Tools and providers
Part of Choosing payroll software and suppliers with HMRC evidence and scenario testing
How to compare payroll software suppliers on one English employer scenario
A method for comparing payroll software suppliers using one employer scenario, evidence dates, HMRC recognition checks, controlled tests and full cost.
What to take away
- Use one employer scenario, one evidence date and the exact product edition.
- Check the current HMRC recognised product list for each named product.
- Run controlled tests with synthetic data. Do not rely on supplier badges or this article as a test record.
- Score essential requirements before brand. A missing pay frequency can eliminate a product.
- Add licence, add-ons and implementation to total cost. Include parallel runs, support and exit.
Compare named products on one scenario
Reference scenario: one English limited company, 42 active employees, monthly payroll, variable overtime, directors, starters and leavers, one named pension provider, two approvers and an accounting journal export.
Payroll products vs scenario fit
Basic PAYE Tools
- 42 employees
- Fails
- HMRC recognised
- HMRC tool
- Automatic enrolment
- No
- Journal export
- No
- Pricing model
- Free
BrightPay
- 42 employees
- Likely fits
- HMRC recognised
- Yes
- Automatic enrolment
- Yes
- Journal export
- Yes
- Pricing model
- Employee numbers
Moneysoft
- 42 employees
- Fits
- HMRC recognised
- Yes
- Automatic enrolment
- Yes
- Journal export
- No
- Pricing model
- Annual licence
Sage 50
- 42 employees
- Suits teams
- HMRC recognised
- Yes
- Automatic enrolment
- Yes
- Journal export
- Check level
- Pricing model
- Bands/modules
HMRC's find payroll software guide prompts on payslips, pensions, pay periods and reports. The recognised product directory confirms online PAYE reporting for listed products. HMRC says it cannot recommend suppliers. Record product name and date.
Public facts
- HMRC Basic PAYE Tools
- Free HMRC tool. HMRC says it suits nine or fewer employees.
- BrightPay
- Desktop and cloud payroll. HMRC recognised. Automatic enrolment. Journal export. Free edition for small employers, paid by employee numbers.
- Moneysoft Payroll Manager
- Windows desktop. HMRC recognised. Automatic enrolment. Annual licence.
- Sage 50 Payroll
- Desktop with cloud options. HMRC recognised. Automatic enrolment. Priced by employee bands and modules.
- Xero Payroll
- Cloud payroll. HMRC recognised. Automatic enrolment. Sold with Xero plans.
- QuickBooks Online Payroll
- Cloud payroll. HMRC recognised. Automatic enrolment. Monthly plan plus employee pricing.
- IRIS Payroll
- Basics and Professional editions. HMRC recognised. Automatic enrolment. Priced by employee count.
- Access Payroll
- Cloud payroll. HMRC recognised. Automatic enrolment. Mid-market pricing.
- Moorepay
- Managed payroll and software. HMRC RTI. Pension administration.
- ADP
- Managed payroll services. HMRC RTI. Pension administration.
Scenario fit
- HMRC Basic PAYE Tools
- Fails the 42-employee scenario.
- BrightPay
- Likely fits if paid. Check director and overtime rules.
- Moneysoft Payroll Manager
- Fits 42 employees. Cloud approvals may need separate process.
- Sage 50 Payroll
- Suits established payroll teams. Check journal export level.
- Xero Payroll
- Suits Xero accounting users. Check approver roles.
- QuickBooks Online Payroll
- Suits QuickBooks users. Check overtime and director rules.
- IRIS Payroll
- Professional edition suits complex payroll.
- Access Payroll
- Suits integrated HR and payroll buyers.
- Moorepay
- Suits outsourced processing. Price per payslip or contract.
- ADP
- Suits larger employers. Contract pricing.
A table mixing a free micro-employer tool, bureau platform and enterprise managed service will look comprehensive while answering no practical buying question. That is why the scenario above fixes employee count, pay frequency and exports.
Separate statements from controlled tests
For each candidate, record the first-party feature page, plan, access date and exact claim, and mark it "supplier stated" until verified. Run controlled tests with synthetic data covering calculation and permissions, submissions, pension files, corrections and export.
If a feature needs an add-on or higher plan, show that in the result and total cost. Request written confirmation if a fact is only available through sales.
Score suitability and full cost
Weight essential requirements before product research. A missing required pay frequency can eliminate a candidate. A larger template library should not compensate. Keep usability, implementation, support, security and commercial terms as separate dimensions. The Pensions Regulator's software checklist is an independent prompt for pension tasks. Apply it to the named scheme and employer.
Full cost checklist
- Licence
- Implementation
- Training
- Add-ons
- Support
- Parallel runs
- Exit
Full cost includes licence, implementation and training. It also includes add-ons, support, parallel runs and exit. Compare identical contract terms and employee numbers. Show whether the price is per month, per year, per payslip or per employee. Include the work needed to produce the accounting journal export.
Inspect implementation and service capacity
Ask who configures the product, validates migrated data and investigates differences. Record the proposed timetable, customer dependencies and number of parallel runs. A supplier should explain what happens if acceptance is not reached before the planned cutover.
Implementation and service checks
- Who configures product
- Validate migrated data
- Investigate differences
- Record timetable and dependencies
- Number of parallel runs
- Acceptance before cutover
- Exercise support with technical question
Exercise support with a representative technical and payroll question. Note authentication, first response, escalation, resolution and evidence returned. Published opening hours are only one part of deadline readiness. Review tax-year maintenance and end-of-life communication. Ask how the vendor identifies HMRC changes, releases them, tests regressions and tells customers what action is required.
Publish limitations and conflicts
State that the comparison is a point-in-time assessment, not tax or purchasing advice. List products excluded, unavailable evidence, tests not performed and commercial relationships. Recheck recognition, tax-year support, integrations and price immediately before a decision. Disclose affiliate fees, reseller relationships, free licences, sponsorship or consultancy. Keep paid placement separate from editorial scoring. Apply the same source standard to every candidate.
Have a second reviewer reproduce decisive rows from the stored evidence. Where reviewers disagree, retain the underlying claim and resolve the interpretation before awarding a score.
Before you act
Before you act
- Set reference scenario with actual facts
- Record product name, plan, access date, claim
- Run controlled tests with synthetic data
- Show add-on or higher plan costs
- State limitations and excluded products
- Disclose affiliate fees and relationships
Common questions
How should a buyer set up a fair supplier comparison?
Use one employer scenario, one evidence date and the exact product edition. Replace example assumptions with the buyer's facts. Add every ordinary and boundary case the employer actually uses. A table mixing different service types will look comprehensive but answer no practical buying question.
What evidence should be required for each product criterion?
PAYE reporting: the exact product on the current HMRC list. Tax-year scope: a versioned product and test record. Pension workflow: a named scheme, task and accepted exchange. Migration: a reconciled year-to-date parallel run. Access: a role and audit test.
Support: channel, hours and exercised escalation. Cost: identical scenario and contract term. Exit: a complete usable export and deletion process.
How should supplier statements be treated during the comparison?
Record a first-party feature page, plan, access date and exact claim. Mark it supplier stated until verified.
Run controlled tests with synthetic data: calculation, permissions, submissions. Then test pension files, corrections, export.
If a feature needs an add-on or higher plan, show that and total cost. Request written confirmation if a fact comes only from sales.
