Horticulture Back-Office Services
Back-office services for horticulture. Horticulture payroll, industry-specific bookkeeping, compliance and IT support.
For Horticulture, the entire back-office — award-compliant payroll (typically under the Horticulture Award 2020), BAS, bookkeeping, managed IT and Essential Eight cybersecurity — can run through one accountable Valont team, on a fixed monthly fee, quoted for your business. Award-compliant payroll, BAS obligations, supplier management, and compliance tracking all compete for time that should be spent on customers and growth. Valont provides back-office services specifically configured for horticulture, with genuine understanding of the award provisions, financial metrics, and operational realities that define your industry.
The Award: typically the Horticulture Award 2020
Which award applies depends on the business, the work each employee actually performs, their classification and whether they are full-time, part-time or casual. Confirm coverage for your own business with the Fair Work Ombudsman's Find my award tool rather than assuming one award covers everyone, and use the Fair Work Pay Calculator for the current rate for a given award, classification and shift.
Classifications: Horticulture employee Level 1-5. Pieceworker provisions for harvest.
Ordinary hours: 38 hours per week, with averaging over harvest periods.
Penalty rates: the award sets separate rates for Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, and for overtime, evening, night or shift work where it provides them, and they vary by classification and by whether the employee is full-time, part-time or casual — casual employees have their own rates in the award's penalty table. Rather than work from a remembered percentage, look up the current rate for the specific classification and shift on the Fair Work Pay Calculator and apply the rate in effect on the day worked.
Minimum engagement: 2 hours casual.
Key allowances: tool, first aid, toxic substance (spraying), vehicle.
Getting these provisions wrong creates systematic underpayment that compounds with every pay period. The Fair Work Ombudsman actively monitors compliance in this sector, and the penalties for deliberate underpayment were significantly increased under recent legislation. Valont's payroll specialists configure your payroll software with the exact award rules for each employee classification, eliminating manual interpretation errors.
Sources: award coverage — the Fair Work Ombudsman's Find my award tool; pay and award rules — Fair Work Ombudsman and the Fair Work Commission; superannuation, BAS and tax — the Australian Taxation Office.
Challenges Specific to Horticulture
- Piecework rate compliance — lawful piecework agreements, minimum hourly floor, record keeping
- Working Holiday Maker (WHM) workforce management — 417/462 visa workers, specified work requirements for visa extensions
- Harvest contractor compliance — labour hire licencing requirements (state-specific)
- Perishable product management — harvest timing, cool chain, pack house costing
- Export MRL (maximum residue limit) compliance — spray diary records, withholding period tracking
- Water allocation management — water trading, irrigation costs, allocation tracking
These aren't generic business challenges — they're the specific operational and compliance issues that horticulture owners deal with daily. A generalist bookkeeper or payroll provider may not understand or address them. Valont does, because our service is configured around your industry's actual requirements.
Financial Metrics That Matter
Standard P&L reporting isn't enough for horticulture. You need industry-specific metrics to make informed decisions:
Gross margin per hectare by crop, harvest cost per tonne, pack-out rate, labour cost per bin, water cost per megalitre, export %, MRL compliance
We configure your reporting to track these metrics monthly, giving you the visibility to identify margin drift, optimise operations, and make confident business decisions based on data rather than gut feel.
How Valont Helps Horticulture
Finance Hub
Industry-configured bookkeeping with Orchard management, spray diary → Xero/MYOB, packhouse systems. BAS prepared from correctly coded, fully reconciled data. Real-time reporting with the industry-specific metrics above. Cash flow forecasting that accounts for your seasonal patterns and payment timing.
People Hub
Award-compliant payroll processing — typically under the Horticulture Award 2020, with each employee's coverage and classification checked rather than assumed. Every penalty rate calculated from the award's current schedule, every allowance applied. STP reporting with each pay run. Superannuation initiated on schedule. Ongoing payroll audits reviewing all classifications and rates against current award provisions.
Operations Hub
Managed IT support and Essential Eight cybersecurity. Your farm management, accounting, payroll, and scheduling systems monitored and maintained. Data backup with regular restoration testing. Staff devices protected with endpoint security. MFA enforced across all business-critical systems.
How Pricing Works
5-20 permanent + seasonal: Finance + People Hub on a fixed monthly fee quoted for your business. Operations Hub adds a per-user monthly fee. Fixed-fee, no hourly billing, month-to-month engagement.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you understand the Horticulture Award?
Yes. Our payroll specialists are experienced with the Horticulture Award 2020 including its classification structure, penalty rate schedule, allowance provisions, and overtime calculations. We configure payroll software (KeyPay or Employment Hero) with the specific award rules and conduct quarterly audits to ensure ongoing compliance.
Can you integrate with our existing software?
Yes. We integrate with the industry-standard platforms: Orchard management, spray diary → Xero/MYOB, packhouse systems. We work within your existing systems and recommend changes only where they deliver genuine operational benefit.
What makes Valont different from a general bookkeeper?
A general bookkeeper processes transactions. Valont configures your entire back-office around horticulture-specific requirements — from award-compliant payroll and industry-specific reporting metrics to integrated IT and cybersecurity. We understand the operational challenges unique to horticulture and build our service around them.
How much does this cost for Horticulture?
5-20 permanent + seasonal: Finance + People Hub on a fixed monthly fee quoted for your business. This replaces the combined cost of separate bookkeeper, payroll provider, and the owner's admin time. Fixed-fee with no hourly billing — the same price regardless of how many questions you ask.
Built for Horticulture, Not Adapted From a Template
Your back-office should understand your industry. Ours does.
Book a Discovery ConversationOur Services
Integrated back-office for Horticulture businesses.
Finance Hub
- Bookkeeping
- Managed Payroll
- BAS & Tax Compliance
- Cash Flow & Reporting
- Accounts Receivable
- Finance Broking
- Grants & Incentives
- Outsourced CFO
People Hub
- Award Compliance
- HR & IR Advisory
- Employer Advice Line
- Recruitment
- Onboarding & Offboarding
- Rostering Optimisation
- WHS & Safety
- Team Culture & Insights
- Fair Work Representation
Related industries
Back-office for other Agriculture businesses
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