As a core operational responsibility of the modern finance function, Payroll is included as a key category within the "Operations" pillar of CFO Techstack's App Map 2.0.
Payroll is where finance, compliance and people operations collide, and where regulation changes can create real operational risk.
This category covers the apps that automate payroll processing, maintain compliance, and keep payroll data flowing cleanly into Xero.
To help identify the best apps, State of the Stack 2026 provides the following:
- Featured App: The app with the highest number of appearances in our How I Stacked It case study series.
- Notable Mentions: Other high-performing apps frequently cited by our community.
Featured App: Employment Hero
In this Payroll category we’re delighted to recognise Employment Hero as our Featured App, appearing in 10 How I Stacked Its to date.
Employment Hero's consistent presence across real finance leader tech stacks is a strong signal of the role they’re playing in helping teams manage compliance, payslips and reporting across regions as they scale, with Xero + Mayday at the core.
Below, Employment Hero shares how they’re enabling finance teams to automate payroll processing and ensure compliance:
"As finance and accounting teams navigate an increasingly complex regulatory landscape, Employment Hero remains mission-focused to make employment easier and more valuable for everyone. This is supported by the ongoing partnership between Employment Hero and Xero, as it continues to deliver clarity, confidence, and efficiency.
Our world-first Employment Operating System (EOS), which integrates HR, payroll and more, reduces manual administration, eliminates double-handling and gives finance leaders access to real-time people and payroll data. With seamless syncing between platforms, teams can trust that employee details, pay runs, super contributions and leave records are accurate, compliant and always up to date, freeing them to focus on strategy, not paperwork.
This support matters more than ever as we head into 2026. Major reforms, including the introduction of Payday Super from 1 July 2026, will require employers to pay super at the same time as wages, dramatically tightening payroll cycles and cash-flow demands. Combined with new parental-leave protections and evolving HR compliance requirements, businesses need systems that can adapt quickly and simplify complexity.
Employment Hero’s all-in-one EOS ensures that HR, payroll and policy compliance work together seamlessly, while Xero’s powerful accounting engine keeps the financial picture clear."
We’re also pleased to recognise Pento and Deel as notable mentions, featured in 5 and 2 tech stacks, respectively.
Modern finance teams can leverage these Payroll apps to efficiently calculate and process employee pay, taxes and statutory deductions, as well as handle compliance and reporting.
This article is an extract from CFO Techstack's State of the Stack 2026.
Read the full report by downloading it here.
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