ERP
Replacing Spreadsheets and Legacy Accounting Software in Australia: Your ERP Options (2026)
Last updated: 6 October 2026 · Independent buyer’s guide · We do not sell rankings or coverage.
If you are replacing spreadsheets and an ageing desktop accounting system in Australia, the right ERP depends on where you are starting. MYOB Acumatica is the most natural step up from MYOB AccountRight, because it keeps Australian payroll and STP Phase 2 inside the same system. Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central suits businesses leaving Dynamics GP or NAV, or any business that lives in Excel and Microsoft 365, and it publishes its pricing in AUD. Oracle NetSuite fits companies with several entities or overseas operations that want one cloud ledger, provided they budget for a separate payroll product. Odoo suits smaller teams that want to adopt one app at a time at a published price. No single system is the best choice for every business, and the quality of your data migration plan will matter as much as the software you pick.
This guide covers the replacement project itself for an Australian business: which spreadsheets to replace, how much history to migrate, the record-keeping rules for old data, payroll and STP, and the published end-of-support dates for common legacy systems. For the general case for leaving spreadsheets behind, see our article on when spreadsheets and point solutions stop scaling, and for the board-level argument, see building a business case for moving from legacy to cloud ERP.
Key takeaways
- Several legacy systems now have firm dates. MYOB AccountRight Classic v19 and earlier became read-only from 28 February 2026, the AccountRight desktop app stopped working with offline files from 17 June 2026, and Microsoft lists Dynamics GP for retirement at the end of 2029.
- Start with an inventory of your spreadsheets. The ones that hold business rules, such as pricing, job costing and stock reorder points, decide your ERP requirements more than any feature list.
- Most businesses migrate master data, open transactions and opening balances, plus summary general ledger history, and keep the old system or an export for detailed history.
- The ATO generally requires you to keep records for five years, and Fair Work requires employee records for seven years, so plan how you will read old data before you switch off the legacy system.
- Move payroll at the start of a financial year if you can. A mid-year change means telling the ATO how you are handling year-to-date amounts through STP.
- Business Central and MYOB Acumatica publish or have partner-published cost ranges in AUD. NetSuite does not publish a price list.
Which ERP is best for replacing spreadsheets and legacy accounting software?
The best replacement is usually the system that matches your current software family, your payroll needs and your entity structure. A business moving from MYOB will find familiar terminology and an Australian payroll module in MYOB Acumatica. A business moving from Dynamics GP has a documented migration path to Business Central online. A group with subsidiaries in New Zealand, Asia or the United States will find NetSuite’s consolidation strengths more useful than a familiar interface.
The table below matches common Australian starting points with the systems we would shortlist first. It is a starting point for your own evaluation, not a ranking.
| Where you are now | First systems to shortlist | Main reason | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| MYOB AccountRight plus spreadsheets | MYOB Acumatica, Business Central | Native Australian payroll in MYOB Acumatica; published AUD pricing in Business Central | Business Central needs a separate payroll product |
| Dynamics GP or NAV | Business Central, then NetSuite | Microsoft migration tools and a familiar data model | NAV must be upgraded to Business Central on-premises before cloud migration |
| Reckon Accounts or QuickBooks-era desktop files | Business Central, MYOB Acumatica, Odoo | Smaller teams can start with finance and add modules later | Older file formats may need a specialist export |
| Sage 300, Attaché or an older Pronto version | Business Central, MYOB Acumatica, NetSuite, a current Pronto Xi release | Inventory and distribution depth is usually the deciding factor | Customisations built over many years need to be listed and re-tested |
| Several entities, some overseas | NetSuite, Business Central | Multi-currency and consolidation in one ledger | NetSuite payroll does not cover Australia |
If your business has outgrown cloud accounting rather than desktop software, our guide to outgrowing Xero and MYOB covers that path. For a wider shortlist of vendors, see the best ERP software for Australian businesses.
