ClockOn

ClockOn brings staff scheduling and attendance together with payroll and HR for employers working within Australia’s payroll framework. It is strongest for businesses that need award-aware pay and roster management in one system. Smaller teams should weigh its licence minimums against their staffing needs.

Overview

Founded in 2000 by radiologist Dr Graham Mylne, ClockOn is based in Erina, New South Wales. It serves employers in fields including pharmacy, retail, hospitality, medical practices and clubs. Its scope extends beyond shift planning: the same system covers employee administration and payroll.

For employers handling Australian awards and payroll obligations, that breadth has a clear purpose. Configurable rules cover awards, penalties, overtime and allowances, while payroll supports scheduled pay runs, tax and super calculations, payslips and Single Touch Payroll reporting to the ATO. Employers looking for scheduling alone may find the payroll and HR scope more than they need.

Key features

Rostering and attendance

Drag-and-drop scheduling, reusable templates, labour-cost calculations and support for multiple locations give managers practical tools for building and revising rosters. Availability collection, open-shift management, auto-scheduling and time-off management help coordinate changes; they do not remove the need to check that schedules fit the business’s requirements.

Employees can clock in using mobile devices or a tablet kiosk, and offline workflows support attendance capture when a connection is unavailable. GPS and geofencing are options for employers who need location-aware clock-ins. These controls can support attendance processes, but their usefulness depends on how a business chooses to deploy them.

Payroll and HR

Payroll combines pay runs and calculations with payslips and STP reporting, while configurable award rules address penalties, overtime and allowances. This is the central reason to consider ClockOn over a roster-only product: scheduling and pay administration share a system. HR tools add employee records, document storage, onboarding, leave management, workplace incident records and work-rights documentation, giving employers a broader set of staff administration tasks to manage in one place.

Integrations include 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. That distinction matters when selecting a deployment and planning an existing workflow.

Privacy and support

ClockOn’s privacy policy says it handles personal information under Australian privacy laws and identifies sensitive employee data it may collect, including tax, bank and superannuation details. Employers should account for that data handling when deciding whether the system fits their internal privacy practices. ClockOn lists Australian phone support, onboarding and training, plus email and telephone contact.

Pricing

ClockOn has a free Starter Package and paid plans. The Starter Package costs nothing and provides basic payroll and STP for eligible new businesses, for up to 12 months or 27 STP submissions. That cap makes it an entry point for qualifying new businesses, not a permanent substitute for a full workforce system.

ClockOn Pro costs $8.80 a month, billed per employee, per month on active employee licences. It includes rostering, labour planning, time and attendance, payroll, STP, award interpretation, a mobile app, onboarding, HR and compliance. The per-employee basis means the total rises with active licences, but it is the most complete stated package for businesses wanting the functions together.

ClockOn Standard has custom pricing, requires a minimum of five employee licences and bills extra employees per employee per month. It includes payroll, STP, award interpretation, time tracking and a mobile app; integrated rostering is optional or limited. The five-licence floor can make it a poor fit for very small employers, and businesses needing full rostering should compare its terms with Pro.

Outsourced Payroll costs $190 a month, billed per payslip and based on employee numbers and pay-run frequency; a minimum monthly processing charge applies. The managed payroll service is the draw for employers seeking payroll processing support, but ClockOn Pro and additional services are priced separately. Confirm the likely processing charge and add-on costs before choosing it.

Platforms

ClockOn supports Android, iOS, web and Windows. The web and Windows distinction is relevant for integrations: Flare is available in ClockOn Web, while Sage MicrOpay and Pronto exports rely on Desktop/Windows software.

Who it's for

ClockOn is a sensible fit for Australian employers that coordinate staff across shifts or locations and want award-aware payroll, attendance and HR alongside rostering. Its listed industries include hospitality and clubs as well as pharmacy, retail and medical practices. A business with fewer than five employees should scrutinize Standard’s minimum, while a company needing only basic scheduling may prefer a narrower tool.

Pros and cons

• Pros: Award rules, payroll calculations and STP reporting sit alongside rostering, reducing the need to split these workflows across separate systems.
• Pros: Mobile, kiosk and offline clock-in options, with GPS and geofencing available, accommodate different attendance setups.
• Pros: HR records, onboarding, leave and compliance tools extend beyond payroll and scheduling.
• Cons: Standard’s five-licence minimum may not suit the smallest employers.
• Cons: Pro is charged per active employee licence, so costs scale with the workforce.
• Cons: Standard’s rostering is optional or limited, and some exports require the Windows desktop software.

Alternatives

For employers prioritizing restaurant payroll, compare the Restaurant Payroll Software category; for a scheduling-first shortlist, see Employee Scheduling Software.

Choose Connecteam if a freemium option and free trial matter; its listed platforms include Android, iOS and web, and its free Limited plan has limited feature access.

Findmyshift is worth comparing for a free scheduling option: its Free plan allows five team members and one manager, with one week of historical data and one week of forward planning.

Consider 7shifts if its free Comp plan’s limits of 15 employees and one location suit your team.

PagarBook offers free attendance marking, while salary, PF/ESI or tracking requires a paid subscription.

Choose Shiftbase if a free plan for up to 15 employees, one department and five teams is a better match.

Shiftura is another freemium option, with a free plan for up to five employees.

Sling may suit teams that can work within its free plan for up to 30 users, which includes shift scheduling, time-off requests and available shifts.

Zoho Shifts is an alternative if its free plan for up to 25 users and basic scheduling fits the team’s needs.

Verdict

Choose ClockOn when an Australian employer needs scheduling, attendance and HR tied to award-aware payroll and STP reporting. That combined scope is its strongest reason to buy. Look elsewhere if the five-licence Standard minimum, Pro’s per-employee billing or the broader system is a poor fit for your workforce.