What Southgate Salary Packaging Services does

Southgate Salary Packaging Services (legal entity: Southgate Financial Services Pty Ltd) is an Australian salary packaging administrator headquartered in Port Melbourne, operating as a subsidiary of the Southgate Group, which was established in 1986 as a consultancy and fleet management service specialising in the not-for-profit sector. The salary packaging entity launched in 2006 to serve not-for-profit, education, public health, government, rebatable, and private-sector employers with FBT-compliant salary packaging administration, novated lease vehicle management, and related financial services. Its core offerings comprise a Novated Lease product (a three-way arrangement financing vehicles through salary sacrifice with all running costs paid pre-tax), a complete salary packaging administration platform covering fringe benefits tax compliance and payroll deductions, and a Vehicle Management Program that handles lease payments, fuel cards, servicing authorisations, odometer tracking, and budget monitoring. Supporting products include Comprehensive Car Insurance via Vero, Extended Warranty Insurance, Financial Protection Insurance, Meal & Accommodation Cards and Everyday Purchases Cards via EML Payment Solutions, and a New Car Buying Service sourcing vehicles through a dealer network.

The company operates proprietary IT systems designed specifically for salary packaging administration, including automated compliance enforcement that prevents employees from establishing fringe benefits outside policy parameters, scalable infrastructure that implements legislative changes within 5-10 minutes, and 24/7 secure online portals for both employers and employees. Supporting technology includes integrated fuel card management with Ampol (1,800+ stations) and Shell (1,250+ stations), Mastercard-branded prepaid cards for meal entertainment and everyday purchases, and Apple Pay compatibility through the Southgate Wallet app.

Southgate generates revenue through multiple streams: annual subscription-style administration fees paid pre-tax per employee, fixed fees for novated lease vehicle management, insurance commissions (via Vero for comprehensive, extended warranty, and financial protection products), and transaction-based fees for additional cardholders ($2.50 per month per benefit). The go-to-market combines direct inside sales (phone, email, online enquiry forms), on-site employer presentations, and event-driven engagement through long-term sponsorship of ASBA and CSA conferences, supported by an Australia-wide dealer and fuel network for vehicle procurement.

Name

Southgate Salary Packaging Services

Legal name

Southgate Financial Services Pty Ltd

Website

https://southgatesalpack.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Southgate Salary Packaging Services is an Australian salary packaging administrator serving charities, independent schools, public health organisations, government, rebatable employers, and private-sector clients, providing novated leasing, FBT-compliant administration, and vehicle management via proprietary IT systems.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Salary Packaging Administration

NAICS

Payroll Services (541214)

SIC

Services-Help Supply Services (7363)

akta.pro primary industry

Payroll Cards & Salary Prepaid (FSAMANAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Corporate / Employee Benefit Car Subscriptions (THADACAJ)

Keywords

• Salary packaging services
• Novated leasing
• Vehicle management program
• Salary sacrifice administration
• Employee benefits management

Headquarters

HQ city

Port Melbourne

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Salary Packaging Administration Fees: Annual administration fee charged to employees for salary packaging services. Fees are paid pre-tax, are not subject to FBT, and do not contribute towards FBT Concession Caps. Single administration fee covers all fringe benefits regardless of quantity.
2. Novated Lease Vehicle Management: Fees for vehicle procurement, finance solutions, and ongoing vehicle management including running cost budgeting. Fixed fee structure with no hidden costs such as fuel card transaction fees, merchant fees, or account keeping fees.
3. Insurance Products: Comprehensive vehicle insurance, extended warranty insurance, and financial protection insurance offered as optional add-ons to novated lease packages. Insurance provided through Vero Insurance.
4. Meal & Accommodation Card: Additional cardholder fees of $2.50 per month per benefit for secondary plastic cards. Cards issued through EML Payment Solutions Limited.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Southgate Salary Packaging Services administers employee salary packaging arrangements for Australian rebatable employers, with novated leases as the flagship offering. The company also runs a Vehicle Management Program (covering servicing reminders, tyres, batteries, roadside assistance and end-of-lease disposal), supplies novated lease quote and new car buying services, distributes packaged insurance products (comprehensive car, extended warranty, financial protection), and issues card-based benefits such as the Meal & Accommodation Card and the Everyday Purchases Card.

Product overview

Southgate Salary Packaging Services offers a unified salary packaging administration platform centered on Novated Leases for vehicle financing. The core offering comprises salary packaging administration services with the Vehicle Management Program handling all Novated Lease aspects. Supporting products include Comprehensive Car Insurance (via Vero), Extended Warranty Insurance, Financial Protection Insurance, and payment cards (Everyday Purchases Card, Meal & Accommodation Card via EML). The New Car Buying Service provides vehicle procurement, while online Employee and Employer Portals provide 24/7 access. Additional add-on modules include a calculator tool and quote request system. The product suite integrates with Apple Pay, Mastercard, Ampol, and Shell fuel cards.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Southgate Group: Parent group containing Southgate Salary Packaging Services, Southgate Fleet Management, and Southgate Financial Services.
• Southgate Wallet App

