UK BUYER’S GUIDE · 5 PRODUCTS
UK payroll software
Can the product complete and reconcile our actual UK payroll, including exceptions and changes after approval?
Compare UK pay runs, HMRC submissions, pensions and the controls needed to correct and approve payroll.
YOUR SHORTLIST STARTS HERE
Compare the options.
Highest documented score first. Fit adds up the 20 feature checks below, including AI, across documented plans. Entry prices may exclude scored capabilities. The upper end of a range represents unverified points.
5 of 5 products · Highest documented score first
| Product / good fit for | Pricing context | Documented fit | Next step |
|---|---|---|---|
BrightPay Cloud BrightPay Cloud Payroll teams or bureaux managing UK employers with repeatable submission workflows. | Request pricingOrganisation-specific quote VAT basis not stated quote | 70–100/100 documented fit70% evidence coverage | Details ↗ |
 Staffology Payroll by IRIS Teams automating recurring UK payroll and connecting HR or accounting systems. | £43.00organisation/month, 1–20 payslips excl. VAT monthly | 60–100/100 documented fit60% evidence coverage | Details ↗ |
 Moneysoft Payroll Manager Small employers or bureaux wanting broad UK payroll functionality without per-payslip pricing. | £95.00single-company annual licence excl. VAT annual | 45–100/100 documented fit45% evidence coverage | Details ↗ |
Sage Payroll UK Sage Payroll UK Employers wanting a defined entry package and connected HR options. | £12.00organisation/month, five employees excl. VAT monthly | 45–100/100 documented fit45% evidence coverage | Details ↗ |
 PayFit UK Employers seeking payroll, employee changes and help within one service. | Request pricingOrganisation-specific quote VAT basis not stated quote | 35–100/100 documented fit35% evidence coverage | Details ↗ |
Prices retain their original currency, billing basis and VAT status. Check the evidence and plan requirements before buying.
| Capability & demo question | BrightPay Cloud70–100/100 documented fit | Staffology Payroll by IRIS60–100/100 documented fit | Moneysoft Payroll Manager45–100/100 documented fit | Sage Payroll UK45–100/100 documented fit | PayFit UK35–100/100 documented fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Core workflowUK gross-to-net calculation5.0 points availableAsk in the demoCalculate a UK employee's pay, deductions and net amount with an explainable breakdown. | ✓ Supported UK pay and deduction calculations. 5.0 / 5.0 pointsEvidence ↗ | ✓ Supported UK payroll calculations. 5.0 / 5.0 pointsEvidence ↗ | ✓ Supported UK pay and deduction calculations. 5.0 / 5.0 pointsEvidence ↗ | ✓ Supported UK PAYE, NI and pension calculations. 5.0 / 5.0 pointsEvidence ↗ | ✓ Supported UK pay, tax and NI calculations. 5.0 / 5.0 pointsEvidence ↗ |
Core workflowHMRC RTI submission5.0 points availableAsk in the demoPrepare a pay run and show its FPS submission status. | ✓ Supported FPS, additional FPS and EPS. 5.0 / 5.0 pointsEvidence ↗ | ✓ Supported Scheduled HMRC filing. 5.0 / 5.0 pointsEvidence ↗ | ✓ Supported HMRC RTI submissions. 5.0 / 5.0 pointsEvidence ↗ | ✓ Supported RTI submissions. 5.0 / 5.0 pointsEvidence ↗ | ✓ Supported RTI submissions. 5.0 / 5.0 pointsEvidence ↗ |
Core workflowEmployee payslip access5.0 points availableAsk in the demoPublish a payslip and access it as the employee. | ✓ Supported Employee payslip portal. 5.0 / 5.0 pointsEvidence ↗ | ✓ Supported Automated payslip distribution. 5.0 / 5.0 pointsEvidence ↗ | ? Not verified Payslip output documented; employee portal not verified. 0.0–5.0 / 5.0 pointsEvidence ↗ | ✓ Supported Employee payslips and P60 access. 5.0 / 5.0 pointsEvidence ↗ | ✓ Supported Employee payslip access. 5.0 / 5.0 pointsEvidence ↗ |
