do, and which payroll, rostering and aged care tools include it, by plan, with sources.
Award interpretation software applies the pay rules in a Modern Award to the hours your staff actually work. It splits each shift into ordinary time, overtime and penalty time, such as evenings, weekends and public holidays, and works out the rate for each part before the hours go to payroll. It does not choose your award for you, and vendor templates are not a Fair Work certification.
Which tools include it
- On the starting plan: RosterElf, ClockOn, Workforce.com (Tanda), Deputy, Lumary AC, FlowLogic
- On a higher plan: KeyPay, Employment Hero
- Through a partner payroll engine: MYP
- Manual setup: Xero, MYOB
- Not confirmed: Payroller
“Starting plan” is the cheapest plan we score in that category, and the notes name it. “Manual setup” means you enter award rates yourself. “Not confirmed” means the pages we checked did not say either way. Vendor claims, not our testing.
| Product | Category | What we found | Notes | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Xero | Payroll | Manual / Fair Work lookup | FAQ does not claim auto award interpretation; directs award questions to a specialist or Fair Work Ombudsman. Employment Hero or KeyPay remain the add-on path. | xero.com/payroll 8 Sep 2026 |
| MYOB | Payroll | Manual / Fair Work lookup | ATO category assignment is manual; MYOB says award/EA setups are unique. Not native auto-interpretation. QuokkaWorks marketplace add-on is not a MYOB certification. | myob.com/support/myob-business 8 Sep 2026 |
| KeyPay | Payroll | Pre-built on a higher plan | Pre-built modern awards, kept up to date. Plus-only on the pricing matrix. Not Fair Work certification. Starting Standard has no award interpretation. | keypay.com.au/pricing 8 Sep 2026 keypay.com.au/feature/automation-for-awards 8 Sep 2026 |
| Employment Hero | Payroll | Pre-built on a higher plan | Pre-built Modern Awards listed on Payroll Premium, not Payroll Standard. Vendor copy, not Fair Work certification. | employmenthero.com/pricing-classic 8 Sep 2026 |
| Payroller | Payroll | Not confirmed in the sources we checked | No award-interpretation spec on the pricing or payday-super pages opened 8 Sep 2026. Prior basic/manual note kept, not re-proven. | None |
| RosterElf | Hospitality Rostering | Award interpretation on starting plan | Core includes award interpretation. Award page: 150+ Modern Awards including HIGA MA000009. Ready-made packs currently Registered Clubs MA000058; other awards use the pay rate builder. Disclaimer: starting point, not a Fair Work certificate. | rosterelf.com/features/payroll-integration 8 Sep 2026 rosterelf.com/award-templates-disclaimer 8 Sep 2026 rosterelf.com/pricing 8 Sep 2026 |
| ClockOn | Hospitality Rostering | Award interpretation on starting plan | Pro includes award interpretation (also on Standard). Templates reviewed by payroll experts. FAQ: no Fair Work guarantee. Vendor copy. | clockon.com.au/pricing 8 Sep 2026 clockon.com.au/features/award-interpretation 8 Sep 2026 |
| Workforce.com (Tanda) | Hospitality Rostering | Award interpretation on starting plan | Vendor copy: 30+ managed templates including HIGA MA000009 and Restaurant MA000119. Hotel case studies: overtime/qualification/break flags. Not a Fair Work certification. | tanda.com.au/features/industry-award-interpretation 8 Sep 2026 tanda.com.au/blog/hospitality-award-rates 8 Sep 2026 tanda.com.au/pricing 8 Sep 2026 |
| Deputy | Hospitality Rostering | Award interpretation on starting plan | Lite lists Award Interpretation. Core adds Advanced Award Interpretation. Award page names the Hospitality Industry General Award and says Deputy fills penalty rates, overtime and allowances from timesheets. Vendor copy, not a Fair Work certification. | deputy.com/pricing 6 Oct 2026 deputy.com/award-interpretation 6 Oct 2026 |
| Lumary AC | Aged Care Software | Award interpretation on starting plan | Homepage advertises SCHADS award interpretation with rostering and payroll integration (platform-level). AC page lists claiming, invoicing and payroll. Aged Care Award / Nurses Award engines are not named on the AC page. Vendor copy, not a Fair Work certification. | lumary.com.au 8 Sep 2026 lumary.com.au/aged-care 8 Sep 2026 |
