EPG Group Review
EPG Group is a global payroll and EOR services provider that formally integrated its entire service delivery onto the Xemplo HCM platform in April 2026. This platform migration represents the most significant product development in EPG's history — combining payroll processing, EOR management, and compliance into a unified enterprise-grade system.
Countries
Companies
Per Employee/Month
Setup Time
Provider Highlights
Advantages
- Published payroll pricing from AU$28/worker/month (AU$7/week) -- the most competitively priced and transparently published payroll rate in this audit series; EOR: per worker per month no setup fees; Xemplo HCM included at no additional cost; HR Assets add-on AU$7/month; HR Advisory add-on AU$200/hour; modular transparent pricing architecture
- Xemplo HCM platform (integrated 1 April 2026): mobile app + employee self-service (timesheets/leave/expenses/payslips) + VEVO automated visa expiry monitoring + compliance alerts + real-time dashboards; the most documented EOR technology stack of any Australia boutique; included free in all EOR and payroll service packages
- Coinbase, Meta, Ferrero (24-48 hour EOR onboarding documented), Grant Thornton, Sydney Water, WTA, EcoVadis, NursesNow as confirmed named clients; 1,000+ businesses; third-party review confirms "transparent pricing, flexible engagement, reliable service delivery"; G2 profile active
- Owned entities in Singapore, Philippines, Malaysia, Canada; AUG Germany (most demanding European EOR licence) planned; 482 visa sponsorship + VEVO automated expiry monitoring (unique capability in this series); Xero/JobAdder integrations; dedicated payroll resource per client; quarterly insights and strategic advisory included
Limitations
- EOR starting rate not published (only "per worker per month, no setup fees" confirmed); buyers cannot self-qualify EOR budget without a discovery call
- Third-party review (Employsome) acknowledges "some limitations in software depth and global scalability compared to larger, platform-first EORs" -- verify in-country depth for any complex markets outside SG/PH/MY/CA/AU owned entities
- LinkedIn 995 followers -- the most striking brand-visibility-to-client-quality gap in this series for a firm with Coinbase/Meta/Ferrero/WTA as clients
- New CEO Caleb (April 2026 appointment) + full Xemplo platform integration + EMEA expansion = three simultaneous structural changes; ask specifically how the April 2026 Xemplo data migration affected existing clients
Platform Features & Capabilities
Xemplo HCM and VEVO -- The Technology Stack That No Other Australia EOR Boutique Provides
Xemplo is EPG Group's proprietary HCM (Human Capital Management) platform, developed specifically for the managed payroll and EOR service model that EPG delivers. Following the 1 April 2026 full integration of EPG Payroll & HR into Xemplo, every EPG client's payroll, EOR compliance, visa management, and HR policy now runs through a single unified data model. The feature set is specific and commercially meaningful: the employee self-service portal allows payslip retrieval (immediate access without HR team distribution), leave application (replacing email-chain approvals), timesheet submission (for project billing and overtime management), and expense claims (digital submission and approval workflow). The mobile app delivers all four functions from any smartphone. The compliance alert system monitors employment contract renewal dates, document expiry, certification renewals, and licence monitoring -- proactive alerts rather than reactive compliance failure discovery. The VEVO (Visa Entitlement Verification Online) integration is the most commercially distinctive capability in this series: VEVO is Australia's immigration department's online system that employers can use to verify whether a worker has the right to work in Australia and under what conditions their visa allows work. EPG's Xemplo integration with VEVO creates automated real-time alerts when a visa-sponsored worker's entitlement is approaching expiry -- eliminating the most common illegal working liability in Australia's construction, healthcare, hospitality, and agriculture sectors, where inadvertent employment of workers with expired visa conditions is subject to civil penalties of up to AUD 93,900 per worker under the Migration Act 1958. No other boutique EOR in this audit series explicitly offers VEVO-automated compliance monitoring. The fact that Xemplo is included at no additional cost -- while global platforms charge separately for compliance dashboards (Deel's compliance hub, Remote's compliance monitoring) -- makes this the highest technology-to-price ratio EOR service in this database.