Core workflowAutomatic-enrolment assessment5.0 points availableAsk in the demoAssess a new worker and inspect pension enrolment actions. | ✓ Supported Automatic assessment and enrolment actions. 5.0 / 5.0 pointsEvidence ↗ | ✓ Supported Pension administration. 5.0 / 5.0 pointsEvidence ↗ | ✓ Supported Automatic-enrolment processing. 5.0 / 5.0 pointsEvidence ↗ | ✓ Supported Automatic-enrolment assessment. 5.0 / 5.0 pointsEvidence ↗ | ? Not verified Not verified in the reviewed official material; ask for a demonstration. 0.0–5.0 / 5.0 points |
Core workflowStatutory pay processing5.0 points availableAsk in the demoEnter a statutory absence and inspect its payroll calculation. | ✓ Supported Statutory payments and reports. 5.0 / 5.0 pointsEvidence ↗ | ? Not verified Not verified in the reviewed official material; ask for a demonstration. 0.0–5.0 / 5.0 points | ✓ Supported Statutory pay types. 5.0 / 5.0 pointsEvidence ↗ | ? Not verified Not verified in the reviewed official material; ask for a demonstration. 0.0–5.0 / 5.0 points | ? Not verified Not verified in the reviewed official material; ask for a demonstration. 0.0–5.0 / 5.0 points |
Core workflowMultiple pay frequencies5.0 points availableAsk in the demoRun monthly and weekly schedules in the same organisation. | ✓ Supported Weekly through yearly schedules. 5.0 / 5.0 pointsEvidence ↗ | ? Not verified Not verified in the reviewed official material; ask for a demonstration. 0.0–5.0 / 5.0 points | ✓ Supported Weekly, fortnightly, four-weekly and monthly. 5.0 / 5.0 pointsEvidence ↗ | ? Not verified Not verified in the reviewed official material; ask for a demonstration. 0.0–5.0 / 5.0 points | ? Not verified Not verified in the reviewed official material; ask for a demonstration. 0.0–5.0 / 5.0 points |
Core workflowPayroll reports and reconciliation5.0 points availableAsk in the demoProduce a period payroll report and reconcile it to payslips. | ✓ Supported Customisable payroll reports. 5.0 / 5.0 pointsEvidence ↗ | ✓ Supported Custom payroll reports. 5.0 / 5.0 pointsEvidence ↗ | ✓ Supported Payroll and departmental analyses. 5.0 / 5.0 pointsEvidence ↗ | ✓ Supported Payroll reporting. 5.0 / 5.0 pointsEvidence ↗ | ? Not verified Not verified in the reviewed official material; ask for a demonstration. 0.0–5.0 / 5.0 points |
Workflow depthHMRC coding-notice retrieval5.0 points availableAsk in the demoRetrieve and apply a coding notice with a visible record. | ✓ Supported Coding-notice downloads. 5.0 / 5.0 pointsEvidence ↗ | ✓ Supported Tax-code notifications. 5.0 / 5.0 pointsEvidence ↗ | ? Not verified Not verified in the reviewed official material; ask for a demonstration. 0.0–5.0 / 5.0 points | ✓ Supported Tax-code and loan notices with audit. 5.0 / 5.0 pointsEvidence ↗ | ? Not verified Not verified in the reviewed official material; ask for a demonstration. 0.0–5.0 / 5.0 points |
Workflow depthPension provider submission route5.0 points availableAsk in the demoCreate or send the required submission for the employer's pension provider. | ✓ Supported Pension APIs and submission files. 5.0 / 5.0 pointsEvidence ↗ | ✓ Supported PAPDIS and pension APIs. 5.0 / 5.0 pointsEvidence ↗ | ✓ Supported NEST direct and provider files. 5.0 / 5.0 pointsEvidence ↗ | ? Not verified Not verified in the reviewed official material; ask for a demonstration. 0.0–5.0 / 5.0 points | ? Not verified Not verified in the reviewed official material; ask for a demonstration. 0.0–5.0 / 5.0 points |
Workflow depthCorrections after finalisation5.0 points availableAsk in the demoCorrect a finalised pay run and show the changed submission and accounting effects. | ? Not verified Not verified in the reviewed official material; ask for a demonstration. 0.0–5.0 / 5.0 points | ? Not verified Not verified in the reviewed official material; ask for a demonstration. 0.0–5.0 / 5.0 points | ? Not verified Not verified in the reviewed official material; ask for a demonstration. 0.0–5.0 / 5.0 points | ? Not verified Not verified in the reviewed official material; ask for a demonstration. 0.0–5.0 / 5.0 points | ? Not verified Not verified in the reviewed official material; ask for a demonstration. 0.0–5.0 / 5.0 points |
