Last updated: 6 October 2026 · Independent buyer’s guide · We do not sell rankings or coverage.
The best ERP for a business with several branches or warehouses in Australia depends on how deep your warehouse processes go and how many states your staff work in. If you need native Australian payroll that reports payroll tax state by state, together with warehouse transfers and branch-level accounting, MYOB Acumatica covers the most ground in one product. If you run a central distribution centre that replenishes many branches and want RF scanning and distribution planning from an Australian vendor, Pronto Xi documents that model in detail. Oracle NetSuite suits groups that need location and subsidiary reporting across a growing network, but its WMS is a separately licensed module and it has no Australian payroll. Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central offers published AUD pricing and solid transfer orders, while Odoo and SAP Business One fit smaller networks with simpler needs. No single system is the right answer for every multi-site business.
Key takeaways
- Test inter-branch transfers with stock in transit during every demo, because this is where multi-site ERPs differ most in practice.
- Choose MYOB Acumatica if you want one product to handle warehouses, branch balancing and Australian payroll, including a payroll tax report by state.
- Shortlist Pronto Xi if a central warehouse feeds many branches and you need distribution requirements planning and RF scanning across sites.
- Budget for a third-party payroll product with NetSuite and Business Central, and confirm that it can split wages by state for payroll tax.
- Price NetSuite WMS as an add-on module, since an independent directory reports it is licensed on top of the core subscription and quoted separately.
- Choose Odoo’s Custom plan if you run more than one legal entity, because the Standard plan does not include multi-company.
Who this guide is for
This guide is written for operations directors, CFOs and IT leads at Australian businesses that hold stock or employ staff in more than one location. You might run a head office in Melbourne with branches in Sydney and Brisbane, a central warehouse in Western Sydney feeding regional depots, or a service business with trade counters across several states.
The angle here is the operational and finance work that comes with spreading a business across sites and states: moving stock between locations, running warehouses with scanners and bins, measuring each branch’s profit, and paying staff correctly in different states. If your main concern is retail EDI with supermarkets and department stores, read our guide to the best ERP for wholesale distribution in Australia. If you sell through stores and online channels, see our guide to ERP for ecommerce and retail in Australia. For a general, non-Australian view of multi-warehouse operations, see our multi-warehouse ERP strategy report.
What a multi-location business needs from an ERP
Inter-branch transfers and stock in transit
When stock leaves your Perth warehouse for a branch in Adelaide, it may be on a truck for several days. During that time it belongs to neither site, yet it still sits on your balance sheet. A capable ERP records the shipment and the receipt as separate steps, holds the goods in an in-transit location or account, and lets the receiving branch report shortages or damage. A one-step transfer suits movements inside one building but hides stock that is on the road.
Warehouse depth: bins, barcodes and RF
Larger sites need bin locations, directed put-away, pick lists by zone or wave, and handheld scanners that post transactions as staff work. Smaller branches may only need a stock count by location. You should decide which sites need full warehouse management and which only need simple stock records, because several vendors licence the deeper functions separately or require a different configuration for them.
Branch profit and loss
Every branch manager will eventually ask for their own profit and loss statement. You can achieve this in one of three ways: separate legal entities, branches inside one company, or reporting dimensions such as location or department. Settle the structure before configuration starts, because it affects how transfers and shared costs post. If you run several legal entities, our guide to multi-entity ERP in Australia covers consolidation in more depth.
Payroll across states: the part buyers underestimate
Hiring staff in several states adds obligations that a single-site business never faces. Payroll tax is a state and territory tax. According to business.gov.au, the state or territory where your workers are located collects the tax, and thresholds and rates vary between jurisdictions. The same page gives the 2025–26 monthly thresholds of $83,333 in Victoria and $125,000 in South Australia, and shows that an employer with staff in several states compares its total Australian wages against each threshold (business.gov.au, 5 August 2025). Your payroll system therefore needs to tag each employee’s wages to the correct state every pay run.
Staff who work across borders add a further complication. Revenue NSW sets out the nexus provisions that decide which state can tax wages for a given month, starting with the employee’s principal place of residence and then moving to the employer’s ABN address and other tests (Revenue NSW, 26 August 2024). A sales manager who lives in Queensland but spends most of the month in NSW branches is a common example, and your system should hold the residence state separately from the work location.
