Managing global payroll can be one of one of the most complex administrative tasks for organizations of any size. With multiple countries, each with unique tax regulations, compliance standards, and labor laws, how can businesses keep up?
The answer lies in advanced payroll software—offering more than just automation, it ensures compliance and scalability across all regions.
This guide highlights the top payroll software solutions for 2024 intended to help you streamline payroll and ensure compliance.
Top-rated payroll software and services
With so many solutions available out there, picking the best payroll software suited for your business can be difficult. To help you streamline, here are the top 15 payroll solutions for 2024, including both well-established and emerging players:
1. Multiplier
Multiplier’s platform offers a unified global payroll and Employer of Record (EOR) solution. With Multiplier, hiring international employees and staying compliant with ever-evolving labor laws becomes simple and quick. Businesses can manage payroll, taxes, and benefits for all their employees and contractors in 150+ countries from a single platform—and all without setting up a local entity.
Key features:
- Global payroll, tax, and compliance management
- Self-service tools for employees to manage leave and expenses
- Automated multi-country tax calculations
- EOR services to handle legal employment across regions
- Seamless integration with HR/Accounting workflows
- Detailed reports on salary disbursements, statutory filings, and cost analysis
Why they stand out: Multiplier’s excellent EOR and global payroll services make international employment and compliance as simple as it can get. The user-friendly platform, affordable pricing, and 24/5 customer support make it an ideal choice for businesses scaling or expanding globally.
2. Paylocity
Paylocity offers a cloud-based platform for payroll and HR automation, designed for mid-sized businesses. It automates payroll processes, tax filing, and employee management while offering flexible features for growing businesses.
Key features:
- Cloud-based payroll
- Automated tax filing
- Employee management tools
Why they stand out: With powerful features and an easy-to-use interface, Paylocity could be a good choice for growing companies.
3. Deel
Deel focuses on global payroll and compliance for remote teams, making it easier for companies to manage international staff. It focuses on simplifying payroll and ensuring legal compliance across multiple regions.
Key features:
- Global payroll
- Remote team management
- Compliance support
Why they stand out: Deel emphasizes its strong focus on remote work and compliance, suitable for organizations with global teams.
4. ADP workforce now
ADP Workforce Now offers a comprehensive payroll and HR platform with scalable tools for businesses of any size. It provides tools for payroll processing, employment administration, and compliance while offering scalability.
Key features:
- Comprehensive payroll services
- Employment administration and tax reporting
- Scalable HR tools
Why they stand out: Provides an integrated and scalable suite of HR tools tailored for businesses of all sizes.
5. Remote.com
Remote.com specializes in global payroll, benefits management, and compliance for companies with remote teams. It offers a single platform for managing teams and ensuring compliance with local laws.
Key features:
- Global payroll and benefits management
- Compliance support for remote teams
- Specialization in international employment
Why they stand out: Specializes in remote work and global payroll compliance.
6. Rippling
Rippling offers a unified platform combining payroll, HR, and benefits management for global organizations.
Key features:
- End-to-end payroll and HR services
- Global payroll integration
- Unified HR platform
Why they stand out: Rippling offers a unified platform that seamlessly integrates payroll, benefits administration, and HR management.
7. greytHR
greytHR provides payroll and HR solutions with a strong focus on compliance for businesses in India and the Middle East. It focuses on providing localized compliance solutions, making it a trusted platform for businesses operating in these regions.
Key features:
- Payroll and HR management for India and Middle East
- Compliance-focused solutions
- Localized functionalities
Why they stand out: greytHR is designed with an emphasis on local compliance and functionalities, making it relevant for businesses operating in specific regions.
8. UKG Pro
UKG Pro is an advanced HR and payroll platform designed to meet the needs of large organizations with complex requirements. It offers tools for talent management, employee administration, and payroll processing, focusing on data-driven insights.
Key features:
- Automated payroll
- Talent and employee administration
- Comprehensive analytics tools
Why they stand out: UKG Pro includes comprehensive features, analytics, and reporting tools, designed to cater to the demands of businesses with complex payroll needs.
9. Paycom
Paycom provides outsourced payroll and HR solutions with employee self-service features for mid to large-sized organizations.
Key features:
- Payroll processing
- Talent management
- Employee self-service portal
Why they stand out: Offers a comprehensive HR solution with talent management support.
10. Paycor
Paycor is a flexible and scalable payroll platform for businesses of all sizes. It integrates HR, accounting, and compliance tools.
Key features:
- Automated payroll and compliance
- Comprehensive HR management
- Scalable solutions for all business sizes
Why they stand out: Paycor’s extensive features and flexibility meet the needs of various businesses.
11. Workday
Workday Payroll integrates seamlessly with HR, time tracking, and financial systems, offering global payroll solutions for multinational companies. It offers a single platform for managing payroll across multiple countries, providing detailed analytics and reporting.