Fair Work Modern Awards and Payday Super -- Why Australia Payroll Requires a Specialist
Australia's payroll compliance framework is among the most administratively complex of any developed economy, and the two most common compliance failure points for international companies entering Australia are Modern Award interpretation and Superannuation obligations. The Fair Work Modern Awards are industry and occupation-specific pay rate frameworks administered by the Fair Work Commission -- there are 121 Modern Awards covering everything from the Retail Industry Award to the Aged Care Award to the Broadcasting and Recorded Entertainment Award. Each Award specifies minimum pay rates for different employee classifications, penalty rates for weekend/public holiday/shift work, overtime rules, allowances, and annual leave loading. A company employing an Aged Care worker in Queensland must apply the Aged Care Award's minimum rates and penalty rates -- not just the national minimum wage; paying at the national minimum wage when the Award specifies a higher rate creates a "wage theft" underpayment liability that Australia's Fair Work Ombudsman actively pursues. EPG's Australia payroll service manages Award compliance as part of the standard service -- confirming the applicable Award for each worker classification, applying correct penalty rates, and monitoring Fair Work Commission Annual Wage Review decisions that update Award rates each July 1. The July 2026 Payday Super change is the next critical Australia payroll compliance event: from 1 July 2026, superannuation contributions must be paid at the same time as wages (or within the same business day) rather than quarterly. This will require payroll systems to calculate and remit SGC contributions with every pay run -- a significant operational change that will cause compliance failures for companies relying on manual quarterly SGC processes. EPG's Xemplo platform is confirmed as "Payday Super ready" -- a critical compliance capability confirmation that buyers should explicitly verify with any Australia payroll provider they are evaluating.
The AUG Germany Licence -- The Most Demanding EOR Regulatory Credential in Europe
EPG Group's planned acquisition of an AUG (Arbeitnehmeruberlassungsgesetz) licence for Germany is the most commercially extraordinary regulatory investment of any boutique in this audit series. The AUG is Germany's Temporary Employment Act, administered by the Federal Employment Agency (Bundesagentur fur Arbeit). The AUG licence is required for any company providing temporary workers (Leiharbeitnehmer) in Germany -- including EOR providers whose workers are deployed to client companies. The AUG licence requirements are among the strictest in Europe: the applicant entity must be a registered German company with a German business address; the management team must demonstrate professional reliability (Zuverlassigkeit) including no insolvency, no criminal convictions, compliance track record; the company must pay AUG minimum wages (currently EUR 13.50/hour minimum for all Leiharbeitnehmer); after 9 months at one client site, equal pay provisions (Gleichstellungsgrundsatz) require the temporary worker to receive the same remuneration as comparable permanent staff at the client; after 18 months, the maximum assignment duration is reached and the worker must either become permanent or leave that client; the AUG licence must be renewed annually with full documentation of all active Leiharbeitnehmer placements. An Australia-headquartered boutique pursuing an AUG licence -- navigating German Bundesagentur requirements, establishing a German legal entity, and committing to the annual renewal and reporting obligations -- signals a level of European compliance seriousness that no other boutique in this audit series has demonstrated. The AUG licence is the most demanding EOR operational credential in Europe and is structurally more rigorous than Spain's employment agency registration, Netherlands' NEN 4400 norm, or France's portage salarial framework. When the Germany AUG licence is confirmed, EPG's European expansion will have the most credible possible regulatory foundation for the continent's most compliance-intensive EOR market.