Workflow depthPayroll approval workflow5.0 points availableAsk in the demoSend a prepared run to a separate approver before finalisation. | ✓ Supported Employer payroll approval requests; batch requests unavailable. 5.0 / 5.0 pointsEvidence ↗ | ? Not verified Not verified in the reviewed official material; ask for a demonstration. 0.0–5.0 / 5.0 points | ? Not verified Not verified in the reviewed official material; ask for a demonstration. 0.0–5.0 / 5.0 points | ? Not verified Not verified in the reviewed official material; ask for a demonstration. 0.0–5.0 / 5.0 points | ✓ Supported Payroll review and approval. 5.0 / 5.0 pointsEvidence ↗ |
Workflow depthEmployee payment file or integration5.0 points availableAsk in the demoGenerate a bank file or authorised payment instruction from approved payroll. | ✓ Supported Bank files and Modulr. 5.0 / 5.0 pointsEvidence ↗ | ✓ Supported Payment-provider transfer integration. 5.0 / 5.0 pointsEvidence ↗ | ? Not verified Not verified in the reviewed official material; ask for a demonstration. 0.0–5.0 / 5.0 points | ✓ Supported Crezco salary payments. 5.0 / 5.0 pointsEvidence ↗ | ? Not verified Not verified in the reviewed official material; ask for a demonstration. 0.0–5.0 / 5.0 points |
Workflow depthMapped accounting journals5.0 points availableAsk in the demoMap payroll components to ledger codes and create the journal. | ✓ Supported Accounting API and CSV journals. 5.0 / 5.0 pointsEvidence ↗ | ✓ Supported Mapped accounting journals. 5.0 / 5.0 pointsEvidence ↗ | ? Not verified Not verified in the reviewed official material; ask for a demonstration. 0.0–5.0 / 5.0 points | ? Not verified Not verified in the reviewed official material; ask for a demonstration. 0.0–5.0 / 5.0 points | ✓ Supported Accounting connections. 5.0 / 5.0 pointsEvidence ↗ |
Workflow depthVariable-pay import5.0 points availableAsk in the demoImport hours or bonus values with employee matching and error handling. | ✓ Supported CSV variable-pay imports. 5.0 / 5.0 pointsEvidence ↗ | ✓ Supported Timesheet and payroll imports. 5.0 / 5.0 pointsEvidence ↗ | ? Not verified Not verified in the reviewed official material; ask for a demonstration. 0.0–5.0 / 5.0 points | ? Not verified Not verified in the reviewed official material; ask for a demonstration. 0.0–5.0 / 5.0 points | ? Not verified Connected leave, bonuses and expenses; general variable-pay file import unverified. 0.0–5.0 / 5.0 pointsEvidence ↗ |
Workflow depthCIS processing and returns5.0 points availableAsk in the demoVerify a subcontractor, calculate deductions and prepare the CIS return. | ? Not verified Comparison marks CIS available via separate BrightCIS; confirm the contracted product boundary. 0.0–5.0 / 5.0 pointsEvidence ↗ | ✓ Supported Verification, deductions and CIS300. 5.0 / 5.0 pointsEvidence ↗ | ✓ Supported Subcontractor verification and CIS returns. 5.0 / 5.0 pointsEvidence ↗ | ? Not verified Not verified in the reviewed official material; ask for a demonstration. 0.0–5.0 / 5.0 points | ? Not verified Not verified in the reviewed official material; ask for a demonstration. 0.0–5.0 / 5.0 points |
Workflow depthBenefits-in-kind reporting5.0 points availableAsk in the demoProcess a benefit and show the relevant P11D or payrolling output. | ✓ Supported P11D and benefit payrolling. 5.0 / 5.0 pointsEvidence ↗ | ✓ Supported P11D and Class 1A records. 5.0 / 5.0 pointsEvidence ↗ | ✓ Supported P11D and P46 car reporting. 5.0 / 5.0 pointsEvidence ↗ | ? Not verified Not verified in the reviewed official material; ask for a demonstration. 0.0–5.0 / 5.0 points | ? Not verified Not verified in the reviewed official material; ask for a demonstration. 0.0–5.0 / 5.0 points |
