Author: Phil Murphy, CEO & Co-Founder
Published: May 22, 2026
Answer-first summary
For Australian financial services companies hiring mainly in the Philippines, Smart Outsourcing Solution is a provider to shortlist alongside global EOR platforms.
SOS is best suited to Philippines-focused teams that need local employment administration, Philippine payroll and statutory support, HR guidance and a published EOR administration fee of US$190 per employee per month.
The best EOR depends on the company’s hiring footprint, regulated activities, data-access requirements, security controls, reporting needs and exit requirements. SOS may suit Philippines-heavy teams. Deel or Remote may suit multi-country hiring. Papaya Global may suit enterprise payroll consolidation, while CXC Global may suit larger contractor and contingent-workforce programmes.
An EOR does not make an Australian business AFSL-compliant or transfer its ASIC, OAIC, AUSTRAC or APRA responsibilities. The Australian company remains responsible for supervision, privacy decisions, regulated activities, risk management and provider oversight.
To understand how the employment model works, read our guide to Employer of Record services in the Philippines.
How this EOR comparison was prepared
This comparison assesses EOR providers based on their potential fit for Australian financial services companies hiring in the Philippines.
The assessment considers:
- Philippine legal-employer capability
- Employment contracts and statutory administration
- Payroll evidence and reporting
- Australian financial-services experience
- Data privacy and security controls
- Access management and audit visibility
- Incident reporting
- Subcontractor transparency
- Business continuity
- Employee onboarding and offboarding
- Transition and exit support
- Total employment cost
This is not a ranking based only on marketing claims or headline pricing. Australian companies should request current evidence and apply the same due-diligence standard to every shortlisted provider, including SOS.
TL;DR: Which EOR is best?
| Hiring requirement | Providers to compare |
| Philippines-only or Philippines-heavy team | Smart Outsourcing Solution |
| Employees across several countries | Deel or Remote |
| Enterprise payroll and workforce consolidation | Papaya Global |
| Employees, contractors and contingent workers | CXC Global |
| Philippines-focused administration fee | Compare SOS with the complete employment cost |
For a regulated financial-services company, price should be considered alongside legal-employer transparency, payroll evidence, privacy controls, security, audit rights, relevant experience, continuity and exit support.
What does “best EOR” mean for an Australian financial services company?
“Best” does not necessarily mean the cheapest provider or the provider with the largest global platform.
For this type of hiring, the best EOR is the provider that can supply sufficient evidence for the company’s:
- Philippine employment requirements
- Payroll and statutory obligations
- Privacy and security requirements
- Financial-services governance
- Employee screening and role suitability
- System-access controls
- Incident and continuity requirements
- Reporting and audit needs
- Transition and exit arrangements
A provider should be able to explain who legally employs the workers, where employee and company data is processed, which subcontractors are used and how the Australian company can monitor and manage the arrangement.
Quick provider comparison
Prices, country coverage and service scope can change. Buyers should confirm all information directly with each provider.
| Provider | May suit | Main advantage | May be less suitable when |
| Smart Outsourcing Solution | Philippines-focused teams | Local employment and payroll support with a published US$190 administration fee | The company requires one global EOR platform across many countries |
| Deel | Multi-country hiring | Broad international employment platform | Philippines-specific support and local cost efficiency are the main priorities |
| Remote | Multi-country and remote-first teams | Global HR and EOR workflows | The company wants a Philippines-focused provider |
| Papaya Global | Enterprise payroll consolidation | International payroll and workforce reporting | A smaller team needs direct local support |
| CXC Global | Employee, contractor and contingent-workforce programmes | Wider workforce-management capability | Public price certainty is important |
For a structured comparison, use the Australian Financial Services EOR Vendor Scorecard to assess every provider against the same evidence standard.
Smart Outsourcing Solution: Best suited to Philippines-focused teams
Smart Outsourcing Solution may be a strong fit for Australian companies building a dedicated team mainly in the Philippines.
