A Short Guide To Three UK Payroll Companies

Regardless of what type of company you run, it’s unlikely you started it with dreams of managing your payroll. From our experience, the majority of business owners tend to view it as a necessary complication. Your employees must get paid, tax filings have to be submitted properly and all the legislation complied with, but we rarely meet anyone that looks forward to completing payroll forms. It can be complicated and tedious, and what’s more, it distracts from your day-to-day operations. 

That’s why many people turn to dedicated payroll companies. Hiring a professional to handle your payroll means you won’t need to worry about the complexities of UK tax law, and you’ll have more time and energy to deal with running your business. 

Outsourcing is not for everyone, and some business leaders prefer to be completely hands-on and deal with things internally. If you’d prefer to let an external agency manage what can be a very complicated and time-consuming process though, how do you choose the right one? Which is the best payroll company in the UK?

Choosing A Payroll Service

The short answer is that it depends on what you’re looking for. There are different types of payroll services available, and you don’t want to wind up in a fixed contract where you’re paying for superfluous extras. For example, a cafe owner looking for someone to handle her tax filings won’t necessarily require full-service payroll. 

With that in mind, let’s take a look at three of the UK’s more prominent payroll companies. Please note that this isn’t meant to be a definitive guide. If we were to cover everybody, this article would be thousands of words long and there’s simply no way to get all the details in. This is intended to be a short guide that gives a brief overview of what’s out there, and what to look for. 

Payescape

The first name on our list is Payescape. This London-based company offers a fully managed payroll, HR solutions and online service. They’ve got an intuitive, cloud-based program and provide flexible monthly contracts. This makes them a good choice for small or new businesses, as they don’t tie you to a long-term commitment. 

Their pricing is very reasonable too; the fixed rate for their monthly managed service is £50 plus £3 for each employee. They’ve also got a decent HR platform and can be relied upon, even if you’re working with a tight budget.

Moorepay

You’ve probably already heard of Moorepay. They’re the largest payroll company in the UK and one of the best known. They have an outstanding reputation for customer service and provide lots of support for their clients. If you have any queries or experience any problems, Moorepay are very good at responding quickly. 

Like Payescape, their software is cloud-based and safe to use. The platform isn’t the most straightforward, but it does include several advanced features and they can go into a lot of detail if needs be. Moorepayare a bit pricier and probably a bit too in-depth for small businesses, but they’re a great choice for bigger companies with lots of employees to manage. 

MHR

Rounding off this trilogy are MHR, a family-owned business based out of Nottingham. They’ve been in operation since the mid-1980s and have a wealth of experience, but their biggest selling point is probably their software program, iTrent. It’s functional, flexible and can be integrated with third-party systems as well.

MHR are also capable of providing additional support if your company goes through a rough patch, which makes them a good choice if you work in an unpredictable industry. They’ve got a few big brand clients on their list, including Experian and Microsoft Azure, and are generally a very well-regarded company. Their mascot has lots of character too.

As we mentioned earlier, this isn’t meant to be a comprehensive guide and there are plenty of other payroll companies out there that are well worth investigating. Hopefully though, this short overview has given you some idea of what to look for in a payroll service. 

Here at Business Quotes, we are committed to helping you make the right decisions. Whether you run a neighbourhood garage, a local burger bar or a two-hundred-vehicle taxi company, we can find the right payroll service for you. Click on the option below and within minutes, we’ll find a suitable match.