Which MYOB are you on?
| Product | Award interpretation | Who it is for |
|---|---|---|
| MYOB Business | Not included | Small business. Payroll categories configured manually. |
| MYOB AccountRight | Not included | Small to medium business. Same manual configuration model. |
| MYOB PayGlobal | Included | Enterprise. Has an award interpreter for complex pay rules. |
The overwhelming majority of Australian small and medium businesses are on MYOB Business or AccountRight, which is why the short answer to this question is no. If you are on PayGlobal, the calculation layer is handled, though the classification judgement described below is still yours.
What MYOB Business and AccountRight do automate
Plenty, and reliably. PAYG withholding using current ATO tax tables, superannuation guarantee, Single Touch Payroll reporting, and leave accrual according to the entitlements you set up. None of that is in question here.
What MYOB cannot do is tell you the wage rate you typed into a payroll category is the wrong wage rate for that person's classification. It has no way of knowing.
The mapping problem
MYOB users who need award interpretation usually add a rostering or time and attendance tool. MYOB's own app marketplace lists several, including Tanda, Deputy, RosterElf and easyemployer. These hold award rule libraries, interpret the shift data, and export calculated hours into MYOB.
This works, but it introduces a specific failure mode worth understanding. The award logic now lives in the rostering tool while the pay categories live in MYOB, and the two are joined by a manual mapping. Every award rule has to be linked to a MYOB payroll category carrying the correct multiplier. Add a custom rule, rename a category, or leave a rule unmapped, and the export either fails outright or, worse, quietly posts against the wrong category at the wrong multiplier.
The failures that error loudly get fixed. The ones that post a plausible wrong number do not.
Where MYOB payroll quietly drifts
- The 1 July increase. MYOB does not hold the award, so it cannot know the new minimum. Every affected wage category has to be updated by a person, and the first pay run in July is where the underpayment starts if nobody does.
- Classification drift. An employee picks up supervision or a qualification and should move up a level. The payroll category does not follow them.
- Allowances. First aid, laundry, tools, travel, meals. Easy to miss at setup and effectively invisible afterwards.
- Shift context. A flat rate that looks generous can still underpay once you know the work was at night, on a public holiday, or at a higher classification for part of the week. Nothing on the payslip records that, so nothing flags it.
Common questions
What is the difference between MYOB Business and MYOB PayGlobal for awards?
MYOB Business and AccountRight are small and medium business products where payroll categories and rates are configured manually and no award interpretation is included. MYOB PayGlobal is an enterprise payroll product that does include an award interpreter capable of automating complex pay rules. They are different products for different sized organisations, so being on MYOB does not by itself tell you whether award interpretation is happening.
How do you handle award interpretation with MYOB?
Most MYOB users take one of three routes. They configure payroll categories by hand from the award and review them each 1 July and whenever a role changes. They add a rostering or time and attendance tool with an award rules library, such as Tanda, Deputy, RosterElf or easyemployer, which interprets shift data and maps each award rule to a matching MYOB payroll category. Or they add an independent check layer that reads the pay run MYOB produced and tests it against the award, catching a configuration error rather than repeating it.
Why do MYOB award integrations break?
Because the award logic lives in one system and the pay categories live in another, and the two are joined by a manual mapping. Every award rule in the rostering tool has to be linked to a MYOB payroll category with the correct multiplier. If a rule is added, renamed or left unmapped, or if a category multiplier is wrong, the export either fails or quietly posts the wrong amount. The mapping needs checking whenever either side changes.
Keep MYOB. Add the check.
FairCheck reads the payslips and pay run data your payroll produced and tests them against the award or agreement that actually applies, including the classification step MYOB never sees. In beta now, with early access opening to the waitlist first.
Join the waitlist Compare all four systemsFairCheck is an independent product and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by MYOB. MYOB, AccountRight and PayGlobal are trade marks of MYOB Group. This page describes publicly documented product behaviour as at 2 September 2026 and is general information, not legal advice.