Payroll software agency reviews: Azets, MHR, Moorepay and LivePay compared

What to take away

None of the four publishes a rate card, so each fee needs a written quote.
Azets, MHR, Moorepay and LivePay cite accreditations, but a badge covers a defined entity or operation, not every product.
LivePay is the only one naming a pricing unit, an all-inclusive price per payslip, with no figure stated.
The employer stays legally responsible for PAYE after outsourcing.
No winner is named here; later sections set out what a live test must prove.

How the four compare at a glance

Provider records were checked on 5 September 2026. Confirm each accreditation directly, and widen your shortlist using six payroll providers sorted by the employer each suits.

Delivery model

Azets: Managed payroll within wider accountancy support
MHR: Managed payroll plus bureau, pensions and emergency cover
Moorepay: Shared platform with a service team
LivePay: All-inclusive managed service

Stated accreditation

Azets: CIPP Payroll Assurance Scheme, information security
MHR: CIPP and IPASS credentials
Moorepay: PAS, HMRC recognition, stated accuracy rate
LivePay: Payroll Assurance Scheme, Bacs approved bureau

Pricing basis

Azets: Quote only
MHR: Quote only, banded by headcount
Moorepay: Quote by tier
LivePay: Stated price per payslip, no rate published

Likely fit

Azets: Multi-site employers wanting national coverage
MHR: Larger employers needing fallback capacity
Moorepay: Employers willing to enter data in-platform
LivePay: Smaller employers wanting a service

Azets: managed scope for multi-site employers

Azets describes end-to-end processing, RTI submissions, Bacs payments, automatic enrolment, statutory calculations, payslips and portals. It states CIPP Payroll Assurance Scheme and information-security accreditation. Supplier figures cover client numbers and payslips processed, but no fee is published, so pricing requires a quote.

Who this suits: multi-site employers that want managed payroll inside a wider accountancy relationship.

MHR: bureau, pensions and emergency cover

MHR presents managed payroll alongside bureau processing, pensions administration and emergency-payroll cover. Its page states CIPP and IPASS credentials and makes large workforce and accuracy claims. Ask which legal entity, geography, period and error definition each figure covers. Expect a quote banded by headcount rather than a published rate.

Who this suits: larger, complex employers that need fallback processing capacity as much as a monthly run.

Moorepay: shared platform with a service team

Moorepay lists employer data entry, expert validation, processing, documents, reporting, year-end work and employee payments. It states UK support, HMRC recognition, PAS accreditation and an accuracy percentage, and quotes by service tier. Check what the quoted tier includes and what the stated accuracy rate counts.

Who this suits: employers with a payroll administrator who wants to keep control of input.

LivePay: all-inclusive per-payslip service

LivePay describes an all-inclusive price per payslip covering employee documents, management reporting, automatic-enrolment activity and a cloud portal. Its accreditation page states Payroll Assurance Scheme and Bacs approved bureau status. It is the only one of the four whose public copy names a pricing unit, and no rate is published.

Who this suits: smaller and mid-sized employers that want a service rather than standalone software.

Implementation, cut-off and service levels

Managed payroll goes live in phases: contract and data mapping, a parallel run, then cutover at a pay-period boundary. None of the four publishes standard go-live timelines or service credits, so fix both terms in the contract before anyone is paid.

Ask for the go-live date in writing, the named owner of each cut-off, and the credit payable when a pay date slips.

Map every pay element and pension scheme to the provider template.
Run one full pay period in parallel and reconcile gross to net line by line.
Agree cut-off times, approval routes and who submits the Bacs file.
Test the exit by requesting a sample export and a deletion certificate.

Why no winner is named at desk stage

Provider pages are authoritative for what each business claims, not proof of accuracy or compliance. A badge may cover one legal entity rather than every product, and supplier testimonials are selected evidence. Check the delivery entity at Companies House before treating a claim as corporate-level.

HMRC's guidance on choosing payroll confirms the employer keeps legal responsibility for PAYE tasks, including returns the bureau files. Under the UK GDPR the employer is normally the controller and the provider the processor, so transfer, audit and retention terms come into scope through the ICO's GDPR guide.

Fees are usually built from employee bands, pay frequency and off-cycle runs rather than a headline rate, as how payroll software pricing works explains. A final review needs a named payroll-competent tester, identical cases and dated findings. Shortlist on operating fit, then demand evidence.

Common questions

Which of the four suits a small employer?

On published scope, LivePay's per-payslip model fits employers with no in-house payroll team, while Azets and Moorepay fit those wanting accountancy or platform support. This page ranks none of them.

Can I trust the published accuracy percentages?

Not as printed. Each percentage is a supplier assertion until the method, population, period and error definition are disclosed. Treat a stated accuracy rate as a question for the procurement meeting.

What will outsourced payroll cost?

None of the four publishes a rate card. Expect a quote banded by headcount and pay frequency, with off-cycle runs, integrations, year-end work and implementation priced separately.

Who is liable when a pay run goes wrong?

The employer. Legal duties and any penalties for late or wrong submissions stay with the business, not the bureau, even though the provider operates the software and files the return.