You have come to the right place if you are looking for a Free Payroll Software for your small business in the UK. With Payroll packages, time keeping and payroll information in one place, this web-based software solution will save you time, reduce your workload and increase business productivity.
If you’re running a small business, you might be looking for free payroll software that can make your life easier. There are a variety of forms you have to keep track of and with this free payroll software uk download, you can manage all the aspects of your business with ease.
HR.my: Best for Startups Needing Basic HR & Payroll Tools
Overall Score: 3.53 OUT OF 5
What We Like
- Feature-rich free HR solution
- Multilingual platform with free access to payroll, time clocks, and basic HR tools
- Additional paid features are only $5 per month
- Dashboard is basic and looks outdated
- User guide isn’t robust
- Limited customer support
HR.my Pricing
- Free version: Payroll software free for unlimited employees; includes free online storage
- Add-on: $5 monthly sponsorship that includes ad-free web accounts, early access to new features, additional online storage, and advanced email notifications
HR.my is a free multilingual HR software that is crowdfunded. The company works with those interested in translating the software into additional languages. It has basic payroll and HR features (such as employee information management, time tracking, and expense claims) that you can use for free.
Overall, it earned 3.53 out of 5 in our evaluation, with high marks for pricing and popularity. What pulled its score down is the lack of custom reporting and payroll tax filings. It also doesn’t offer phone support, nor does it have a support team. If you need help with a feature, you can visit its community forum and access its online user guide, which is more of an FAQ page but with limited information.
HR.my Pricing
HR.my is completely free, plus you get unlimited storage and can add unlimited employees. Unlike TimeTrex that collects fees through its paid tiers, HR.my has a crowdfunding campaign that you can opt to join. For a $5 monthly sponsorship, you get the following additional features:
- Early access to newly developed features
- Ad-free employer and employee web accounts
- Additional 3,500MB of file storage (or 6,000MB for an annual sponsorship) for employer accounts with every $5 unit of sponsorship
- Email notifications for HR.my managers in addition to those sent to the HR.my administrator
- More advanced email notifications, including for expense claims, leave requests, and announcements
HR.my Features
- Cloud-based software: If you’re always on the go, HR.my has a cloud-based system that you can access 24/7 and from any device (such as Windows and Mac computers, Android tablets, and the iPad). There’s no software installation needed—unlike TimeTrex’s free Community Edition that you need to download.
- Multilingual platform: Of the three free payroll software that we reviewed, only HR.my has a platform that is multilingual. While its default language is English, you can change it directly from the system and choose from 65 options that include Chinese, Korean, French, Spanish, Japanese, and Vietnamese.
- Feature-rich free HR solution: HR.my doesn’t only provide free payroll tools—you also get time tracking, PTO management, expense claim management, and self-service solutions for employees. However, it doesn’t have the scheduling and performance review tools that TimeTrex offers for free.
- Robust time clocks: Compared to TimeTrex’s free time clock, HR.my’s free time tracking solution offers more features, such as geolocation tracking, facial verifications of clocking in employees, and mobile time-ins/outs for field staff.
- Efficient pay processing: HR.my’s payroll tools are designed to simplify and automate employee pay processing. It has automatic pay runs and pay slips, and you can remit employee salaries through direct deposits or print paychecks. What it doesn’t support are payroll tax filings and year-end reporting—you have to fill out W-2 forms yourself.
HR.my’s Drawbacks
- Lacks phone support: HR.my doesn’t have a support team that you can contact via phone if you have questions or need assistance. You can access its user guide (but the content isn’t robust) and post queries on its community forum and then wait for other HR.my users or the system administrator to respond.
- Doesn’t file payroll taxes: Similar to TimeTrex, HR.my won’t pay and file payroll taxes on your behalf. Payroll4Free also doesn’t include this in its free services but can handle it for you if you pay $15 monthly.
SumoPayroll
SumoPayroll is a cloud-based payroll and HR management solution. It’s meant to streamline and simplify payroll calculations in as few clicks as possible, with support for attendance and employee information management, performance evaluations, and other accounting tasks related to HR.
The software supports standard payroll models based on prevailing rates and internal policies, but you can also create your own custom payroll model with your company’s specific requirements in mind. Apart from these, employees can access a self-service portal to file administrative requests, where managers can view, approve, and modify them as needed—all online, without launching any other application.
SumoPayroll is a friendly payroll solution for startups. You can enjoy a completely free plan for companies with up to 10 employees. This plan has all the features of the software and has no limitation or expiry.
Key Features of SumoPayroll
- Centralized employee information. SumoPayroll consolidates all employee information in one platform, where managers and employees themselves can access their data. Attendance, billable hours, and performance reports are included, among other things, for easy perusal.
- Custom payroll computations. SumoPayroll supports standard payroll models that comply with existing tax laws and internal policies. You can, however, create a customized payroll model based on your company’s specific requirements.
- Employee self-service portal. Paper files have gone the way of the dodo. Any employee can access a self-service portal to request leaves of absence, tax statements, address changes, and other administrative functions.
Capshare
Capshare, while not exactly a payroll software in the conventional sense of the word, allows shareholders to manage and analyze earnings from equity and stocks. This is particularly useful for startups as they can hire key employees using equity compensation. Capshare gives such employees and managers a way to consolidate all data regarding their equity and view them in one simple platform.