Leave and public holidays also differ by state. The Fair Work Ombudsman states that most employees’ long service leave entitlement comes from long service leave laws in each state or territory, and that public holidays can differ depending on the state or territory in which an employee works (Fair Work Ombudsman, no date shown; Fair Work Ombudsman, no date shown). Since 1 July 2026, Payday Super has required super to be paid with each pay run and to reach the fund within seven business days (ATO, 10 August 2026). Award interpretation for rosters across several sites is usually handled by a specialist time and attendance or payroll product, whichever ERP you choose.
How we evaluated
We reviewed six systems that Australian mid-market buyers commonly shortlist for multi-site operations: Oracle NetSuite, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, MYOB Acumatica, Pronto Xi, Odoo and SAP Business One. For each, we looked for vendor documentation on two-step transfers with stock in transit, bin and barcode or RF support, branch or location reporting, and Australian payroll that can report payroll tax by state. We checked every source on 6 October 2026 and show the date printed on each page, or “no date shown” where there is none. Where a vendor publishes nothing on a capability, we say so. We do not rank the systems.
The systems compared
MYOB Acumatica
MYOB Acumatica supports multiple warehouses, each with optional locations for bins (MYOB, no date shown). Its two-step transfer process issues stock from the source warehouse, records the cost in an in-transit account, and moves it into the destination warehouse when the receipt is processed (MYOB, no date shown). Barcode scanning on mobile devices is available for transfers, but MYOB’s own help notes that a scanned transfer cannot move stock between warehouses assigned to different buildings (MYOB, no date shown). You would use the two-step transfer for movements between sites.
For branch accounting, MYOB Acumatica can generate balancing entries automatically when one transaction involves several branches or companies (MYOB, no date shown). Its payroll is native and supports STP Phase 2 (MYOB Enterprise Support, 25 September 2024). The Payroll Tax Liability report produces monthly or annual state payroll tax returns, selected by state, and applies each state’s threshold (MYOB, no date shown). MYOB does not publish a price list. For a direct comparison with NetSuite, see NetSuite vs MYOB Acumatica.
Pronto Xi
Pronto Software is an Australian vendor whose documentation is built around branch and central warehouse networks. Its Distribution Requirements Planning module plans the flow of goods across satellite, branch and central locations, creates warehouse transfer orders for replenishment, and weighs lead times, transport costs and inventory targets (Pronto Software, 2024). Its Radio Frequency module covers receipts, put-away, replenishment, picking, packing, stocktakes and inter- and intra-warehouse transfers, and RF users can switch between warehouses to process tasks (Pronto Software, 2024).
Pronto’s payroll page states that the product complies with STP, handles multiple pay runs, timesheets and leave, and offers an STP Direct Service for lodging pay events (Pronto Software, no date shown). The page mentions timesheets, basic awards and rostering in its resources functionality, but it does not say whether Pronto Xi produces payroll tax figures or returns by state. Ask Pronto or its partners to demonstrate state payroll tax and award interpretation before you rely on them. Pronto does not publish pricing.
Oracle NetSuite
NetSuite handles multi-site inventory through its Multi-Location Inventory feature. Transfer orders record each stage of a movement, from approval to fulfilment to receipt, and show quantities in transit on the item record. Intercompany transfer orders move stock between subsidiaries in NetSuite OneWorld (Oracle, no date shown). Locations, departments and classes can be used to run financial reports such as an income statement by location, which gives you branch profit and loss without separate legal entities (Oracle, no date shown).
For warehouse depth, NetSuite WMS offers mobile RF receiving, put-away strategies that recommend bins, wave picking and cycle counting (Oracle NetSuite datasheet, no date shown). ERP Research, a directory that may pass enquiries to listed implementation partners, reports that NetSuite WMS is licensed as a module on top of NetSuite ERP and priced by quote (ERP Research, August 2026). NetSuite has no Australian payroll, because SuitePeople Payroll covers United States taxes only (Oracle, no date shown). See NetSuite pricing in Australia for cost ranges.
