Outsourced Payroll

Looking for an outsourced payroll department

Didn't find your answer?

There was an excellent thread on here several years ago:

https://www.accountingweb.co.uk/any-answers/outsourced-payroll-function

I'd be interested in an update.

The long and short of it is I am setting up in practice and I don't have a huge amount of experience with payroll. I would like a partner to act like an inhouse payroll department - to the outside world they are part of the practice.

I would be happy with them contacting the clients direct - so long as they kept up the image that its part of the practice. I could easily provide them with an email account, or simply set to forward it automatically

I don't really want to get too involved in this aspect of the business but feel I need to offer it to provide clients with the expected service. The engagement would, however be with my firm and therefore I would be responsible

Certainly whilst setting up I would not want to employ someone directly for obvious reasons.

Anyone else done this? Who do you use? What should I look out for?

Msg me direct if you don't want to publically announce

 

Thanks in advance!

 

Replies (12)

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paddle steamer
By DJKL
26th Sep 2016 16:11

Not done this but I would be paranoid the party dealing with payroll would:

1. Screw up.
2. Fall out with my firm but hold all the data re a time critical function.
3. If a fellow sole trader fall under a bus and leave my clients in a time critical mess.

The risk is that if he screws up you are quite likely to lose the client in total, the client will consider it is your failing despite the facts.

Maybe I am a control freak but at the very least I would want ongoing access to all data files and would want to know that if push came to shove I could step in when an issue arose; not knowing how to do something and fully outsourcing it would make me feel very vulnerable.

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Logo
By marks
26th Sep 2016 22:54

I fully outsource payroll.

Know nothing about payroll or Auto Enrolment and not interested in learning about it. As long as it gets done properly and my clients happy with the payroll service then i am happy.

I used to use a company called rollpay. They are reasonably priced and act like your inhouse payroll person. They will set up a local telephone number that will go through to them and they will set up email account for client to forward payroll queries direct to them. Only reason I moved is their cost to set up AE at £500 + VAT I thought was high and would have difficulty recharging clients it.

We now use someone who does the same but is based about 20 miles from us. They are more expensive from a payroll viewpoint but we just recharge it on to clients. Their AE set up costs are a lot less expensive.

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Replying to marks:
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By Kylo Ren
27th Sep 2016 09:40

Rollplay looks interesting.
Anyone else had any dealings with?

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By NYB
27th Sep 2016 15:43

My husband has an accountancy practice. He is not too payroll literate. We have a payroll business under another name (incorporating the word payroll). This is run on a self employed basis by another person (she has personal clients as well). So no employees. It is a nice little earner actually despite her monthly fee.

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7om
By Tom 7000
28th Sep 2016 11:17

Just buy a copy of a simple inexpensive programme and run it yourself. It will take you 15 mins and you can probably earn £60 an hour doing it.

It will be fun learning the new product.

I would buy sage as its the one most people use, so when you take a payroll over you can just drop a data dump in it.

When I started I used to work it out manually and draft my own payslips...that was a false economy.

Failing that send them to me and Ill run them for you £8/ employee per run.

And looking at DJKL concerns:

1. Screw up.

Sure it happens but no ones perfect and its all about how you put it right. Also use professionals then less chance of it happening.

2. Fall out with my firm but hold all the data re a time critical function.

Probably if you didnt pay your bill. But you wouldnt do that and if you use professionals they wont do that.

3. If a fellow sole trader fall under a bus and leave my clients in a time critical mess.

There is that, no matter how remote, so use someone with back up...not a mum working from home.

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By Oppco
28th Sep 2016 11:16

I use a payroll bureau, Think Map Corporation Ltd. They do mine and also for several others. Run by three first class qualified payroll professional females. They deal with absolutely everything an employer is obliged to do. See their website!
PS I am a director and shareholder, but have never drawn anything

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By pauljohnston
28th Sep 2016 11:37

Before u do anything have a look at Money Soft Payroll Manager. YOu may cahnge your mind. Alternatively get someone locally who has done payroll to come to you workplace and do the payroll for a fee.

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By Suzanneg
28th Sep 2016 11:46

We run a white labelling service, we also have a fully automated automatic enrolment service including pension set up so we are very competitive on price.
If you would like to know more please get in touch.
[email protected]

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Freddie
By Slim Freddie
28th Sep 2016 14:08

I went to a talk by rollpay a while back at a conference and considered going with them when AE started for clients. Their prices didn't really allow me to make much profit though. Decided to do it all myself and lived to tell the tale. There are cheap, good solutions that are easy to use. Both moneysoft and brightpay get good reviews. Trial them both.

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By James_Paybureau
29th Sep 2016 12:22

Hi,

We offer a fully outsourced payroll system specifically for accountants.

We charge £2.00 per employee per month (minimum £16.00 per month)

Your clients could have a unique login to our system that can be branded with your logo and their employees could have access to their payslips 24 hours a day.

If you would like to find out more please send us an email to [email protected]. or give us a call on 01242573321 or visit our website http://www.paybureau.co.uk/payroll-for-accountants/.

Very best regards,

Paybureau Ltd

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Glenn Martin
By Glenn Martin
29th Sep 2016 13:48

Dont be so quick to outsource.

I would consider doing it in house or get a part timer in to do it on moneysoft or Brightpay.

AE is not the headache that people make it to be. The £500 set up fee the bureaus are charging will upset some clients but you will get very little benefit from it as the money goes to outsourcer.

Keep it in house for me.

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By Livepay
17th Nov 2016 16:47

We are a payroll bureau with over 35 years experience and are more than happy to have discussions with any interested parties.
Our pricing is simple and straightforward, an all-inclusive price per payslip which includes processing of:-

• New starters
• Leavers
• Calculation of SSP, SMP, holiday pay etc.
• Deductions from earnings orders, court fines, CSA payments etc.
• On-line payslips & P60's
• BACS payments
• Tax & NI disbursements
• RTI submissions
• Tax year end processing
• Operation of pension auto-enrolment
• Our help desk, staffed by experienced payroll professionals all qualified to CIPP Diploma standard

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