Workflow depthPayroll change and submission trail5.0 points availableAsk in the demoRetrieve the user, timestamp and submission receipt for a payroll change. | ? Not verified Not verified in the reviewed official material; ask for a demonstration. 0.0–5.0 / 5.0 points | ? Not verified Not verified in the reviewed official material; ask for a demonstration. 0.0–5.0 / 5.0 points | ? Not verified HMRC submission log; complete user-level change history unverified. 0.0–5.0 / 5.0 pointsEvidence ↗ | ? Not verified Not verified in the reviewed official material; ask for a demonstration. 0.0–5.0 / 5.0 points | ? Not verified Not verified in the reviewed official material; ask for a demonstration. 0.0–5.0 / 5.0 points |
AIAI payroll anomaly checks5.0 points availableAsk in the demoIntroduce an unusual pay change and inspect an AI-generated alert. | ? Not verified Not verified in the reviewed official material; ask for a demonstration. 0.0–5.0 / 5.0 points | ? Not verified Not verified in the reviewed official material; ask for a demonstration. 0.0–5.0 / 5.0 points | ? Not verified Not verified in the reviewed official material; ask for a demonstration. 0.0–5.0 / 5.0 points | ✓ Supported Copilot flags unusual payroll changes. 5.0 / 5.0 pointsEvidence ↗ | ✓ Supported Proactive payroll anomalies. 5.0 / 5.0 pointsEvidence ↗ |
AIAI payroll question assistance5.0 points availableAsk in the demoAsk a payroll question and inspect the answer and supporting context. | ? Not verified Not verified in the reviewed official material; ask for a demonstration. 0.0–5.0 / 5.0 points | ? Not verified Not verified in the reviewed official material; ask for a demonstration. 0.0–5.0 / 5.0 points | ? Not verified Not verified in the reviewed official material; ask for a demonstration. 0.0–5.0 / 5.0 points | ? Not verified Not verified in the reviewed official material; ask for a demonstration. 0.0–5.0 / 5.0 points | ✓ Supported Payroll and HR question assistance. 5.0 / 5.0 pointsEvidence ↗ |
AIAI employee or HR document drafting5.0 points availableAsk in the demoGenerate a payroll-related communication for human review. | ? Not verified Not verified in the reviewed official material; ask for a demonstration. 0.0–5.0 / 5.0 points | ? Not verified Not verified in the reviewed official material; ask for a demonstration. 0.0–5.0 / 5.0 points | ? Not verified Not verified in the reviewed official material; ask for a demonstration. 0.0–5.0 / 5.0 points | ✓ Supported Copilot HR document drafting. 5.0 / 5.0 pointsEvidence ↗ | ? Not verified Not verified in the reviewed official material; ask for a demonstration. 0.0–5.0 / 5.0 points |
“Not verified” means the recorded evidence does not settle this specific check. It does not mean the feature is absent. Read the scoring method.
Focus on up to three products →ASK BETTER QUESTIONS
Before you buy uk payroll software software.
What to look for
- Run a parallel payroll using representative starters, leavers and statutory absences.
- Reconcile gross-to-net, HMRC liabilities, pensions, bank payments and the accounting journal.
- Ask who can prepare, approve, reopen and submit each pay run.
What changes the cost
- Employees or payslips, employers and pay frequencies.
- Managed payroll services, bureau tools and payment charges.
- Pension connections, HR modules and historic-data migration.
What to watch out for
- A global payroll brand can sell a different UK product.
- Automatic calculations do not remove payroll-review responsibilities.
- Accounting exports and payment instructions are separate from successful money movement.
Common questions
Can a US payroll product be listed as UK payroll?
Only when a UK product with UK payroll functionality is documented; US tax forms do not establish UK capability.
Is HMRC recognition enough to choose?
It is a useful scope check. You still need to test your workforce, pensions, corrections, permissions and support.
Is autopilot payroll AI?
Not necessarily. Scheduled processing and fixed calculations are automation; AI requires separately documented behaviour.