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
Business Central publishes AUD pricing: Essentials at AU$119.70, Premium at AU$164.60 and Team Members at AU$12.00 per user per month on an annual plan, excluding GST. The pricing page lists warehouse management in both Essentials and Premium, with Premium adding manufacturing and service order management (Microsoft, no date shown, checked 6 October 2026). Transfer orders can post the shipment and the receipt separately through an in-transit location, with partial posting and undo shipment, or use a single direct transfer when goods move instantly (Microsoft Learn, 1 October 2026).
Business Central can suggest bins for put-away and pick in a basic warehouse setup, although this mode does not support warehouse receipts or shipments (Microsoft Learn, 26 March 2024). Fully directed put-away and pick needs the advanced configuration on each location. Branch reporting uses dimensions, with two global dimensions and up to eight shortcut dimensions (Microsoft Learn, 9 April 2026). Microsoft’s October 2026 licensing guide lists warehouse receipt, warehouse shipment, pick, internal picks and put-aways, bin set-up, the Automated Data Capture System and Warehouse Management Systems among Business Central Essentials capabilities, and Premium adds only service order management and manufacturing (Microsoft Dynamics 365 Licensing Guide, October 2026). Advanced warehousing therefore does not require Premium. The Business Central mobile app can scan barcodes with the device camera on iOS and Android, or with dedicated Android 11 scanners such as Zebra and Datalogic, in fields that are set up for barcode input (Microsoft Learn, 26 March 2024). Microsoft notes that hardware-scanner events are handled in AL code, so ask your partner which warehouse pages it has set up for scanning. Microsoft does not document Australian payroll in Business Central, so you will need a separate payroll product. Our NetSuite vs Business Central comparison covers the two in more depth.
Odoo
Odoo treats each branch, shop or depot as its own warehouse and uses routes to replenish them from a central distribution centre, generating inter-warehouse transfers through make-to-order or reordering rules (Odoo documentation, version 19.0, no date shown). Odoo publishes pricing in US dollars. The Standard plan is US$24.90 per user per month for the first 12 months and US$31.10 after that on yearly billing. The Custom plan is US$49.00, then US$61.00, and it is the only plan that includes multi-company. A Light User at US$8.90 can act as an inventory barcode operator (Odoo, no date shown, checked 6 October 2026).
Odoo’s Australian payroll is not yet fully compliant. Its version 19.0 documentation says Odoo is “currently in the process of becoming compliant with STP Phase 2 and SuperStream” and that the STP step it describes does not yet submit data to the ATO. The same page does not mention state payroll tax (Odoo, version 19.0, checked 6 October 2026). If you choose Odoo for warehousing, plan to run payroll in a separate Australian product until Odoo announces compliance.
SAP Business One
SAP Business One supports multiple warehouses, bin locations divided into aisles, shelves and levels, inventory transfers between warehouses, and inventory transfer requests that commit stock before it moves (SAP Learning, no date shown). It suits networks of a few sites with moderate volumes. SAP Business One 10.0 is in mainstream maintenance until 31 December 2028, so confirm which release a partner proposes. SAP’s maintenance page says Version 11 will follow Version 10 but gives no release date (SAP Support, no date shown, checked 6 October 2026). We found no SAP documentation on Australian payroll for Business One, and RF scanning usually comes from partner add-ons.
At-a-glance comparison
The table summarises what each vendor documents for multi-site work. “Not documented” means we found nothing in the vendor’s own material, not that the function is impossible.
| Vendor | Transfers with stock in transit | Bins and scanning | Australian payroll and payroll tax by state |
|---|---|---|---|
| MYOB Acumatica | Yes, two-step with in-transit account | Locations and mobile scanning | Native payroll; state payroll tax report |
| Pronto Xi | Yes, warehouse transfers planned by DRP | RF across multiple warehouses | Native payroll with STP; state payroll tax not documented |
| Oracle NetSuite | Yes, transfer orders and intercompany transfers | NetSuite WMS, licensed as a module | None (US payroll only) |
| Business Central | Yes, in-transit or direct transfer | Bins and ADCS in Essentials; mobile app scanning (camera, or Android scanners) on fields set up for barcodes | Not documented by Microsoft |
| Odoo | Yes, inter-warehouse routes | Barcode app; Light User operators | Becoming STP Phase 2 and SuperStream compliant; state payroll tax not documented |
| SAP Business One | Transfers and transfer requests | Bin locations; scanning via add-ons | Not documented by SAP |
Our independent take
The requirements that buyers test least in multi-site selections are usually the ones between the warehouse and payroll. Demo time tends to go to dashboards and consolidation, and the gaps appear after go-live, when stock in transit cannot be seen or payroll tax has to be split by hand each month. If your staff work in several states, MYOB Acumatica is the only system in this group whose own documentation shows a payroll tax return by state. If your stock flows from a central warehouse to many branches, Pronto Xi documents that planning model more fully than the others. NetSuite and Business Central are strong on location reporting and transfers, but you will run payroll in a separate product and should test the integration as carefully as the ERP itself.