End-of-support dates for common legacy systems
A firm end-of-support date gives your project a deadline. The dates below come from vendors or their partners, and where no date is published we say so.
| System | Published status | Key date | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| MYOB AccountRight Classic v19 and earlier | Files become read-only after the next file confirmation | 28 February 2026 | MYOB Community, Feb 2026 |
| MYOB AccountRight desktop app (PC edition) | Works only with company files stored online | 17 June 2026 | MYOB Community, 15 Jun 2026 |
| Microsoft Dynamics GP | Retirement under Microsoft’s lifecycle policy | 31 December 2029 (US Pacific time) | Microsoft Learn, 31 Jan 2025 |
| Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2018 | Mainstream support ended; extended support ends | 11 January 2028 | Microsoft Learn, 24 Jan 2024 |
| SAP Business One 10.0 | Mainstream maintenance ends | 31 December 2028 | SAP Support, checked 6 Oct 2026 |
| Sage 300 | Rolling policy: current version and two prior | No product end date found | Sage Community Hub |
| Attaché (Access Group) | On-premise use continues; new features go to cloud-hosted versions | No end date published | Access Group, 22 Apr 2026 |
| Reckon Accounts desktop | Only the current version is supported; older versions are sunsetted | Each version ends when a new one is released | Reckon Sunset Policy |
MYOB states that from 17 June 2026 the AccountRight desktop app (PC edition) only works with company files stored online, and that AccountRight Server Edition will receive only bug fixes after that date (MYOB Community, 15 Jun 2026). Classic v19 and earlier versions became read-only from 28 February 2026, so you can view old data but not change it (MYOB Community, 26 Feb 2026).
Microsoft lists Dynamics GP for retirement at the end of 31 December 2029, US Pacific time (Microsoft Learn, 31 Jan 2025). Stoneridge Software, a Microsoft partner, reports that security updates continue to 30 April 2031 (Stoneridge Software, updated 16 Jul 2026). NAV 2018 extended support ends on 11 January 2028 (Microsoft Learn, 24 Jan 2024), and SAP says its 31 December 2028 date for Business One 10.0 is subject to change (SAP Support, no date shown, checked 6 Oct 2026).
Australian desktop QuickBooks files usually date from when Reckon distributed QuickBooks under licence, an arrangement Intuit ended in 2012, after which Reckon continued the product as Reckon Accounts (Wikipedia, Reckon (company), no date shown). Reckon’s sunset policy says previous versions are sunsetted when a new version is released, and that technical support, tax table and compliance updates, STP submissions and bank feeds are not available for non-current versions (Reckon, Sunset Policy, no date shown, checked 6 Oct 2026). If you are running an older release of Reckon Accounts, you are therefore already outside support. Sage supports the current Sage 300 release and two prior releases, according to a Sage notice for its Africa and Middle East region (Sage Community Hub, no date shown), and Sage’s knowledgebase says downloads are available for the current version and versions for the two prior years (Sage Knowledgebase, last modified 14 Sep 2026). We did not find a separate statement for Australia, so confirm the support position for your release with your Sage partner. Scope Systems, a Pronto Xi reseller, says older Pronto versions eventually lose support but gives no dates (Scope Systems, updated 26 Aug 2025).
Start with an inventory of your spreadsheets
Before you talk to vendors, ask each team lead to list every spreadsheet they open at least once a month. For each one, record who owns it, where its data comes from, what decision or report it feeds, and how often it is updated.
Then sort the list into four groups:
- Workbooks that hold business rules. Price lists, discount matrices, commission plans, job costing templates, reorder points and approval limits. These belong in the ERP, and they become your most important requirements.
- Workbooks that re-key data. Sales registers copied from invoices, stock counts typed from the accounting system and bank reconciliations built by hand. The ERP should remove these entirely.
- Workbooks that analyse data. Margin analysis, cash flow forecasts, budget models and board packs. Many will stay in Excel or move to Power BI, connected directly to the ERP.
