Questions to ask when choosing a payroll provider

Choosing a payroll provider is a difficult task. Before you decide on an outsourced payroll provider, we recommend that you ask a number of questions of them and of your business to make sure you make the right choices. When choosing a payroll provider - ASK YOURSELF

1. Do you have more important business matters you could be focussing time and resources on than payroll?
2. What kind of service do I need? Bureau or fully managed.
3. What level of contact do I need?
4. How quickly do I need them to respond to queries?
5. Am I looking for improvements in service levels?
6. How complex is my payroll?
7. What management reporting would benefit my business?
8. Is there other important information I could gain from my payroll data?
9. How secure is my in-house payroll data?
10. What is my budget?
11. Do I understand all the cost implications?

  When choosing a payroll provider - ASK THEM

1. How can they streamline your payroll process?
2. Do they offer proactive support?
3. How often are they willing to meet?
4. Do I have a dedicated contact?
5. What Service Level Agreement can they offer?
6. What is their track record with organisations like mine?
7. What kind of culture do the have and can you work with them?
8. Where are the payrolls processed - within the UK or overseas?
9. Do they offer fully customised bespoke reporting?
10. And if so, is there an additional cost?
11. Can they offer any added value information such as absence tracking?
12. What is their security and disaster recovery policy?
13. What is their charging structure?
14. Are there any hidden extras or charges in addition to their ‘per payslip’ price?
15. What is the notice period if you want to leave
16. What is the minimum contract period
17. When you start with them what is the setup charge
18. What are the processes when something goes wrong
19. Are they BACS accredited?
20. Are they adequately insured in the event of something going wrong
21. Can they provide ePayslips should you need them

  Choosing a payroll provider is a process you need to get right. See our section on choosing a payroll service provider.