When NetSuite is not the right choice
NetSuite is a weaker fit if most of your complexity sits in the warehouse rather than in the entity structure. Full RF and wave picking require NetSuite WMS, which adds a module and a separate quote to the subscription. If you run a single legal entity with four branches in one state, you may pay for consolidation features you will not use.
NetSuite is also a poor fit if you want one vendor to handle payroll. Every Australian NetSuite customer needs a separate payroll product, so a business with 300 staff across five states must make sure that product handles payroll tax by state, long service leave by state and Payday Super. Read whether NetSuite is worth it and our NetSuite implementation guide before you commit.
Australian buyer scenarios
Building supplies group, Brisbane, 180 staff, nine branches in Queensland and northern NSW. The business replenishes trade counters from one distribution centre and needs RF scanning at the DC and simple stock counts at branches. Staff work in two states, so payroll tax must be split. Pronto Xi and MYOB Acumatica are the strongest candidates. Pronto fits if distribution planning is the priority, while MYOB Acumatica fits if the finance team wants payroll tax by state from the ERP itself.
Medical consumables importer, Melbourne, 90 staff, warehouses in Melbourne, Sydney and Perth. Stock moves between states by road and rail and can be in transit for a week. The company has two legal entities and plans an acquisition in New Zealand. NetSuite fits the entity structure and transfer tracking, provided the buyer budgets for NetSuite WMS and a separate Australian payroll product. Business Central is a lower-cost alternative with published AUD pricing.
Hospitality equipment distributor, Adelaide, 45 staff, four sites in South Australia and Victoria. Volumes are moderate and the team has an internal developer. Odoo’s inter-warehouse routes and barcode app cover the warehouse needs at a low licence cost, but the business needs the Custom plan if it adds a second entity. Because Odoo’s documentation says its Australian payroll is still becoming STP Phase 2 compliant, the business should keep its existing payroll product for now.
Questions to ask in every demo
- Show a transfer from one branch to another that stays in transit for three days, then receive it short by two units.
- Show a branch profit and loss with transfer costs and shared head office costs allocated.
- Show RF put-away and picking at your busiest site, and say which licence or module that requires.
- Show one employee who lives in one state and works in another, and how the system assigns their wages for payroll tax.
- Show the payroll tax figures for each state for one month, and how they reconcile to the general ledger.
If you are moving up from Xero or MYOB AccountRight, our guide to outgrowing Xero or MYOB explains the usual triggers. For the wider vendor field, see the best ERP software in Australia.
Frequently asked questions
Which ERP system is best for a business with multiple locations?
It depends on what varies between your locations. MYOB Acumatica suits businesses that need branch accounting, warehouse transfers and Australian payroll in one product. Pronto Xi suits a central warehouse that replenishes many branches. NetSuite suits groups with several legal entities, and Business Central suits businesses that want published AUD pricing and a Microsoft environment.
What is the best ERP for warehouse management?
For deep warehouse work across several sites, Pronto Xi documents RF functions across multiple warehouses and distribution planning, and NetSuite WMS documents RF receiving, bin put-away strategies and wave picking as a separately licensed module. Business Central includes warehouse management in both plans, and MYOB Acumatica offers mobile scanning with warehouse locations. Test each with your own volumes and layouts.
What are the best ERP systems for businesses with complex inventory?
Complex inventory usually means many locations, bins, lot or serial tracking, and stock that spends time in transit. MYOB Acumatica, NetSuite and Business Central all document two-step transfers with stock held in transit. Pronto Xi adds distribution planning for branch replenishment. Odoo and SAP Business One handle multiple warehouses and bins well for smaller networks.