What Users say
Seven Named-Individual Testimonials Across Seven Industries -- The Most Diverse EOR Testimonial Portfolio in This Audit
EPG Group has seven confirmed testimonials where both the individual's full name and their title at a named employer are provided: Michael Larkins (President, Suna Solutions -- healthcare and community services staffing); Grant Pericleous (CEO, NursesNow -- nursing agency); Louise Murphy (HR Business Partner, Ferrero Australia -- global confectionery MNC); Lori Hart (WTA -- Women's Tennis Association, global sports organisation); Fiona Macfarlane (Human Resources, Intercruises -- global cruise staffing and ground operations); Saqib Fayyaz (Manager, Circle CVI); and Grace Ng (HR Manager, EcoVadis -- global ESG rating platform). The industry diversity across these seven testimonials -- healthcare/community services, nursing, FMCG, global sports, cruise logistics, corporate services, and ESG technology -- confirms that EPG's service quality translates across sector boundaries, a signal no other Australia-headquartered boutique in this database provides at equivalent testimonial depth. The "never thought I'd be looking forward to doing payroll" quote from Fiona Macfarlane (Intercruises) is the most commercially resonant technology testimonial in this series: it confirms that the Xemplo portal converted a previously dreaded administrative task into a genuinely user-friendly experience -- the strongest possible product-led growth signal for a payroll technology platform. The WTA (Women's Tennis Association) as a named testimonial client is particularly distinctive: the WTA is a global sports organisation managing tournament payroll across multiple countries and currencies -- a complex multi-jurisdiction payroll use case that validates EPG's multi-country capability beyond the Australia domestic market.
The Employsome Third-Party Review -- The Most Specific External Assessment of EPG in This Series
The Employsome third-party review provides the most specific external quality assessment available: "EPG demonstrates solid overall EOR performance, driven by transparent pricing, flexible engagement terms, and reliable service delivery. Particularly strong in Australia and New Zealand, while showing some limitations in software depth and global scalability compared to larger, platform-first EORs. Great choice for businesses hiring in Australia or New Zealand locally -- very skilled when it comes to getting work permits and sponsorships." The "particularly strong in Australia/NZ" assessment directly validates the use case for 80%+ of EPG's likely buyer audience. The "limitations in software depth and global scalability" assessment was written before the 1 April 2026 Xemplo full integration -- the April 2026 platform unification directly addresses the software depth concern. The "great choice for businesses hiring in Australia or NZ -- very skilled at work permits and sponsorships" assessment is the most commercially specific positive statement in the review and directly validates the 482 visa + VEVO combination that distinguishes EPG from all other boutiques in this series. For Compareor buyers evaluating EPG, this external assessment is the most credible available quality signal beyond self-published testimonials -- more rigorous than a G2 review (which may not assess Australia-specific compliance capability) and more directly operationally relevant than a general "we loved working with EPG" endorsement.
OUR TAKE
Is EPG Group the Right Australia EOR and Payroll Partner for You?
EPG Group earns the Australia and ANZ EOR, payroll outsourcing, and global workforce solutions market leader recommendation for Australian businesses, staffing agencies, healthcare operators, QSR brands, technology companies, and international businesses entering Australia/ANZ who need the most technology-integrated (Xemplo HCM: mobile app + VEVO + self-service + compliance alerts, included free), pricing-transparent (AU$28/month payroll; no setup fees EOR), and institutionally validated (Coinbase, Meta, Ferrero, Grant Thornton, Sydney Water, WTA, Suna, NursesNow) managed payroll and EOR provider. Pre-engagement checklist: request the EOR per-worker-per-month rate for your specific countries; confirm the April 2026 Xemplo integration impact on existing clients; request a Xemplo platform demo (mobile app + payslip self-service + VEVO visa monitoring); ask for 482 visa sponsorship timeline and fees; confirm Payday Super readiness (effective July 2026); verify HR Advisory add-on scope (AU$200/hour vs included in EOR package); request 2-3 references from comparable-sector clients; confirm AUG Germany licence activation date; and ask about custom integration cost and timeline for any HRIS connection.
Best For
Australia EOR Payroll Au28 Xemplo Free No Setup
Companies needing Australian EOR and payroll from AU$28/month with free Xemplo HCM.
Fair Work Modern Award SGC Payday Super Australia
Businesses ensuring Fair Work, Modern Award, SGC, and PayDay Super compliance in Australia.
Coinbase Meta Ferrero Grade Australia EOR
Enterprise companies at Coinbase, Meta, and Ferrero operational grade in Australia.
VEVO 482 Visa Automated Expiry Monitoring Australia
Companies automating VEVO 482 visa expiry monitoring for Australian employees.
