--- title: "Hiring in Australia as a startup: super, awards and offers" description: "How a foreign startup hires in Australia: entity, EOR or contractor, super paid on top of salary, modern awards, and offers Sydney candidates trust." image: https://funded.club/hubfs/og_image_funded.png --- [![Primary\_logo](https://funded.club/hubfs/Primary_logo.svg)](https://funded.club/) [Book a call](https://funded.club/contact-us) - [Hire](https://funded.club) - [Pricing](https://funded.club/pricing) - [Find a job](https://funded.club/startupjobs) - [Case Studies](https://funded.club/case-studies) - [Locally](https://funded.club/case-studies/locally) - [Supernova](https://funded.club/case-studies/supernova) - [Isolocity](https://funded.club/case-studies/isolocity) - [WeTravel](https://funded.club/case-studies/wetravel) - [Digital Science](https://funded.club/case-studies/digital-science) - [Blog](https://funded.club/blog-results) - [Resources](https://funded.club/resources) - [Predict success](https://signup.predict.ventures/) - [Growth Planner](https://funded.club/growth-planner) - [Glossary](https://funded.club/glossary) - [FAQ](https://funded.club/faq) - [Contact us](https://funded.club/contact-us) [Book a call](https://funded.club/contact-us) - Engagement options: - [Hiring solutions](https://funded.club) - [Pay-as-you-go](https://funded.club/pricing) - Membership plan # Hiring in Australia as a startup: super, awards and offers [Ray Gibson](https://funded.club/blog/author/ray-gibson) Nov 9, 2026, 10:34:59 PM *Updated November 2026* To hire employees in Australia as a foreign startup, you can register an Australian company and run payroll, employ through an employer of record (EOR) provider, or engage a contractor for defined work. Employees are covered by the Fair Work system, many roles fall under a modern award, and the employer pays superannuation into the employee's fund on top of salary. Australian candidates read offers as base salary plus super, so write yours that way. What catches US and UK founders out is the offer conversation. A single package figure that looks generous in San Francisco can read as a pay cut in Sydney once the candidate works out how much of it is super, and a role serving customers many time zones away adds a second thing to get right. ## How super and awards change the offer Superannuation is Australia's compulsory retirement savings system. Employers contribute a percentage of ordinary earnings, set by law and adjusted over time, to a fund the employee usually chooses. Australians talk about pay as "salary plus super" or "package including super", and they notice which you wrote. Modern awards set minimum pay and conditions for many industries and occupations, alongside the National Employment Standards that apply to nearly all employees. Coverage depends on the work rather than the job title, and some senior or highly paid roles fall outside an award, so check before assuming the contract alone sets the terms. New employees must also receive the Fair Work Information Statement. HOW A US-STYLE OFFER IS WRITTEN - One total compensation number - Retirement contributions folded into benefits - Terms mostly set by the contract - Start date assumed to be soon after acceptance HOW A SYDNEY CANDIDATE READS IT - "Is that base plus super, or including super?" - Super is an employer contribution on top, by law - Minimums can come from an award and the NES - Notice to the current employer comes first State the base salary, say that super is paid on top, and list anything else separately. Our guide to [job offers that get accepted](https://funded.club/blog/how-to-make-job-offers-that-get-accepted) covers the rest of the offer. ## Entity, EOR or contractor in Australia Your own Australian proprietary company, registered with ASIC, means registering for PAYG withholding, reporting payroll to the ATO through Single Touch Payroll, paying super and holding workers' compensation insurance, which each state and territory runs. Founders rarely expect that a proprietary company needs at least one director who ordinarily lives in Australia, and for a single hire that alone often makes an EOR the practical start. An EOR becomes the legal employer and handles the contract, payroll, super and award compliance, while you direct the work. Contractors suit defined projects, but Australia prohibits sham contracting, where employment is dressed up as a contract, and the test looks at the real working relationship rather than the label. Super can also be owed for some contractors paid mainly for their labour. These rules change and depend on your circumstances, so confirm your plan with an Australian employment lawyer, an accountant or your EOR provider before the offer goes out. ## The time-zone shape of an APAC role A first Sydney hire often covers Australia, New Zealand and parts of Asia while reporting to the other side of the world. Sydney's morning overlaps with the previous afternoon on the US West Coast, the US East Coast gets a thinner slice, and London's overlap falls in Sydney's evening. Daylight saving runs in opposite directions in the two hemispheres, so the overlap shifts during the year. Where a Sydney working day meets head office Sydney morning Sydney afternoon Sydney evening US West Coast US East Coast London Shaded: rough overlap with head office business hours. Indicative only, and it moves with daylight saving. Decide before you hire which meetings the person must join outside normal hours, and say so in the job description and first interview. Sydney