Sage Payroll review

Sage Payroll is the easiest recommendation for a typical UK employer because the compliance basics are in every plan and the price is published. Sage's UK page lists HMRC recognised compliance, pension auto enrolment and payslips on Payroll Essentials, Standard and Premium, and says RTI information, including submissions to HMRC, is sent electronically each time you pay your employees. Essentials costs £12 per month excl. VAT with 5 employees included, Standard £23 and Premium £34, and you can add employees in-product up to 150, starting at £2.40 per month on Essentials. The per-employee rate falls as headcount rises. Higher plans add HR features such as HR analytics, custom policies and workflows. Sage Copilot is built in to automate parts of the pay run and flag anomalies. Sage runs on Mac or Windows in a browser and on phones and tablets. The main limits are the 150-employee ceiling and the fact that the launch discount replaces the free month rather than adding to it.

Who it is for

UK small and mid-sized employers with up to 150 staff

Price

See vendor pricing (USD check pending). Sage's UK page lists Payroll Essentials at £12, Standard at £23 and Premium at £34 per month excl. VAT for 5 employees.

US price check pending. See the vendor pricing page.

Key features

• RTI information, including submissions to HMRC, sent electronically each time you pay employees
• Pension auto enrolment, payslips and HMRC recognised compliance listed on every plan
• 5 employees included, with the option to add up to 150 employees
• Extra employees from £2.40 per month on Essentials, £4.40 on Standard and £6.40 on Premium
• Sage Copilot assistant for automating the pay run and spotting payroll anomalies

Strengths and weaknesses

• Strength: Published prices for each plan and each employee band
• Strength: One subscription scales from 5 to 150 employees
• Strength: Employees can view payslips and documents through the app
• Weakness: Payrolls above 150 employees need a different Sage product
• Weakness: Advanced HR features such as HR analytics and custom workflows need Standard or Premium
• Weakness: The introductory discount and the 1 month free trial cannot be combined

Key facts

• Starting price: £12 per month excl. VAT (Payroll Essentials, 5 employees)
• Maximum employees: 150
• Free trial: 1 month on Essentials, Standard or Premium
• RTI to HMRC: Yes, every pay run

Where it ranks

Sage Payroll is No. 2 in our Best Payroll Software in the UK verdict.