ALTERNATIVES
How it compares
EPG Group vs CMS Asia (for Australia + APAC payroll and EOR)
CMS Asia covers Hong Kong/Singapore/China/Australia direct (150+ countries via network) with 30+ years founding director experience, HK+SG+AU offices, MPF/CPF/SGC compliance, and contractor outservicing. EPG Group covers Australia primary + Singapore/Philippines/Malaysia/Canada (owned entities) + 34+ EOR countries with published AU$28/month payroll, Xemplo HCM (mobile app + VEVO + self-service; free), no setup fees EOR, Coinbase/Meta/Ferrero/WTA clients, 24-hour onboarding (Ferrero), 482 visa, and Payday Super readiness. CMS Asia wins on Hong Kong MPF expertise (30+ year founding team predating MPF introduction), contractor outservicing model (6-year client retention), and Greater China primary coverage (no equivalent in EPG's confirmed footprint). EPG wins on published pricing transparency (AU$28/month vs CMS Asia zero published), Xemplo technology (mobile app + VEVO + self-service -- CMS Asia has no confirmed platform), Australia payroll depth (Fair Work/Modern Awards/SGC/Payday Super; Coinbase/Meta/Ferrero grade clients vs CMS Asia's anonymous testimonials), 482 visa + VEVO automated monitoring, and AUG Germany planned expansion. For Hong Kong MPF + Greater China payroll outsourcing, CMS Asia (contingent on website restoration). For Australia-primary EOR + payroll with Xemplo technology and Coinbase/Meta grade compliance, EPG Group.
From AU$28/Month Payroll (Published) -- EOR Per Worker Per Month No Setup Fees (Rate on Request); Xemplo Technology Included Free; HR Advisory AU$200/Hour
<p id=""><strong id="">Published pricing (epggroup.com/pricing-aud/):</strong><br id="">Payroll Processing: from AU$7/worker/week | AU$14/worker/fortnight | AU$28/worker/month<br id="">Includes: managed payroll processing, gross-to-net calculations, payslip distribution, legally endorsed compliance resources, basic digital onboarding and worker data management<br id="">HR Assets add-on: from AU$7/worker/month (policies, checklists, workflows)<br id="">HR Advisory add-on: from AU$200/hour (Fair Work, award queries, employee issues, contracts)<br id="">EOR: per worker per month -- no setup fees or surprises; Xemplo technology included at no additional cost<br id="">AOR (contractors): contact for rate<br id="">Visa Processing: contact for rate<br id="">Multi-country payroll: contact for rate<br id="">Custom integrations: contact for rate (one-off implementation fee)<br id="">Note: AU$28/month at current AUD/USD rate is approximately USD 18/month -- the most competitively priced published payroll rate of any boutique in this audit series.</p><p id=""><strong id="">Australia mandatory employer statutory costs (separate from EPG service fee):</strong><br id="">Superannuation Guarantee Charge (SGC): employer 11.5% of ordinary time earnings (2024/25); rising to 12% from 1 July 2025; paid quarterly to employee's nominated superannuation fund<br id="">PAYDAY SUPER from 1 July 2026: superannuation contributions must align with each payroll cycle (critical compliance change -- confirm EPG's Payday Super readiness before any payroll engagement starting in 2026)<br id="">PAYG withholding: employer withholds quarterly and remits to ATO<br id="">Payroll tax: state-specific threshold-based levy -- NSW 5.45% (threshold AUD 1.2M); VIC 4.85% (AUD 700K); QLD 4.75% (AUD 1.3M); other states vary<br id="">Single Touch Payroll Phase 2 (STP2): real-time ATO payroll reporting each pay run<br id="">Fair Work Modern Award compliance: minimum pay rates and penalty rates per applicable Award (retail, hospitality, aged care, nursing, construction etc.)<br id="">Annual leave: 4 weeks; personal/carer's leave: 10 days; parental leave: 18 weeks paid; long service leave: state-specific<br id="">Singapore (owned entity): CPF employer 17%; SDL 0.25%; WICA<br id="">Philippines (owned entity): SSS employer approximately 9.5%; PhilHealth 2%; Pag-IBIG 2%<br id="">Malaysia (owned entity): EPF employer 13%/12%; SOCSO 1.75%; EIS 0.4%<br id="">Canada (owned entity): CPP employer 5.95%; EI employer 1.4x employee rate (2.66%); provincial payroll taxes vary</p>
Pricing Breakdown
Base Monthly Fee (Per employee, per month)
Setup Fee (One-time, varies by country)
Termination Fee (Covers statutory costs)
Volume Discounts (Available for 10+ employees)
Countries where it operates
Latest news & updates
1 April 2026 -- Full Xemplo HCM Integration; Group Services Unified
EPG Group formally integrated EPG Payroll & HR into the Xemplo platform effective 1 April 2026, marking the most significant product development in the firm's history. Every EPG payroll client now runs on the unified Xemplo data model covering payroll processing, EOR compliance, visa management (including VEVO automated monitoring), and HR policy under a single platform. Xemplo remains included at no additional cost. Buyers who engaged EPG before April 2026 should confirm how the data migration was managed for their payroll data and whether any service configurations changed during integration.
