ERP Consultant for Australia

GST, BAS and payroll without the spreadsheets

Australian businesses registered for GST report it to the Australian Taxation Office through the Business Activity Statement. Getting the BAS right depends on every sale and purchase carrying the correct GST treatment, which is hard when invoices, bills and adjustments are spread across different tools and spreadsheets.

Payroll adds another layer. Single Touch Payroll means payroll information is reported to the ATO through your payroll software, and superannuation is also typically calculated and managed through payroll. Rather than rebuilding payroll inside an ERP that is not designed for it, I often recommend keeping a dedicated payroll product that supports these requirements and integrating it with the ERP, so wages and on-costs land in the right accounts, departments and jobs.

In my ERP consulting work, I set up GST codes, account mappings and reports with your accountant's input and test common scenarios before go-live. I do not give tax or legal advice. Because rules can change and platforms differ in their Australian localization, I always recommend confirming tax and payroll features with the software vendor and an Australian tax advisor.

Moving off MYOB or Xero

MYOB and Xero are common starting points for Australian businesses, and they do bookkeeping well. Problems usually appear as the business grows: inventory across several locations, job or project costing, manufacturing, approval workflows, or a growing stack of add-on apps that do not quite talk to each other. At that point, the spreadsheets around the accounting system become the real system.

Moving to an ERP is less about the software and more about agreeing on how the business should run. I start by mapping your processes and pain points, then decide whether extending the current setup is enough or whether a platform such as Zoho, Odoo or ERPNext is a better fit. Read how to choose an ERP for the questions I work through.

When a migration makes sense, I plan what history to bring across, how to reconcile opening balances and when to cut over, ideally at the start of a reporting period. Parallel runs and reconciliations give your accountant confidence that the numbers carried forward are right.

Platforms that fit Australian businesses

For Australian companies, I check every shortlisted platform for a few local basics: GST codes that map cleanly to BAS labels, ABNs held on customer and supplier records, a reliable link to STP-enabled payroll, and support available in Australian business hours. Platforms that meet those basics then go through a full fit assessment.

• Zoho suits services firms, trades businesses and distributors that want CRM, books and inventory together without a long project.
• Odoo fits wholesalers, manufacturers and eCommerce sellers; I confirm how its Australian localization handles GST reporting for your scenarios.
• ERPNext works for cost-conscious businesses with technical support available; BAS reporting may need extra configuration, so I test it early.
• Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central suits mid-sized and multi-entity groups, including trans-Tasman businesses with a New Zealand company.

I ask each vendor to run the same scripts: a job with progress claims and retentions, a stock transfer between two sites and a foreign-currency purchase with freight. My ERP evaluation service scores the results on one sheet. If your requirements need structured analysis first, see my ERP business analyst page for Australia.

Integration and data migration in Australia

Australian businesses often run an ecosystem around their accounts: bank feeds, ABA files for batch supplier payments, BPAY for paying and collecting bills, card gateways for online sales, a job management app for field technicians and a separate inventory or eCommerce tool. Moving to an ERP means deciding which of these stay, which are replaced and how the remaining ones connect.

For each integration I record the system of record, data fields, sync timing and who handles exceptions. Field service apps are a common example: jobs, labor hours and materials used on site need to reach the ERP against the right job so margins are visible, without technicians double handling paperwork. Payroll journals from your STP-enabled product are mapped to jobs and departments. My ERP integration service covers the approach.

Migration from add-on apps is often harder than migration from the accounting file itself. Item codes differ between the inventory app and the ledger, open jobs carry work in progress, and customer records are duplicated across tools. I reconcile these in one migration workbook with trial loads, as described under ERP data migration. To see how I work as an independent consultant, visit freelance ERP consultant in Australia or my Australia page.

Working remotely with Australian businesses

I work remotely with businesses across Australia. Remote delivery works well for ERP projects when there is a clear scope, a shared plan, regular working sessions and decisions recorded in writing.

Time zones work in our favor here. India's working day overlaps with a good part of the Australian business day, so workshops, reviews and training can be scheduled during your normal hours without early-morning or late-night calls. Asynchronous updates, recorded walkthroughs and a shared project tracker keep things moving between sessions.

Common industries I work with include wholesale and distribution, manufacturing, construction and field services. Many of these businesses also want better visibility of their sales pipeline, which I can cover through CRM consulting, along with workflow automation.

Before recommending any technology, I take time to understand how your business actually runs: who approves what, where information gets stuck and which reports leadership relies on. If you are planning a new system, get in touch to talk through your requirements.