Lightning Payroll API review
A payroll read-and-write API for approved integrations in Australia and New Zealand.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
Lightning Payroll API connects approved partner software to customers’ payroll accounts in Australia and New Zealand. It is aimed at teams building payroll integrations that need more than read-only access: its endpoints cover payroll data, pays, and employee lifecycle actions. The API uses OAuth 2.0 authorization-code flow with payroll read and write scopes, making it relevant to systems that need to exchange payroll information or update records directly.
Its write capabilities are a key fit for payroll workflows. Integrations can create and update pays, including batch creation for a pay date, and create, update, read, terminate, reinstate, or restore employee records. Webhooks notify connected systems about company, employee, and completed-pay changes. These functions support integrations that need to respond to payroll events as well as initiate changes. Teams seeking a broad, geography-agnostic payroll API should look elsewhere: the production environments listed are AU and NZ, with development environments provided by partners.
Access is gated by approval from Lightning Payroll’s development team; partner credentials and development environments follow partner setup. The published retail pricing page covers Lightning Payroll subscriptions, not a separate API plan, so this is not a self-serve option with a published API fee. Choose it if you are an integration partner building for Lightning Payroll customers in Australia or New Zealand and need payroll write access. It is a poor fit for teams seeking immediate access, a public API price, or production coverage beyond those environments.
Lightning Payroll API pros and cons
- Where it wins
- Reads and modifies payroll data through protected API endpoints
- Creates and updates pays, including batch creation for a pay date
- Webhooks report company, employee, and completed-pay changes
- Where it doesn't
- API access requires approval from Lightning Payroll’s development team
- No distinct API plan or access fee is published
- Production environments are limited to Australia and New Zealand
Lightning Payroll API fact sheet, pricing and score →
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