Key features:
- Integrated payroll with HCM and time tracking
- Centralized payroll
- HR data management
Why they stand out: Workday’s provides a comprehensive solution for multinational companies.
The United States is lacking 340K accountants
Discover how 2K US companies are hiring accountants
12. Zenefits
Zenefits simplifies payroll, benefits management, and legal compliance all in one place. It is designed for small and midsized businesses looking for an easy way to manage payroll alongside HR tasks.
Key features:
- Integrated payroll management and benefits tracking
- Legal filings automation
- Streamlined HR management
Why they stand out: Zenefits’ combination of payroll and HR features simplifies management tasks.
13. QuickBooks
QuickBooks Payroll automates payroll processes and integrates with QuickBooks accounting, perfect for small businesses. It helps them automate payroll, calculate tax, and distribute payments easily.
Key features:
- Automated payroll processing
- Integrated tax calculations
- Seamless payment distributions
Why they stand out: QuickBooks Payroll’s integration with its accounting software makes it convenient for small business owners.
14. Xero
Xero Payroll offers simple, cloud-based payroll designed for small businesses. It offers easy-to-use payroll management tools, compliance features, and employee self-service portals.
Key features:
- Cloud-based payroll and compliance
- Employee self-service portals
- Simple payroll management
Why they stand out: Xero’s user-friendly interface and cloud capabilities are ideal for smaller enterprises.
15. SurePayroll
SurePayroll is an online payroll platform that simplifies payroll for small businesses. It offers easy-to-use tools for payroll processing, tax submission, and compliance management.
Key features:
- Online payroll and tax submission
- Compliance support for small businesses
- Easy-to-use platform
Why they stand out: SurePayroll’s straightforward online platform is suitable for businesses needing a hassle-free solution.
Key features of payroll management software
When choosing the right payroll software, it is important to understand its core features. Here’s a breakdown of the key elements that good payroll solutions should offer:
- Automated payroll processing: Eliminates time-consuming manual payroll processes and ensures that payments are on time and accurate.
- Employee self-service portals: Allows employees to check their pay slips, make changes to personal details, and file tax records.
- Compliance with labor laws and tax regulations: Helps in maintaining tax payments through automation while keeping businesses compliant.
- Real-time data analytics: Provides valuable insights into payroll data in real-time, helping with budgeting and strategic planning.
- Expense and leave management: Integrates expense and leave data into the payroll system, ensuring an excellent experience for employees and HR teams alike.
- Automated multi-country tax calculations: Easily handle multi-country tax calculations, ensuring correct and on-time tax details.
Impact of Employers of Record on global payroll efficiency
Understanding and managing local labor laws, tax obligations, and requirements can be a huge challenge for businesses that hire international employees. This is where an Employer of Record comes into the picture. An EOR manages payroll, ensures compliance with local labor laws, and manages HR duties, enabling companies to expand globally without establishing a local entity. Its key benefits include:
- Hassle-free management: Manage payroll, and taxes, and meet compliance requirements for multiple countries.
- Cost efficiency: Reduce administrative expenses without going through costly and lengthy paperwork.
- Streamline onboarding: Simplify the onboarding process for global employees by easily managing their contracts and taxes.
Choosing the right payroll solution for your business
Selecting the right payroll software depends on your company’s specific needs. The following are a few factors that you should consider:
- Size of the company: Ensure that the software that you choose is flexible enough for the current size of the business and possible future expansion.
- Budget: Go for software that fits your financial budget and also meets your specific requirements, balancing cost with quality.
- Feature requirements: Search for software that offers features like international payroll management, EOR, and compliance tools.
Global payroll, simplified
Payroll solutions have evolved beyond just automating payments. It now plays a crucial role in streamlining global payroll processes, ensuring compliance, and integrating with other critical business applications.
Choosing a top-tier payroll software is important not only for automating regular tasks but also for supporting your business as it scales. Whether you are managing a small local team or a large global workforce, a robust payroll solution simplifies complex tasks such as tax compliance, benefits administration reporting, and much more.
Ready to simplify your global payroll operations?
Book a demo with our experts to learn more.
FAQ
Q. What’s the difference between payroll software and payroll services?
Payroll software allows you to undertake payroll administration activities in-house whereas payroll services offer an outsourced solution for payroll management.
Q. How does cloud payroll software work?
Cloud-based payroll software uses off-site servers that access the internet and can be updated easily.
Q. What challenges come with global payroll?
A few of the challenges that come with global payroll are managing multiple currencies, meeting regulatory requirements, and working around different time zones.
Q. How can payroll software help with compliance?
Payroll software minimizes legal exposure by performing automated tax calculations, tracking regulations, and preparing relevant reports.
Q. What is on-premise vs. cloud payroll software?
On-premise software is hosted locally on a company’s servers, hence having more restrictions and longer installations. Cloud payroll software on the other hand allows you to store the information remotely, offering more freedom and flexibility.