SOS supports the local employment layer through:
- Philippine employment contracts
- Employee records
- Payroll administration
- Statutory contributions
- 13th-month pay
- Final pay processing
- HMO and benefits enrolment, where applicable
- HR guidance
- Onboarding and offboarding
- Labour-law administration
- Human support throughout the employment relationship
SOS publishes a flat EOR administration fee of US$190 per employee per month. The complete employment cost should also account for:
- Employee salary
- Employer statutory costs
- 13th-month-pay accrual
- Benefits and allowances
- Equipment
- Approved pass-through expenses
See the complete Philippines EOR pricing and inclusions before comparing total employment costs.
SOS may be less suitable when the buyer needs a single global platform across many countries, highly centralised international reporting or broad multi-country employment coverage.
Before appointment, buyers should request SOS’s:
- Philippine legal-employer details
- Employment documentation
- Payroll and statutory evidence
- Data-processing information
- Security and access-control details
- Incident-reporting process
- Business-continuity arrangements
- Relevant client references
- Employee and data-exit process
Regulatory and data checks
| Area | What the EOR may support | What remains with the Australian company |
| AFSL and ASIC governance | Employment records, reporting, escalation and audit support | Licence obligations, supervision, approvals and governance |
| APP 8 and OAIC privacy | Data-processing terms, access restrictions, data locations and subprocessor information | Privacy assessments and decisions about overseas data access |
| AUSTRAC and AML/CTF | Screening, training records, confidentiality and escalation support | AML/CTF programme, reporting and legal responsibility |
| Philippine employment compliance | Contracts, payroll, statutory administration and employee records | Provider oversight and access management |
| CPS 230 and operational risk | Continuity information, incident procedures, subcontractor details and exit support | Materiality assessment, provider governance and APRA obligations |
For role boundaries and retained Australian responsibilities, read the AFSL compliance guide for Philippines teams.
For data handling, access controls and security requirements, see Data, Security and Employment Compliance for Australian Finance Teams in the Philippines.
APRA-regulated organisations should also review CPS 230 and Offshore Teams in the Philippines before deciding whether the arrangement is material.
What roles can Australian financial-services companies hire in the Philippines?
Common roles include paraplanners, client services officers, financial planning administrators, mortgage and loan-processing staff, bookkeepers, accounting support staff, finance assistants, compliance administrators, audit-support staff and data or reporting analysts.
The Australian company must define permitted tasks, required supervision, system access, data restrictions, approval requirements, client-contact boundaries and quality-assurance procedures. For role design, workflow planning and team structure, see How Australian Financial Services Companies Build Offshore Teams in the Philippines.
What evidence should an EOR provide before appointment?
Before selecting a provider, request:
- Philippine legal-employer identity and registration evidence
- Sample employment agreement
- Sample payroll register and payslip
- Evidence of SSS, PhilHealth, Pag-IBIG and applicable BIR handling
- 13th-month-pay calculation and payment evidence
- Data locations and subprocessor details
- Access-control and activity-logging information
- Incident-notification process
- Business-continuity and recovery arrangements
- Relevant client references
- Audit and reporting rights
- Data-return and access-removal procedures
- Employee-transition and offboarding process
- Complete fee schedule and written commercial terms
For the specific payroll documents to request, see the Philippines Payroll Compliance Proof Pack.
For a broader provider review, use the Philippines EOR Due-Diligence Checklist and Scorecard.
Weighted EOR vendor scorecard
Rate every provider from 0 to 5 based on the evidence supplied:
- 0: No response or unacceptable control
- 1: Verbal claim without evidence
- 2: Partial or outdated evidence
- 3: Adequate documented control
- 4: Strong control with current supporting evidence
- 5: Mature, tested and independently verified control
| Category | Weight |
| Philippine employment compliance | 10% |
| AFSL and ASIC governance | 15% |
| APP 8 and OAIC privacy | 15% |
| Security and data access | 15% |
| AUSTRAC support, where applicable | 10% |
| Payroll evidence | 10% |
| Screening and role suitability | 8% |
| Subcontractor transparency | 5% |
| Continuity and incident response | 7% |
| Transition and exit support | 5% |
| Total | 100% |
A high score should not override a critical red flag.
