Requirements checklist
What to ask for when choosing software for payroll service providers.
A checklist built from how payroll service providers work, to print or save as a PDF and bring to any supplier meeting.
What the software should cover
Tick each one that matters to your business.
- Client-wise salary structures
- Attendance import
- Approval workflow
- Statutory files
- Arrears, off-cycle runs and settlements
- Employee self-service
- Compliance calendar
Roles that need their own access
Who logs in, and what each person may see or change.
- For the bureau owner
- For payroll processors
- For reviewers and compliance staff
- For client HR and finance contacts
- For employees of the clients
Reports to ask for
Ask to see each one with your own sample data.
- Runs by client and stage, with the approver still pending
- Variance between this month’s and last month’s salary, per client
- Contribution and withholding amounts due by authority and date
- Off-cycle runs and final settlements paid in the period
- Headcount, joiners and leavers by client
- Bureau fees billed against employees and runs processed
- Exports and edits to salary and bank fields, by staff member
Systems it may need to connect to
Note which ones you already run.
- SMS
- WhatsApp or other messaging
- Biometric attendance export
- Bank file formats
- Accounting journal export
Questions for any vendor
Put these to every supplier you are comparing.
- Can one login serve many client companies?
- What if a client sends attendance in its own format?
- How is a client’s approval recorded?
- Does it file returns with the authorities?
- Can it handle a leaver’s final settlement?
- Can it work out what to charge the client?
- Can our existing client data be brought in?
- Who sees salary and bank details?
- How do we get a figure for the work?
- Can we take our data out later?
- How long before the bureau runs a client month on it?
- What should the bureau gather before work starts?
Where the work usually breaks today
Circle the ones you recognise. They set the order of the project.
- Attendance arrives in every format
- Approvals drag to the due date
- Structures differ by client
- Proofs land in the last week
- Employees call for payslips
Prefer to talk it through? See the payroll service providers page.