- Workbooks that nobody needs. Retire them before the project starts.
The inventory also shows which spreadsheets hold data you must migrate, such as customer-specific pricing that never reached the accounting system.
What ERP replaces and what stays in Excel or Power BI
An ERP should replace the spreadsheets that record transactions or hold rules. That includes sales orders, purchasing, stock movements, job costs, approvals and the general ledger.
Excel usually remains the right tool for budgeting, scenario modelling and one-off analysis. Microsoft’s Business Central, for example, offers an Open in Excel action for analysis and an Edit in Excel action that publishes changes back to the system, though Edit in Excel requires an add-in and does not work on macOS (Microsoft Learn, 9 Mar 2026). Reporting tools such as Power BI suit dashboards that combine ERP data with sources outside it, such as a CRM or a rostering system.
The practical test is simple. If a spreadsheet creates or changes a number that later appears in your financial statements, it should move into the ERP. If it only reads those numbers to support a decision, it can stay outside.
Data migration: how much history to bring across
Migration is where replacement projects most often run over time. You have three common options, and many businesses combine them.
The first is to migrate master data and open items only. That means customers, suppliers, items, the chart of accounts, open invoices and bills, open orders and opening balances at the cut-over date. This is the fastest approach. The second is to add summary general ledger history, usually monthly balances for two or three prior years, so that year-on-year reports work inside the new system. The third is to migrate detailed transaction history, which is the most expensive option and rarely necessary for every module.
Business Central shows how this can work in practice. Microsoft’s tool for moving from Dynamics GP to Business Central online migrates master data, open receivables and payables, open purchase orders and summary general ledger history, and it can also bring across an optional historical snapshot of detailed transactions for reporting. You choose the oldest historical year to include (Microsoft Learn, 15 Jan 2026). Microsoft also lists migration paths from Business Central on-premises, Dynamics SL, other SQL Server sources and configuration packages, and notes that Dynamics NAV must first be upgraded to Business Central on-premises (Microsoft Learn, 19 Jun 2026).
For systems without a vendor tool, such as AccountRight, Reckon or Attaché, your partner will usually export data to spreadsheets or CSV files, cleanse it and load it through the new ERP’s import templates. Budget time for cleansing duplicate customers, inactive items and inconsistent units of measure.
Record-keeping rules for migrated and legacy data
Switching systems does not change how long you must keep records. The ATO says you need to keep most records for five years, generally counted from when you prepared or obtained the record or completed the transaction, whichever is later. Records must be in English or easily converted to English, and you must be able to reconstruct your original data if your record-keeping system changes over time. The ATO also says it must be able to extract and convert your data into a standard format such as Excel or CSV (ATO, 18 Jun 2026). Taxation Ruling TR 2018/2 sets out the ATO’s view on electronic records in more detail (ATO, 14 Feb 2018).
Employee records have a longer horizon. The Fair Work Ombudsman requires employers to keep employee records for seven years, in a legible form, in English and readily accessible to a Fair Work Inspector (Fair Work Ombudsman, April 2024).
For this reason, do not switch off the old system on go-live day. Keep a read-only licence, export full reports and transaction listings to PDF and CSV with a documented index, or load a historical snapshot into the new ERP.
Payroll history and Single Touch Payroll
Every Australian employer reports pay through Single Touch Payroll, and since 1 July 2026 Payday Super requires super guarantee contributions to be paid with each pay cycle and reported through STP Phase 2 (ATO, 10 Aug 2026). Any new payroll system must handle both from the first pay run.
If you change payroll software during a financial year, the ATO identifies each employee’s income statement by a combination of ABN, branch, BMS ID and payroll ID. If you transfer year-to-date amounts to the new system and the BMS ID or payroll ID changes, you must tell the ATO, either by sending an update that zeroes the old year-to-date amounts or by sending an update that includes the previous IDs so the new income statement replaces the old one. If you do not transfer year-to-date amounts, no notification is needed, but employees will see more than one income statement (ATO, 13 Nov 2023).