Products and services

• Novated Lease A salary packaging arrangement where an employee's pre-tax income is used to finance and run a vehicle, including repayments, running costs and FBT. Available to employees of rebatable employers including schools, charities, public health organisations and government bodies.
• Salary Packaging Administration End-to-end administration of employee salary packaging arrangements on behalf of rebatable employers, covering setup, ongoing management, compliance with FBT and tax rules, employer reporting and employee support.
• Vehicle Management Program Ongoing management of novated lease vehicles including servicing reminders, tyres, batteries, 24/7 roadside assistance, proactive maintenance scheduling and end-of-lease disposal support.
• Novated Lease Quote Service Quoting service that allows employees to obtain pricing and structuring options for a novated lease through Southgate, including running cost estimates.
• New Car Buying Service Sourcing service that helps employees of client employers source and purchase new vehicles at negotiated pricing for use in a novated lease arrangement.
• Comprehensive Car Insurance Packaged motor vehicle insurance offered to employees of client employers alongside their novated lease.
• Extended Warranty Insurance Packaged extended warranty cover offered to employees of client employers alongside their novated lease vehicle.
• Financial Protection Insurance Packaged financial protection insurance product offered to employees of client employers alongside salary packaging or novated lease arrangements.
• Meal & Accommodation Card A salary packaging card product that allows employees of rebatable employers to use pre-tax income for meal and accommodation expenses in line with FBT concessions.
• Everyday Purchases Card A salary packaging card product that allows employees of rebatable employers to use pre-tax income for everyday purchases in line with FBT concessions.

Quantifiable outcome

• FBT savings through exemption or rebate concessions ranging from 24.91% to 100% effective reduction on packaged benefits within cap limits
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Vero InsurancecoreTechnology or IntegrationComprehensive vehicle insurance provider for Southgate novated lease vehicles. Policy designed specifically for lease arrangements with features including market value plus shortfall coverage, new car replacement within 3 years, gap cover included, and pay-by-the-month premiums. Insurance can be salary packaged through fixed monthly premium payments.
• EML Payment Solutions LimitedcoreTechnology or IntegrationProvider of Southgate Everyday Purchases Card and Meal & Accommodation Card payment solutions. Issues Mastercard-branded prepaid cards for expense payments and meal entertainment benefits. Available 24/7 card support through EML for lost/stolen cards (1300 739 889).
• AmpolcoreTechnology or IntegrationFuel card provider with over 1,800 petrol stations Australia-wide. Ampol Card accepted for fuel, oil, car wash facilities, and payment of servicing, maintenance and tyres at over 5,000 locations. Cards carry no monthly, transaction, or merchant fees.
• ShellsupportingTechnology or IntegrationShell Fuel Card provider accepted at more than 1,250 Shell and Coles Express petrol stations Australia-wide for fuel, oil and car wash purchases. Cards do not attract monthly, transaction or merchant fees.
• ASBA (Association of School Business Administrators)supportingGTM or Marketing PartnerLong-term conference sponsor and exhibitor. Southgate sponsors biannual ASBA conferences held at various Australian venues. Conference provides opportunity to meet existing clients and introduce salary packaging services to new prospects in education sector.
• CSA (Christian Schools Australia)supportingGTM or Marketing PartnerEvent sponsor and attendee at CSA National Business Conference. Southgate provides salary packaging services to 10 CSA network member schools as of 2012.
• Vehicle Dealer NetworkcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExtensive network of local vehicle dealers for novated lease procurement. Southgate obtains multiple quotations from dealers to ensure competitiveness and transparency. Dealers provide vehicles with all on-road costs included. Network includes authorised suppliers for maintenance services (Bob Jane T Marts, Bridgestone, Jax QuickFit, mycar, Tyrepower, O'Brien AutoGlass, and dealership franchises).

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• RemServ: Salary packaging and novated lease provider for not-for-profit, healthcare, and government employers across Australia. Part of Smartgroup, competing head-to-head with Southgate on employer contracts in the education and charity verticals.
• Paywise: Salary packaging, novated lease, and employee benefits provider operating across Australia with similar target employer verticals (charity, public health, education). Comparable product suite and go-to-market approach.
• Maxxia: Major Australian salary packaging and novated lease administrator serving employers across healthcare, education, government, and not-for-profit sectors. Closest direct competitor to Southgate on core salary packaging services and customer verticals.
• Eziway Salary Packaging: Australian salary packaging administrator serving not-for-profit, healthcare, and government employees with novated leasing and expense card products. Comparable scale and customer overlap with Southgate.
• Salary Packaging Australia (SPA): Specialist Australian salary packaging provider for the not-for-profit, education, and health sectors. Comparable service model with employer-direct B2B contracts and employee benefit administration.
• Flavorite Salary Packaging: Australian salary packaging administrator offering novated leasing and fringe benefits administration for not-for-profit and public sector employers. Overlapping customer base and product offering with Southgate.

Broad incumbents

• McMillan Shakespeare Limited (MMS): ASX-listed Australian group providing salary packaging, novated leasing, and fleet management through subsidiaries including RemServ. Broader incumbent with deeper capital base than Southgate.
• Smartgroup Corporation Ltd: ASX-listed Australian provider of salary packaging, novated leasing, and fleet management services through brands including RemServ and Smartsalary. Direct competitor to Southgate with broader product portfolio and significantly larger scale.
• FleetPartners (formerly Orix): ASX-listed Australian fleet management and novated lease provider. Comparable on novated lease administration though with a broader commercial fleet customer base outside Southgate's not-for-profit specialty.

Emerging players

• Emotiv (Salary Packaging provider): Smaller Australian salary packaging administrator serving healthcare and not-for-profit employers. Emerging competitor in the same employer verticals with potentially more limited geographic reach than Southgate.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/southgate-salary-packaging-services

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Southgate Salary Packaging Services