Free Accounting and Payroll Together: What Small Australian Businesses Need to Know
Choose Accounting Free and Payroll Free separately, understand the monthly payroll allowance and check which work still needs a paid plan or payment service.
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Choose the modules you need
A business can need invoicing and bank reconciliation without employing anyone. Another business may need payroll without moving its accounting records. Ledra offers Accounting Free and Payroll Free as separate choices. You can use both for the same organisation, but selecting one does not automatically enable the other.
Accounting Free is an ongoing $0 plan. It includes invoices, quotes, bills, bank reconciliation and GST tracking. Its inventory and asset allowances are limited, and broader reporting and recurring workflows depend on the selected plan. Check the live inclusions on the Accounting Free page.
Check the payroll allowance
Payroll Free supports one employee and one successfully posted pay run per Australia/Sydney calendar month, including STP Phase 2 reporting. Drafts and STP retries do not consume another posting allowance. Voiding a posted run does not restore it.
That allowance may fit one employee on an appropriate monthly pay cycle. It does not fit weekly or fortnightly payroll. Your applicable award or agreement can set the pay frequency; a plan limit does not change those obligations. See Payroll Free limits and workflow before choosing.
A small-business example
Example: a design business invoices customers and has one employee whose employment arrangements permit monthly pay. It selects both free modules. During the month, the owner records supplier bills and reconciles imported bank transactions. For payroll, they review the employee details and calculations, post the monthly run and follow the STP response. They arrange the actual payments separately.
If a second employee joins or the business needs another posted run that month, the payroll capacity needs reviewing. Accounting usage and payroll capacity are separate checks.
What the free plans do not promise
Bank reconciliation works with imported transactions. Automated bank feeds remain marked launching soon in the public catalogue. GST tracking and BAS preparation do not mean a BAS has been lodged. Payroll calculations, payslips and STP reports do not prove wages or super have been paid.
Paid introductory offers are separate from ongoing free plans. Compare both the introductory period and standard ongoing charges on Plans & Pricing if you need more capacity.
For employment guidance, read Fair Work's frequency of pay guidance. For reporting guidance, see the ATO's Single Touch Payroll information. This guide explains product choices and is not advice about your business's tax or employment obligations.