The simplest approach is to go live with payroll on 1 July, after you have finalised the prior year in the old system. Whatever the timing, migrate leave balances, pay rates, award classifications and super fund details, and run at least two parallel pay runs before cut-over.
Your choice of ERP affects how you handle this. MYOB Acumatica documents STP Phase 2 support in its own payroll (MYOB Enterprise Support, 25 Sep 2024). Odoo’s version 19.0 documentation states that Odoo is in the process of becoming compliant with STP Phase 2 and SuperStream, and that its STP features do not yet submit data to the ATO (Odoo documentation, no date shown). NetSuite’s SuitePeople Payroll supports United States payroll only (Oracle NetSuite Help, no date shown), and Microsoft’s Australian localisation for Business Central covers GST, BAS and withholding tax but not payroll (Microsoft Learn, 23 May 2025). With either of those two, you will run a separate Australian payroll product and integrate it.
What are the easiest ERP systems to implement?
No ERP is easy to implement if the scope is large or the data is poor. In our research, Business Central and Odoo have the lightest published starting points, MYOB Acumatica sits in the middle, and NetSuite is quoted case by case.
| System | Published licence pricing | Published implementation guide | Australian payroll |
|---|---|---|---|
| Business Central | AU$119.70 Essentials, AU$164.60 Premium per user per month, annual, ex GST | Fusion5 rapid package: average 8 to 12 weeks, fixed price (amount not published) | Separate product |
| MYOB Acumatica | Partner range AU$2,000 to AU$5,000 per month | Partner range AU$50,000 to AU$150,000; at least 3 months | Native, sold as a separate module |
| Odoo | US$31.10 Standard, US$61.00 Custom per user per month | Success Packs from 25 hours (US$3,600) to 200 hours (US$25,000) | Built in, but STP Phase 2 and SuperStream compliance still in progress |
| NetSuite | No public price list | One partner publishes $150 to $250 per hour | Separate product |
Business Central’s AUD prices come from Microsoft, which also lists Team Members at AU$12.00 per user per month (Microsoft Australia, checked 6 Oct 2026). Fusion5, a Microsoft partner, says its fixed-price package for core finance averages 8 to 12 weeks to go live and excludes integrations and change management (Fusion5, no date shown).
The MYOB Acumatica ranges come from Kilimanjaro Consulting, an MYOB partner, which also notes that payroll is priced separately (Kilimanjaro Consulting, updated 10 Jun 2026).
Odoo shows its prices in US dollars on annual billing (Odoo, checked 6 Oct 2026) and sells implementation hours as Success Packs (Odoo, checked 6 Oct 2026).
Oracle does not publish NetSuite list prices. Annexa, a NetSuite partner, says cost depends on edition, modules and service tier, and gives no dollar figure (Annexa, updated 21 Sep 2026). Klugo, another NetSuite partner, publishes rates of $150 to $250 per hour (Klugo, checked 30 Aug 2026). For more detail, see our NetSuite pricing guide for Australia and our guide to NetSuite implementation in Australia.
These figures cover software and partner services only. Your own staff’s time on requirements, data cleansing, testing and training is usually the largest hidden cost.
Our independent take
For most Australian businesses leaving spreadsheets and a desktop system, the decision comes down to three questions. Do you want payroll in the same system? Which software family do your staff and advisers already know? Do you have, or plan to have, more than one entity? If payroll in the ERP matters most, start with MYOB Acumatica, and check the current STP Phase 2 status before considering Odoo’s payroll. If you run Microsoft 365 or Dynamics GP or NAV today, start with Business Central. If you are a multi-entity group with overseas operations, NetSuite deserves a close look. Whichever you choose, keep the first phase small, move payroll at a financial year boundary, and keep read access to your old records for at least seven years.