1 July 2026 -- Payday Super: Australia SGC Contributions Must Align with Payroll Cycles
Australia's Payday Super legislation requires superannuation guarantee contributions to be paid at the same time as wages from 1 July 2026, replacing the current quarterly payment model. This is the most operationally significant Australia payroll compliance change since STP Phase 2. EPG Group confirms Payday Super readiness in its compliance communications. Any company using an Australia payroll provider that has NOT updated its SGC processes for Payday Super by 1 July 2026 faces ATO penalties. Confirm Payday Super readiness with any Australia payroll provider before any engagement commencing after June 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Questions about the EOR Provider.
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What is Payroll Parking at EPG and how does it compare to full EOR?
EPG Group offers two related but distinct service models for companies that want to employ workers in Australia without managing employment administration themselves. Payroll Processing (AU$28/worker/month) is pure payroll outsourcing: the worker is employed directly by the client company (the client is the legal employer), but EPG manages all payroll processing, gross-to-net calculation, payslip distribution, SGC contributions, PAYG withholding, STP2 reporting, Fair Work Award compliance, and payslip distribution through the Xemplo platform. This model suits companies that have already established an Australian entity and want to outsource payroll administration without changing the employment relationship. EOR (Employer of Record, priced per worker per month with no setup fees) is the full employer arrangement: EPG Group becomes the legal employer in Australia; the client company directs the worker's day-to-day activities; EPG manages all employment compliance (Fair Work Act, Modern Award, SGC, PAYG, STP2, WICA, leave entitlements, employment contracts, termination procedures); the worker receives an EPG employment contract; and EPG invoices the client for the total employment cost. EOR is appropriate for companies that have not established an Australian entity, want to test the Australian market before committing to entity establishment, or want to remove employer liability and compliance management from their operations entirely. The Xemplo platform is included in both service models at no additional cost -- workers on both payroll outsourcing and EOR access the same mobile app and self-service portal for payslips, leave, timesheets, and compliance documents.
What is the 482 visa and how does EPG Group manage it for EOR clients?
The Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) visa, subclass 482, is Australia's primary skilled worker visa allowing employers to sponsor overseas workers in nominated occupations for up to 4 years (Standard stream) or up to 5 years (Labour Agreement stream). EPG Group manages 482 visa applications as part of its Visa Processing service. Key employer obligations: the sponsoring employer (EPG Group as EOR, or the client company) must be an approved Standard Business Sponsor (SBS) or operate under a Labour Agreement; the nominated occupation must be on the Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL) for the 4-year stream or the Short-term Skilled Occupation List (STSOL) for the 2-year stream; the employee must meet the minimum salary threshold (currently AUD 70,000 plus superannuation as of 2024); the employer must pay market salary rate (equivalent to what an Australian worker would receive); and the employer must meet training benchmarks. The VEVO (Visa Entitlement Verification Online) integration in Xemplo provides real-time monitoring of each 482 visa holder's work entitlement status and automatically alerts the employer and EPG's compliance team when a visa is approaching expiry, enabling renewal initiation with sufficient lead time to avoid any lapse in work entitlement. For companies employing 10+ visa-sponsored workers in Australia (a common pattern in healthcare, construction, and technology), manual VEVO checking is administratively burdensome; EPG's automated VEVO monitoring in Xemplo eliminates this burden and the compliance risk of inadvertent illegal working under the Migration Act.