Properly classified as a cap table management software, Capshare allows users to see data they need about the health of their stocks. Managers can set specific permissions and access tiers to employees. Capshare also lets companies issue stock, accelerate computations, let shareholders interact with one another, and comply with any and all IRS equity regulations.
Capshare has a completely free plan. This is especially attractive for startups, as the software offers basic features free for up to 20 shareholders.
Detailed Capshare ReviewREAD MORE
Key Features of Capshare
- Easy shareholder management. Give value to your shareholders by managing cap tables, equity, tax and regulatory documents, certificates, and lawyers—all automatic and without a convoluted set of spreadsheets.
- Grows with you. Capshare is built to scale and adapt to your needs, whether you’re a startup or a multinational conglomerate. You can upgrade to Capshare’s more premium plans for additional features.
- Simplified record-keeping. Capshare can pull records and documents for each employee’s vested shares by creating a portal for each of them. If an investor asks for an up-to-date cap table, you can make another for them—with just the right kind of access.
Microkeeper
Microkeeper is a payroll software with an integrated time tracking capability that can fit the requirements of any industry. This software is designed specifically to suit Australian markets, although it’s also built to accommodate the policies of other countries and regions.
As an all-in-one payroll solution that combines accounting capabilities with time tracking software, employees can clock in and out easily and let the software calculate their billable hours and work. Administrators, meanwhile, can view their workforce’s performance and approve leaves and other requests. It simplifies timesheets and payroll procedures by automatically generating pay statement based on work hours rendered, breaks, allowances, overtimes, absences, and leaves.
Microkeeper has a completely free plan for one user. It contains most features of the Standard plan and features unlimited use.
Detailed Microkeeper ReviewREAD MORE
Key Features of Microkeeper
- Integrated solution. Microkeeper integrates payroll with timesheets, unifying the entire HR experience, so you don’t need to migrate data to and from separate software or use separate HR software.
- Consolidated information. The advantage of a cloud-hosted software is that any user, whether an employee or employer, can track payroll-related information anywhere they need to. You can monitor absences, timesheets, and confirm attendance—all in one platform.
- Complies with Australian laws and regulations. If your industry is based in Australia, you’re in luck with Microkeeper as it supports Australian tax policies out of the box. Otherwise, Microkeeper can also be customized to comply with the regulations of other regions or your company’s internal policies.
Payroll4Free: Best Overall Free Payroll Software
Payroll4Free | Visit Site |
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Best for smaller businesses that need the tools to do direct deposits and tax calculations by themselves, free of charge.
True to its name, Payroll4Free is a handy tool for completing payroll for free. If you are paying 25 or fewer people, your small business is eligible to access its basic services for free.
Even at its most stripped-down level, Payroll4Free still packs a comprehensive array of features that can take the hassle out of completing payroll. For starters, it allows users to pay both W2 and 1099 employees. The software also can print checks and calculate federal, state, and local taxes. Furthermore, users can export their payroll data to be integrated with accounting and banking software like QuickBooks.
Payroll4Free’s portal and reporting features let employers and employees alike keep track of sick days, vacation, and other PTO. Additionally, employees can print out their pay stubs and W2 forms off the platform, saving small business owners time and resources.
The platform is able to offer free service through paid advertising, which users will encounter periodically while using the software.
Pros
- Direct deposit and tax calculations are available as free basic services
- Basic service includes unlimited customer support by phone, email, and online chat if you hit any roadblocks.
- Customer data and information is encrypted.
- Provides preset tax forms for submission.
Cons
- Mac users will need to use Windows operating software since iOS isn’t compatible.
- Direct deposit through Payroll4Free’s own bank is not free
Payroll4Free Features & Pricing
Payroll4Free offers all of its basic services free of charge, which it achieves by hosting advertisements within its software for companies who pay them for their exposure. The free version of Payroll4Free places no limits on payroll or direct deposit processing and doesn’t require that you upgrade to a higher-tier plan to enjoy its basic features. Features that Payroll4Free offers at no additional cost include:
- Direct deposits and paper checks
- Tax calculations and required forms
- Time tracking for vacation and time off
- Employee dashboard portal
- Customer service
- Employee enrollment
The above basic services are for free for clients who staff 25 or fewer employees, although not all of Payroll4Free’s benefits are free.
Despite its name, Payroll4Free places two optional services behind a paywall. Employers that don’t want to deal with depositing and filling out payroll taxes themselves need to pay a $15/month fee for Payroll4Free to take care of it for them. However, Payroll4Free does offer free tools as a basic service that you can use to make this process easier.
If you don’t want to rely on your own bank to transfer direct deposit funds to your employees, you will need to pay another $15 dollars per month for Payroll4Free to complete these transfers using their bank. So, if you decide to opt-in for all paid services that Payroll4Free offers, you’ll be paying $30 every month at the very most.
Payroll4Free Summary
Payroll4Free is the best choice for small businesses with fewer than 25 employees that want an easy-to-use payroll application that gives them the tools they need to succeed. Free features like direct deposit and a self-service portal are absolute must-haves for small companies that need to invest in other areas of their business. Payroll4Free is the best overall payroll software choice for businesses that need basic features with a simple, easy-to-use interface.
Conclusion
Flexible free payroll software for UK small businesses. Whether you need to run simple monthly or adhoc/one-off payslips, or payroll reports and documents, Payroll-Software.co.uk can offer a solution for your payroll software requirements. We provide a range of solutions for both Mac and PC users including Sage 50 Payroll, Sage Payroll Express, Sage One, Xero & more – all available for FREE download!