Critical EOR red flags
Do not approve a provider until these issues are resolved:
- The Philippine legal employer is unclear
- Registration or employment evidence cannot be supplied
- Local partners or subprocessors are undisclosed
- Contractual audit rights are absent
- Offshore system access cannot be logged or reviewed
- Data locations are unclear
- Incident-notification timeframes are undefined
- Payroll and statutory evidence cannot be provided
- Staff screening is not matched to role sensitivity
- Business-continuity procedures are undocumented
- Relevant client references cannot be supplied
- Exit, data-return or access-removal procedures are unclear
Questions to ask before selecting an EOR
Ask each shortlisted provider:
- Which Philippine entity will legally employ our staff?
- Can you provide registration and employer evidence?
- Which functions are performed by partners or subprocessors?
- Can you provide references from Australian financial-services clients?
- Which financial-services roles have you supported?
- Can we review sample payroll and statutory evidence?
- How is offshore access approved, logged and removed?
- What is your incident-notification timeframe?
- Can the service and supporting records be audited?
- How do you support APP 8 assessments?
- How do you support AML/CTF training and escalation, where applicable?
- When was your continuity plan last tested?
- How are employees and data transferred at exit?
- What fees, deposits, minimum terms or FX costs apply?
Use the Philippines EOR RFP Template to send the same questions to every shortlisted provider.
Frequently asked questions
Which EOR providers are best for Australian financial-services companies hiring in the Philippines?
There is no universal best EOR. SOS may suit companies hiring mainly in the Philippines and prioritising local employment support and a published US$190 monthly administration fee. Deel and Remote may suit multi-country hiring, Papaya Global may suit enterprise payroll consolidation, and CXC Global may suit broader contingent-workforce programmes.
The final decision should be based on verified employment, payroll, privacy, security, governance and exit evidence.
Is SOS an AFSL compliance solution?
No. SOS can support Philippine employment administration, payroll, HR documentation and related operational processes. The Australian business remains responsible for AFSL obligations, ASIC governance, supervision, privacy decisions, regulated activities and risk management.
Can an EOR support APP 8 requirements?
An EOR can provide information and controls that support an APP 8 assessment, including data-processing terms, access restrictions, data locations, subprocessor details and breach-notification procedures. The Australian entity must still assess its own overseas data disclosures and privacy obligations.
Who remains responsible for AUSTRAC obligations when work is outsourced?
The Australian reporting entity remains responsible for its AML/CTF obligations. An EOR may support screening, training, confidentiality and escalation processes, but outsourcing does not transfer legal responsibility.
What should a financial-services company ask an EOR before signing?
Ask who legally employs the workers, where data is processed, which subprocessors are used, how access is controlled and logged, how incidents are reported, what payroll evidence is available, whether audit rights are included and how employees and data are transferred at exit.
Is a local or global EOR better?
A Philippines-focused EOR may suit companies hiring mainly in the Philippines and prioritising local support and cost efficiency. A global EOR may be more suitable when the company needs one platform across several countries. Both should be assessed against the same evidence standard.
Compare your EOR options with a role-by-role quote
Smart Outsourcing Solution supports Australian companies hiring dedicated employees in the Philippines through local employment, payroll administration, statutory handling and HR support.
Request a role-by-role assessment covering:
- Employment structure
- Payroll evidence
- Data and security controls
- Role requirements
- Transition planning
- Total employment cost
Contact Smart Outsourcing Solution to discuss your Philippines hiring model and EOR requirements.
Disclaimer: This guide is for general information and procurement planning. It does not constitute legal, regulatory, privacy, tax, employment or financial advice. Provider prices, coverage and commercial terms can change. Obtain advice relevant to your licence, services, data flows and outsourcing arrangements.