What are Australia's Fair Work Modern Awards and how does EPG manage Award compliance?
Australia's Modern Awards are legally binding pay rate frameworks administered by the Fair Work Commission. There are 121 Modern Awards covering different industries and occupations, each specifying minimum base pay rates for different employment classifications, penalty rates for weekend/evening/shift/public holiday work, overtime provisions, expense allowances, and annual leave loading. The complexity: the correct Award for a given worker depends on their industry AND occupation classification -- a payroll officer working for a construction company may be covered by the Clerks-Private Sector Award rather than the Building and Construction General On-site Award; a chef working in a hospital kitchen may be covered by the Hospitality Industry (General) Award rather than the Health Professionals Award. Misclassifying an Award (paying at the wrong minimum rate) creates an underpayment liability under the Fair Work Act that the Fair Work Ombudsman actively pursues through audits, complaints, and -- for repeated or serious underpayments -- civil prosecution. The Wage Theft provisions (effective January 2025) make intentional underpayment a criminal offence with penalties of up to AUD 7.825 million for companies. EPG's payroll service manages Award compliance by: identifying the applicable Modern Award for each worker based on their industry and occupation classification; applying current pay rates (updated each 1 July by the Fair Work Commission's Annual Wage Review); calculating penalty rates correctly for each applicable shift/weekend/public holiday combination; and providing legally endorsed compliance resources through Xemplo. For international companies entering Australia without prior Fair Work experience, EPG's Award compliance management is the single most valuable compliance capability in the Australia payroll outsourcing service -- Award underpayment is Australia's most common and most publicised payroll compliance failure.
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Switching to or from EPG Group?
Switching to EPG Group for Australia EOR or Payroll
Contact via epggroup.com or LinkedIn (EPG Group). Request: EOR per-worker-per-month rate for your specific countries; Xemplo platform demo (mobile app + VEVO + self-service portal); 482 visa sponsorship timeline and government fees; confirmation that Payday Super is configured for your payroll cycle (effective 1 July 2026); the applicable Modern Award for your worker classifications; implementation timeline (typically 4-8 weeks; can be expedited); and 2-3 references from comparable-sector clients. Confirm whether Xero or JobAdder integrations are required and whether custom integration applies.
Switching away from EPG Group
When transitioning away from EPG Group, request: Xemplo data export (payroll records, timesheet history, leave balances, compliance documents per worker); SGC superannuation contribution records per employee and fund (employee superannuation accounts are portable -- new employer nominates to the same fund or employee's default); PAYG withholding records (annual ATO reconciliation); STP2 finalisation events (must be submitted to ATO before transitioning payroll system); Fair Work Act employment contract copies; leave balance records (annual leave accrued; personal leave; long service leave if applicable per state); VEVO records per visa-sponsored worker (new employer must independently register as a Standard Business Sponsor if sponsoring 482 visa workers); 482 visa copies per sponsored worker (new sponsoring entity must apply for change of sponsor); and IR8A/IR56B equivalent annual withholding documentation for Singapore/Malaysia entities if applicable. Allow 4-8 weeks for STP2 finalisation and ATO reconciliation completion before full system transition.
Questions to ask before switching any Australia EOR or payroll provider
Before switching, confirm: Does the new provider's payroll system manage Fair Work Modern Award compliance -- specifically identifying the applicable Award for your worker classifications and applying correct penalty rates? Is the new provider's superannuation management updated for Payday Super (effective 1 July 2026 -- contributions must align with each payroll cycle)? Does the new provider offer VEVO automated monitoring for visa-sponsored workers? Does the new provider's platform include employee self-service (payslips, leave, timesheets) and a mobile app at no additional SaaS subscription cost? Is the new provider STP Phase 2 compliant for real-time ATO reporting? Does the new provider manage 482 visa sponsorship renewals as part of the EOR service?
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