Australian buyer scenarios
A Perth trade supplier on AccountRight. A 30-person distributor of plumbing supplies runs MYOB AccountRight with stock levels, supplier pricing and rebates tracked in a dozen spreadsheets. The June 2026 change to online-only files has pushed the owners to act. MYOB Acumatica is the natural first option, because staff know MYOB and payroll stays with the same vendor. Business Central Essentials is a strong alternative if the business is comfortable adding a separate payroll product.
A Melbourne manufacturer on Dynamics GP. A 120-person food manufacturer has run Dynamics GP for 15 years, with production planning in Excel. With GP’s retirement listed for the end of 2029, it wants to move before the deadline compresses partner availability. Business Central Premium is the obvious first candidate because Microsoft’s migration tool can carry across master data, open items and summary history. The business should plan a separate Australian payroll product and test lot traceability against its recall plan.
A Sydney services group on Reckon and spreadsheets. A professional services firm with 60 staff runs three entities in Australia and one in New Zealand, using Reckon Accounts and a consolidation workbook that takes a week each month. NetSuite fits well because consolidation, multi-currency and project accounting sit in one ledger. The firm should budget for an Australian payroll product and read our guide to multi-entity ERP in Australia.
When NetSuite is not the right choice
NetSuite is a strong platform for growing, multi-entity businesses, but it is not the best fit for every replacement project. It is a poor fit if you want payroll inside the ERP, because SuitePeople Payroll does not cover Australia. It is also hard to justify if you need a fixed, published price before you start, since Oracle sells only by quote. A single-entity business with simple stock may find Business Central, MYOB Acumatica or Odoo quicker to implement. For a direct comparison with MYOB’s ERP, see NetSuite vs MYOB Acumatica, and for a wider view of whether the cost pays back, see is NetSuite worth it in Australia.
How we evaluated
We reviewed vendor documentation, vendor lifecycle pages, Australian pricing pages, partner-published price ranges and Australian government guidance from the ATO and Fair Work Ombudsman, checked between August and October 2026. For each system we looked at migration paths from common Australian legacy software, Australian payroll and STP support, published pricing and implementation evidence. Where a figure comes from a partner that sells the product, we say so. Where no source publishes a date or figure, we say that too. We do not accept payment for rankings, and we do not declare an overall winner.
Frequently asked questions
Which ERP system is best for replacing spreadsheets?
The best choice depends on your payroll needs and existing software. MYOB Acumatica suits businesses that want STP Phase 2 payroll in the same system. Odoo includes Australian payroll, but its documentation says STP Phase 2 and SuperStream compliance is still in progress. Business Central suits businesses that rely on Excel and Microsoft 365, because it can publish changes from Excel back to the system. NetSuite suits multi-entity groups.
Which ERP system is best for replacing legacy accounting software?
Choose the system with the clearest migration path from your current software. Dynamics GP and NAV users have documented Microsoft tools for moving to Business Central. MYOB AccountRight users will find MYOB Acumatica familiar. Users of Reckon, Sage 300, Attaché or older Pronto versions should compare Business Central, MYOB Acumatica, NetSuite and a current Pronto Xi release on inventory depth and payroll.
What are the easiest ERP systems to implement?
Business Central and Odoo have the lightest published starting points. Fusion5 reports an average of 8 to 12 weeks for its fixed-scope Business Central package, and Odoo sells implementation in blocks from 25 hours. One MYOB partner quotes a minimum of three months for MYOB Acumatica. NetSuite timelines depend on the partner quote.
How many years of history should we migrate?
Most businesses migrate master data, open transactions and opening balances, plus two or three years of summary general ledger balances. Detailed history can stay in the old system, in an archive export or in a historical snapshot. Whatever you choose, you must still be able to produce records for the ATO for five years and employee records for Fair Work for seven years.
Can we change payroll systems in the middle of the financial year?