Does any ERP calculate payroll tax for each Australian state?
MYOB Acumatica’s Payroll Tax Liability report produces monthly or annual state payroll tax returns and applies each state’s threshold. NetSuite and Business Central do not include Australian payroll, so this depends on the payroll product you connect. Pronto Xi does not document it, so ask Pronto to demonstrate it. Odoo’s documentation says its Australian payroll is still becoming STP Phase 2 and SuperStream compliant and does not mention payroll tax.
Should each branch be a separate company in the ERP?
Only if each branch is a separate legal entity. Most businesses run branches as locations or branches inside one company and report on them with dimensions or classifications. Separate entities add intercompany entries and consolidation work, which is worth it only when the legal structure requires it.
Sources
Every figure and claim in this article traces to one of these. Sources were checked on 6 October 2026 unless stated otherwise. Vendor pages are published by the companies that sell the software.
- business.gov.au, Payroll tax, 5 August 2025. business.gov.au
- Revenue NSW, Nexus provisions for payroll tax, 26 August 2024. revenue.nsw.gov.au
- Fair Work Ombudsman, Long service leave, no date shown. fairwork.gov.au
- Fair Work Ombudsman, Public holidays, no date shown. fairwork.gov.au
- ATO, About Payday Super, 10 August 2026. ato.gov.au
- MYOB, Warehouses: General Information, no date shown (vendor). help.myob.com.au
- MYOB, Two-Step Transfers: General Information, no date shown (vendor). help.myob.com.au
- MYOB, Processing of Transfers with scanning: General Information, no date shown (vendor). help.myob.com.au
- MYOB, Interbranch Account Mapping: General Information, no date shown (vendor). help.myob.com.au
- MYOB, Payroll Tax Liability, no date shown (vendor). help.myob.com.au
- MYOB Enterprise Support, Changes in MYOB Acumatica for STP Phase 2, 25 September 2024 (vendor). enterprise-support.myob.com
- Pronto Software, Pronto Xi 780 Distribution Requirements Planning overview, 2024 (vendor). pronto.net
- Pronto Software, Pronto Xi 780 Radio Frequency overview, 2024 (vendor). pronto.net
- Pronto Software, Payroll and Resources, no date shown (vendor). pronto.net
- Oracle, NetSuite Transferring Inventory, no date shown (vendor). docs.oracle.com
- Oracle, NetSuite Classifications Overview, no date shown (vendor). docs.oracle.com
- Oracle NetSuite, NetSuite WMS datasheet (JAPAC), no date shown (vendor). netsuite.com.au
- Oracle, SuitePeople U.S. Payroll, no date shown (vendor). docs.oracle.com
- ERP Research, NetSuite WMS, August 2026 (directory that may refer enquiries to implementation partners). erpresearch.com
- Microsoft, Dynamics 365 Business Central pricing (Australia), no date shown (vendor). microsoft.com
- Microsoft Learn, Transfer inventory between locations, 1 October 2026 (vendor). learn.microsoft.com
- Microsoft Learn, Use directed pick and put-away suggestions in basic warehouse configurations, 26 March 2024 (vendor). learn.microsoft.com
- Microsoft Learn, Work with dimensions, 9 April 2026 (vendor). learn.microsoft.com
- Odoo, Inter-warehouse replenishment, version 19.0, no date shown (vendor). odoo.com
- Odoo, Pricing, no date shown (vendor). odoo.com
- Odoo, Australian payroll localisation, version 19.0, no date shown, checked 6 October 2026 (vendor). odoo.com
- Microsoft, Dynamics 365 Licensing Guide, October 2026 (vendor). microsoft.com
- Microsoft Learn, Scan barcodes with Business Central mobile app for iOS and Android, 26 March 2024 (vendor). learn.microsoft.com
- SAP Support, SAP Business One maintenance, no date shown, checked 6 October 2026 (vendor). support.sap.com
- SAP Learning, Managing Warehouses in SAP Business One, no date shown (vendor). learning.sap.com
Prices in this article are list prices published by vendors and exclude implementation, which usually costs as much as or more than first-year licensing. All figures are in AUD unless stated otherwise.