candidates who have worked for overseas companies will ask, and a vague answer sounds like every call at night. ## Worked example: a first APAC customer success lead in Sydney Illustrative. A UK Series A software company has a growing base of Australian customers handled from London overnight. Tom, the COO, wants a Sydney customer success lead to own them. Tom ruled out a contractor, since an ongoing role managing accounts under his direction would look like employment. The resident director requirement and a single planned hire pointed to an EOR, and he asked it to confirm whether an award covered the role before drafting anything. TOM'S PRE-OFFER CHECKLIST 1. Award coverage confirmed by the EOR 2. Offer rewritten as base salary plus super 3. One fixed weekly call with London, the rest asynchronous 4. Accountant checked how options are taxed under Australian employee share scheme rules 5. Start date set after the candidate's notice period The first draft offer came from the London template with one package figure, and the shortlisted candidate asked at once whether it included super. Rewriting it as base plus super kept the conversation on the role, and she accepted the weekly evening call because the rest of the week was hers to run. She worked her notice and started owning APAC renewals in her own time zone. Tom will revisit an Australian entity once the team grows. ## Where Funded.club fits We are a fixed-fee recruiting partner for funded startups across North America, Europe and APAC, with a fully remote team of recruiters, and since 2019 we've helped 500+ startups from Seed to Series D. We run the search, and your EOR or Australian entity handles the employment. Our [Sydney recruiting guide](https://funded.club/blog/startup-recruiter-sydney) covers the talent pool. One dedicated recruiter runs each search end to end, with first screened candidates within 7 days and 33 days on average from kick-off to hire. Our fixed fee averages 6 to 9% of salary, against the 20 to 25% typical of contingency recruiters. If Tom's role sat in our up to $150,000 band, the fee would be $11,500, agreed upfront. Part is an advance at the start, the balance on offer acceptance, and if we don't deliver a shortlist of at least 3 qualified candidates within 30 days, you can claim the advance back in full. See [pricing](https://funded.club/pricing). ## Frequently asked questions ### Do I need an Australian company to hire employees in Australia? No. A foreign startup can employ people in Australia through an employer of record (EOR) provider, which becomes the legal employer. Your own company makes more sense as the team grows, and it needs at least one director who ordinarily lives in Australia. ### Is superannuation included in salary in Australia? Super is an employer contribution paid into the employee's fund on top of wages. Offers can be written as salary plus super or as a package including super, so say which, because candidates compare base salaries. ### What is a modern award in Australia? A modern award sets minimum pay and conditions for particular industries or occupations under the Fair Work system. Coverage depends on the work rather than the title, so check before you write the offer. ### Can a startup hire a contractor in Australia instead of an employee? Yes, for independent, defined work. Sham contracting is prohibited and the test looks at the real working relationship, and super can be owed for some contractors paid mainly for their labour. Worth a brief chat about your next hire? [Book a free call](https://funded.club/contact-us). ## Hiring after a funding round? First candidates in 7 days. Fixed-fee, no commission. [See pricing](https://funded.club/pricing) [Book a free call](https://funded.club/contact-us) [Try the Growth Planner](https://funded.club/growth-planner) [![Primary\_logo](https://funded.club/hubfs/funded-images2022/Primary_logo.svg)](https://funded.club) © 2019-2026 Funded.club B.V. All Rights Reserved. Chamber of Commerce: 63083809    VAT (BTW): NL855084844B01 ## Contact Us - [Hiring service](https://funded.club) - [Pricing - Recruiting projects](https://funded.club/pricing) - [Find a job](https://funded.club/startupjobs) - [Our team](https://funded.club/fundedteam) - [Blog](https://funded.club/blog) - [Case studies](https://funded.club/case-studies) - [Startup resources](https://funded.club/resources) - [FAQ](https://funded.club/faq) - [Contact Us](https://funded.club/contact-us) ## Follow Us © 2019-2026 All rights reserved. - [Privacy Policy](https://www.iubenda.com/privacy-policy/56133290) - [Cookie policies](https://www.iubenda.com/privacy-policy/56133290/cookie-policy) - [Terms of Use](https://funded.club/terms) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@id" : "https://funded.club/#ray-gibson" }, "dateModified" : "2026-11-09", "datePublished" : "2026-11-09", "headline" : "Hiring in Australia as a startup: super, awards and offers", "image" : [ "" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://funded.club/blog/hiring-employees-in-australia", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@id" : "https://funded.club/#organization" } } ``` ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@id" : "https://funded.club/#organization", "@type" : "Organization", "areaServed" : [ "North America", "Europe", "Asia-Pacific" ], "description" : "Fixed-fee recruiting partner for funded startups and fast-growing teams across North America, Europe and APAC. 500+ startups helped since 2019. 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