Yes, but it adds work. If you transfer year-to-date amounts and your BMS ID or payroll IDs change, you must notify the ATO through STP, either by zeroing the old amounts or by reporting the previous IDs. Going live on 1 July avoids this step.
What happens to my MYOB AccountRight data after the 2026 changes?
From 17 June 2026, the AccountRight desktop app only works with company files stored online, and MYOB says moving an existing subscribed file online has no additional cost. Classic v19 and earlier became read-only from 28 February 2026.
Sources
- MYOB Community, Changes to MYOB AccountRight offline mode, 15 June 2026. community.myob.com
- MYOB Community, AccountRight Classic v19 and earlier versions decommissioning, updated 26 February 2026. community.myob.com
- Microsoft Learn, Dynamics GP lifecycle, 31 January 2025. learn.microsoft.com
- Microsoft Learn, Dynamics NAV 2018 lifecycle, 24 January 2024. learn.microsoft.com
- Stoneridge Software, Microsoft extends date of Dynamics GP end of life support to December 2029, updated 16 July 2026. Microsoft partner. stoneridgesoftware.com
- Microsoft Learn, Dynamics GP data migrated to Business Central online, 15 January 2026. learn.microsoft.com
- Microsoft Learn, Migrate data to Business Central online, 19 June 2026. learn.microsoft.com
- Microsoft Learn, Work with Business Central in Excel, 9 March 2026. learn.microsoft.com
- Microsoft Learn, Australia local functionality for Business Central, 23 May 2025. learn.microsoft.com
- Microsoft Australia, Business Central pricing, no date shown, checked 6 October 2026. microsoft.com
- SAP Support, Maintenance for SAP Business One, no date shown, checked 6 October 2026. support.sap.com
- Access Group, Attaché cloud hosted software: what changes and what stays the same, 22 April 2026. Vendor. theaccessgroup.com
- Sage Community Hub, What are the supported versions for Sage 300 in 2025, no date shown (Africa and Middle East region). communityhub.sage.com
- Scope Systems, Why upgrade your Pronto version, updated 26 August 2025. Pronto Xi reseller. scopesystems.com.au
- Reckon, Sunset Policy, no date shown, checked 6 October 2026. reckon.com
- Sage Knowledgebase, Sage 300: Download Portal, last modified 14 September 2026. sage.com
- Wikipedia, Reckon (company), no date shown. wikipedia.org
- ATO, Overview of record-keeping rules for business, 18 June 2026. ato.gov.au
- ATO, Taxation Ruling TR 2018/2, Income tax: record keeping and access, electronic records, 14 February 2018. ato.gov.au
- Fair Work Ombudsman, Record-keeping and pay slips fact sheet, April 2024. fairwork.gov.au
- ATO, Changing your payroll solution or employees’ payroll IDs, STP Phase 2 employer reporting guidelines, 13 November 2023. ato.gov.au
- ATO, About Payday Super, 10 August 2026. ato.gov.au
- MYOB Enterprise Support, Changes in MYOB Acumatica for STP Phase 2, 25 September 2024. enterprise-support.myob.com
- Odoo, Australia payroll localisation documentation, version 19.0, no date shown. odoo.com
- Odoo, Pricing, no date shown, checked 6 October 2026 (prices in USD). odoo.com
- Odoo, Success Packs, no date shown, checked 6 October 2026. odoo.com
- Oracle NetSuite Help, SuitePeople Payroll, no date shown. docs.oracle.com
- Fusion5, Business Central rapid implementation, no date shown. Microsoft partner. fusion5.com
- Kilimanjaro Consulting, MYOB Acumatica pricing guide, updated 10 June 2026. MYOB partner. kilimanjaro-consulting.com
- Annexa, How much does NetSuite cost in Australia and New Zealand, updated 21 September 2026. NetSuite partner. annexa.com.au
- Klugo, NetSuite price calculators, checked 30 August 2026. NetSuite partner. klugo.au
Sherman Hsieh
Independent analysis of enterprise software — ERP, CRM and more
