Simplifying SCHADS compliance: How Employment Hero delivered confidence for Children by Choice

About the business

Children by Choice is a Queensland-based not-for-profit providing counselling, education and advocacy across reproductive health. Following significant government funding, the organisation expanded from 8 to over 25 employees, bringing new payroll complexity under the SCHADS Award and increased reporting obligations tied to government funding and donor transparency.

The challenge

Before Employment Hero, timesheets were processed through Employment Hero HR and pay runs completed in Xero. As the organisation grew, payroll became increasingly complex, with varying roles, allowances, and travel conditions to manage.

“Because the SCHADS Award is so complex, much of that knowledge sat with me,” said Finance Officer, Bonnie Poler. 

Although accuracy was carefully maintained through manual checks and spreadsheets, the process relied heavily on Bonnie’s expertise, leaving limited backup and creating potential risk exposure.

The solution

Employment Hero unified HR and payroll into a single platform, helping automate complex calculations and improve visibility across the team.

“Once timesheets are imported correctly, the Employment Hero platform does a lot of the thinking for you. Now I check that it’s doing what I expect, rather than relying entirely on my own calculations.”

The system has also improved transparency for staff and streamlined previously manual entries with the Work App.

“Our staff can now clearly see what they’re getting paid and why, with the ability to lodge things like kilometres, on-call or remote work directly in the system.”

The ROI

• Significantly reduced compliance risk under SCHADS
• Improved visibility and transparency across payroll and HR
• Audit-ready digital records that support government and donor reporting
• Greater operational confidence and control across the organisation

Why it matters

For Children by Choice, payroll compliance is critical to maintaining credibility, donor confidence, and long-term sustainability.

“The biggest impact the platform has made is increased trust and compliance. We’ve gained peace of mind and confidence that employee files and documentation are right before it even hits payroll.”

Employment Hero has strengthened the organisation’s confidence in its systems, ensuring every dollar is reported accurately and ethically, protecting their funding, reputation and the people they support.