Painting Business Software for Australian Contractors
Surfacely is built specifically for Australian painting businesses — metric measurement in m² and m²/hr, AUD pricing with 10% GST handled automatically, SWMS generation under the Work Health and Safety Act 2011, and Stripe payment processing for client deposits and final invoices. Free tier supports 5 buildings; paid tiers start at AUD $49/month.
What's built specifically for Australia
- SWMS (Safe Work Method Statement) generation. Locale-aware safe work plans referencing the WHS Act 2011, Safe Work Australia guidelines, and AS/NZS 1891 (harness), AS/NZS 4576 (scaffold), AS/NZS 4576 (electrical clearance).
- WHS Reg 291 high-risk construction work categories. Auto-derived from the project — fall >2 m, electrical proximity, asbestos (pre-2003), atmospheric (spray), road/railway proximity, confined space, hazardous materials.
- AUD pricing with GST. Stripe Tax adds 10% GST at checkout. Quote totals can be displayed inc-GST or ex-GST per client preference.
- Lead paint cutoff at 1970. Buildings built before 1970 trigger automatic lead-paint hazard with wet-method controls, P2 respirator, contained waste disposal.
- Asbestos cutoff at 2003. Pre-2003 buildings auto-flag for asbestos register check before any disturbance.
- Australian rate benchmarks. Validated 2026 AU rates: cost rate AUD $42–60/hr, sell rate AUD $72–110/hr, margin range 35–50%.
- Statutory on-cost defaults. 12% super (2025–26 rate), 5% workers' comp (NSW painting class average), 17.5% leave loading on annual leave, 20 days NES annual leave, 11 public holidays.
- ABN field on your business profile and clients. Australian Business Number captured on quotes and invoices for compliant tax invoicing.
- Emergency number 000. Pre-set on safe work plans for Australian businesses.
Pricing in AUD
Tier pricing is in AUD. Stripe Tax adds 10% GST at checkout for AU customers. Prices below are ex-GST.
Free
2 users, 5 free buildings, full feature access
Solo
1 user, unlimited buildings
Starter
3 users, unlimited buildings
Professional
10 users, unlimited buildings
Enterprise pricing for organisations above 10 seats: Professional base + AUD $25 per additional seat. Enterprise tier kicks in at 11 seats.
Production rates in metric
Surfacely's 8 speed steps display in m²/hr for Australian painters. The system default is Step 4 'Steady' at 15 m²/hr.
| Step | Character | m²/hr | When to use |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Intricate | 3 | Heritage cutting in |
| 4 | Steady | 15 | Standard repaint |
| 8 | Production (spray) | 35 | New-build production spray |
State licensing context
Painting trade licensing varies by state. Surfacely captures licence number on your business profile and displays it on quotes and invoices when configured. The painter's compliance with QBCC (QLD), VBA (VIC), Fair Trading (NSW), CBOS (TAS), Service WA (WA), CBS (SA), and ACAT (ACT) requirements remains the painter's responsibility — Surfacely does not validate licence status.
Australian features in the platform
- Simple measurement, real rates behind the scenes — the painter taps in length × height, the system runs production rate × surface formula × prep level × spread rate × cost-plus formula. Clean output, accurate underneath. Fast and right at the same time — the bridge between speed and accuracy that flat day-rates and line-item quoting can't deliver together.
- Mobile-first design — measure and track on your phone in the field, refine the quote detail on desktop in the office. The mobile app is the primary capture surface, not an afterthought.
- AI intelligence engine integrated throughout — photo analysis for surfaces and defects, voice transcription for field notes, auto-hazard derivation that catches lead paint risk on pre-1970 buildings, asbestos risk on pre-2003 buildings, and 10 other painting-specific hazards. The AI's job is to catch what the painter might miss.
- Homeowner self-scope portal — branded link the painter sends to leads. Homeowners walk through their property, capture photos, note conditions. Tire-kickers self-disqualify; serious leads arrive pre-qualified with data the painter would otherwise gather on Visit 1. Clever lead qualification disguised as a courtesy to the prospect.
- Surface measurement with formulas for 18 painting surface types — walls, ceilings, doors, windows, fascia, gutters, soffits, roofs, balustrades, stairs, and 8 more.
- Cost-plus quote generation with margin protection — sell prices never stored, always derived.
- Branded proposal builder with server-side PDF generation.
- Client portal for online quote acceptance, variation decisions, and invoice payment.
- Stripe Connect integration for accepting client payments.
- Crew brief with QR-code sign-off and locale-aware SWMS.
- 10-state project management pipeline.
- Offline-first PWA — works on site without internet.
- Multi-user team with 7 role levels.
- Permanent surface register — re-quote without re-measuring.
FAQ
What is the best painting software in Australia?
Painting-specific software with metric measurement, AUD pricing with GST, SWMS generation, and Stripe payments. Surfacely starts free with 5 buildings; paid tiers from AUD $49/month.
Does Surfacely generate SWMS for Australian painters?
Yes — referenced to WHS Act 2011 and Safe Work Australia. Auto-hazards include WHS Reg 291 high-risk construction work categories.
How much does painting software cost in Australia?
AUD $0 Free, $49 Solo, $79 Starter, $149 Professional. Stripe Tax adds 10% GST at checkout.
Does Surfacely work for painters in regional Australia?
Yes — offline-first PWA syncs when back in coverage. Regional rate benchmarks built into onboarding.