| FlowLogic | Aged Care Software | Award interpretation on starting plan | Awards page: automated SCHADS interpretation (penalties, overtime, classifications) plus Aged Care Award monitoring, integrated with rostering. Vendor-advertised, not a Fair Work certification. Payroll connectors stay integrations. | flowlogic.com.au/awards-compliance-software-for-aged-care 8 Sep 2026 |
| MYP | Aged Care Software | Partner payroll engine | Employment Hero partner page: SCHADS and Aged Care award calculations run in EH payroll after MYP timesheets via API. Not a native MYP interpreter. Do not store on_starting_plan. | mypcorp.com.au/partner/employment-hero 8 Sep 2026 |
What award interpretation software does
- Holds the award rules. You pick the award and classification for each employee, usually from templates the vendor maintains. KeyPay and Employment Hero list pre-built Modern Awards, and RosterElf’s award page lists more than 150 awards.
- Applies them to worked hours. Each timesheet is split into ordinary hours, overtime and penalty periods at the rates the award sets. Deputy says it fills in penalty rates, overtime and allowances from timesheets.
- Flags problems before pay day. Some products flag breaks, overtime or missing qualifications. Workforce.com (Tanda)’s hotel case studies show overtime, qualification and break flags.
- Sends the result to payroll. Either a pay run in the same product, or a timesheet export to Xero, MYOB or another payroll product.
What it doesn’t do
- Pick your award. You decide which award and classification apply. Start with our modern awards guide and Fair Work’s own pay calculator, linked from our award pay rate page.
- Guarantee compliance. Vendor templates are not a Fair Work certification. RosterElf calls its templates a starting point, and ClockOn’s FAQ gives no Fair Work guarantee. The employer stays responsible for paying correctly.
- Cover every award out of the box. Template lists differ. RosterElf, for example, has a ready-made pack for one award and a pay rate builder for the rest.
Benefits
- Fewer hand calculations for shifts with penalty or overtime hours.
- The same rules applied to every shift, instead of each manager’s reading of the award.
- Rate changes applied in one place when the vendor updates its templates. KeyPay and Deputy both say they keep their awards up to date.
How to check a tool before you buy
- Confirm your award is in the product’s template list by name, not just “awards supported”.
- Check which plan includes it. The table above shows starting or higher plan.
- Run a past week with evening, weekend and public holiday shifts through the free trial, and compare the pay with Fair Work’s calculator.
- Ask how the vendor applies the annual wage review increase each July, and how quickly its templates change.
Frequently asked questions
What is award interpretation software?
Award interpretation software applies the pay rules in a Modern Award to the hours your staff actually work. It splits each shift into ordinary time, overtime and penalty time, such as evenings, weekends and public holidays, and works out the rate for each part before the hours go to payroll. It does not choose your award for you, and vendor templates are not a Fair Work certification.
What does award interpretation software do?
It holds an award's pay rules, applies them to timesheets by splitting shifts into ordinary, overtime and penalty time at the award's rates, and sends the result to a pay run or a payroll export. Some products also add allowances and flag breaks or overtime before pay day.
Is award interpretation software approved by Fair Work?
Vendor award templates are not a Fair Work certification. RosterElf calls its templates a starting point, and ClockOn's FAQ gives no Fair Work guarantee. The employer is still responsible for paying the award correctly.
Which software includes award interpretation?
On the starting plan: RosterElf, ClockOn, Workforce.com (Tanda), Deputy, Lumary AC, FlowLogic. On a higher plan: KeyPay, Employment Hero. Through a partner payroll engine: MYP. Manual setup: Xero, MYOB. Not confirmed: Payroller.