Manage independent contractor onboarding data and contract assignments

1. Click the People menu.
2. Click the Independent Contractors submenu.
3. Click the Add Independent Contractors button.
4. Click the Onboard button.
5. Complete the following fields in the Basic Information section:
   • Trading name.
   • First name.
   • Last name.
   • Date of birth.
   • Email.
   • Country *NEW* — Select the country where the contractor operates. Only contractors in Australia are eligible to sync to EH Payroll AU.
   • Job title.
   • Start date.
   • Service description.
   • Reports to.
   • Team.
6. Click Yes or No in the Pay Details section to indicate whether to process payments through the payroll module.
   • If you select No, proceed directly to the contract issuance workflow.
   • If you select Yes, continue your workflow sequentially with the next step.
7. Complete the following fields in the expanded Pay Details section that opens after choosing your option:
   • Employing Entity *NEW — Required* — Select the legal entity that will employ the contractor. This field is required for payroll sync.
   • Primary Cost Centre *NEW — Optional* — Select the primary cost centre for expense tracking.
   • Pay Schedule — Select the pay frequency schedule (e.g. weekly, fortnightly, monthly). This field appears only for payroll-connected organisations.
   • Timesheets — Select the timesheet category if applicable.
   • Primary Pay Category — Select the pay category for the contractor.
   • Hourly Rate — Enter the contractor's hourly rate. Note: Hourly rate is the only supported payment calculation at this time. Salary and daily rates are not supported.
   • Standard hours per day — Enter the standard number of working hours per day.
   • Use Standard Business Daily Hours — Check this box to automatically use your organisation's standard business daily hours. Uncheck to manually specify hours.
8. Click the Continue button.
9. Complete the following fields in the Payment Details section:
   • Account Name.
   • BSB Number.
   • Account Number.

   Note: Access to the Payment Details tab is restricted to Admin and Owner user access levels only.

10. Click the Continue button.
11. Complete the following fields in the Tax Details section *NEW*:
    • Tax File Number — Optional field to capture the contractor's TFN.
    • Tax Calculation *Required* — Select the applicable tax calculation method (e.g. Standard, Voluntary Agreement).
    • Registered for GST — Check this box if the contractor is registered for GST. If left unchecked, the contractor profile will not sync to Payroll.

    Note: Access to the Tax Details tab is restricted to Admin and Owner user access levels only. Superannuation details are not captured on the HR side; these must be managed directly in EH Payroll AU after the contractor profile is synced.

12. Click the Issue Contract button.

13. Important

    After saving a contractor profile, their record populates the contractor index view on the Independent Contractors page. A red triangle indicator with an exclamation mark displays alongside their name if background synchronisation errors occur while updating the payroll platform. To evaluate these integration issues, click the contractor name to check the error message details highlighted on top of their profile page, or evaluate them in the Payroll Integration Issue Dashboard via Settings Integrations Payroll Integration Issue Dashboard, then select the Independent Contractors tab.

14. Locate your desired contract and click the Actions dropdown option.
15. Click the Select button.
16. Apply any required adjustments and click the Continue button.
17. Tick the I Have Read and Understood the Terms of Use checkbox.
18. Adjust the template notification email text as desired.
19. Click the Email Document button.

1. Navigate to the desired independent contractor file.
2. Ensure the contractor's Country field is set to Australia. Only contractors in Australia are eligible to sync to EH Payroll AU.
3. Click the Job Details tab and complete:
   • Employing Entity (Required)
   • Primary Cost Centre (Optional)
4. Click the Pay Details tab *NEW* and complete the following:
   • Tick the Pay contractor on Payroll checkbox to enable payroll sync.
   • Pay Schedule — Select the pay frequency.
   • Timesheets — Select if applicable.
   • Primary Pay Category — Select the pay category.
   • Hourly Rate — Enter the hourly rate (hourly is the only supported rate type).
   • Standard hours per day — Specify standard working hours.
5. Click the Tax Details tab *NEW* and complete:
   • Tax File Number (Optional)
   • Tax Calculation (Required)
   • Registered for GST — Check if applicable
6. Click the Payment Details tab and complete:
   • Account Name
   • BSB Number
   • Account Number
7. Resolve any outstanding data synchronisation warning details that display on the profile dashboard to trigger an automated baseline sync. A red triangle indicator indicates sync errors requiring attention.

System behaviour depends heavily on exact field validation and data matching parameters between separate nodes. The following rules govern contractor sync functionality:

Country & Regional Eligibility

• Australia Only: The system uses the Country field to determine payroll sync eligibility. Only independent contractors set to Australia will sync to EH Payroll AU. Contractors in other regions cannot be synced at this time.

One-Way Synchronisation

• HR to Payroll Direction: Data synchronisation is unidirectional. Updates made in the HR contractor profile push to the payroll platform. Changes do not sync back from Payroll to HR. Importing contractors created directly in Payroll into HR is not supported at this time.

Draft Status & Email Notifications

• Draft Restrictions: Adding a contractor profile manually triggers an automated welcome invitation message directly to the contractor's email account. To maintain a draft or pending status without sending an email notification, click Issue Contract during onboarding, then exit the screen to hold the file. You must complete the document processing actions before fully activating the contractor later.

Pay Rate Configuration

• Hourly Rate Only: Hourly rate is the only supported payment calculation configuration at this time. Salary (per annum) and daily rates are not supported. Enter the hourly rate in the Hourly Rate field and specify Standard hours per day.

Tax & Superannuation

• Tax Details Capture: The Tax Details tab allows you to record:
  • Tax File Number (optional)
  • Tax Calculation method (required)
  • Registered for GST status (checkbox)
• Superannuation Exclusion: The HR platform does not include system fields to capture superannuation contribution data. For independent contractors requiring superannuation management, you must record these parameters directly in EH Payroll AU after the contractor profile syncs. Superannuation details entered on the Payroll side will not sync back to HR.

Leave & Timesheet Data

• No Sync Support: Leave tracking and timesheet input parameters recorded in the HR platform do not sync to the payroll database. Manage contractor timesheets and leave directly within EH Payroll AU.

Address Validation

• Suburb & Postcode: The system does not currently validate the suburb and postcode pair for Australian addresses on the HR side. If an incorrect suburb/postcode combination is entered, the sync will fail and the payroll admin will be prompted to correct it directly in EH Payroll AU before the contractor can be processed for payment.

Duplicate File Prevention

• Matching Requirements: To link a contractor record with pre-existing payroll entries smoothly, the following six key fields must align exactly:
  • Tax File Number (TFN)
  • ABN
  • First Name
  • Last Name (Surname)
  • Date of Birth
  • Email
  Any variance in these fields will generate a duplicate file profile error in your payroll setup. If duplication errors occur, contact Employment Hero Support to resolve matching faults.

Permission Controls

• Admin & Owner Only: Viewing and editing the Pay Details, Tax Details, and Payment Details tabs is restricted to users with Admin or Owner access levels. Other user roles can view the Basic Information and Job Details sections only.

Sync Status & Error Monitoring

• Sync Status Indicator: The Independent Contractors list page now displays the payroll sync status for each contractor:
  • Synced: Contractor profile has been successfully pushed to Payroll.
  • Not Synced / Error: A red triangle indicator with an exclamation mark appears next to the contractor name if sync errors occur.
• Error Resolution: Click the contractor's name to view error details on their profile page, or navigate to Settings Integrations Payroll Integration Issue Dashboard and select the Independent Contractors tab to self-serve and resolve integration errors.
• Audit Trail: All changes made to a contractor's profile are logged in the Audit Trail report. Access this via Reports People Audit Trail to track who modified contractor details and when.