HOW TO HIRE · BUSINESS & PROFESSIONAL

How to hire payroll service in Ireland
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

A payroll service in Ireland costs €5–€20 per employee, typically around €10. Here is how to check that in a minute, what to ask before you book, and what you must be handed when the job is done.

  • Search and compare — no account needed
  • Nearest to you first
  • One score from Google, Trustpilot and Locufy reviews

THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring payroll service in five steps

  1. Are you a trader, and can I see that in writing?No register covers payroll service work, so trader status is what your consumer rights hang on — reporting and Analytics — payroll providers can generate reports that help businesses understand labor costs and employee performance.
  2. How does size of your business change the price?Bigger work usually means more than one visit. — ask before the quote rather than after.
  3. How does number of employees change the price?More to cover means a longer booking. — ask before the quote rather than after.
  4. How does complexity of payroll requirements change the price?It affects how many people are needed on the day. — ask before the quote rather than after.
  5. What is not included?Employee Records Management — payroll services often involve maintaining detailed records of employee information, including salaries, benefits, and tax information — get the exclusions named in the quote, because a payroll service job is priced on what was agreed and not on what was assumed.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

THE TERM 'ACCOUNTANT' IS NOT PROTECTED — anyone may use it, which surprises most people. What is checkable is membership of a professional body (Chartered Accountants Ireland, ACCA, CPA Ireland), each of which maintains a searchable member list, requires professional indemnity insurance and gives you a complaints route. An agent filing on your behalf also needs an agent registration with the tax authority.

Look for the trader badge and the ID-checked badge on the Locufy profile — both are checked by us, not claimed by the provider.

What to check instead

Which professional body, and their member number — then check it on that body's own register; Professional indemnity insurance and its limit; Their agent registration, if they will file for you; Who does the work and who reviews it; The fee basis: fixed, hourly, or per return, and what is outside it; What you are responsible for providing, and by when.

Ask for each of these before you agree a price, and get the answers in the same message as the quote.

Insurance

Expect professional indemnity insurance, which the professional bodies require. From a company, ask for the insurer, the limit and the VAT number, and ask who actually attends: the team that turns up may be employed, subcontracted or both, and only one of those is supervised by the firm you are paying.

Ask to see the current certificate of insurance — the insurer's name, the limit and the date it runs to.

Trader or private seller

Under the Consumer Rights Act 2022 a trader must tell you they are a trader, and your consumer rights — work carried out with reasonable skill and care, and a cooling-off period on a contract agreed in your home or online — apply to traders and not to private sellers. On Locufy the trader status is shown on the profile.

Look for the trader badge on the Locufy profile, and ask anyone else for it in writing before you agree a price.

VAT

VAT at 23%, the standard rate Revenue publishes for this service. Ask whether the price you were given includes it. A trader under the €42,500 registration threshold does not charge it; one over it must, and must show it separately.

Ask whether the figure you were given includes it, and for the VAT number if they are registered — Revenue publishes the rate for this service. revenue.ie →

“Are you a trader, and can I see that in writing?”

A good answer: No register covers payroll service work, so trader status is what your consumer rights hang on — reporting and Analytics — payroll providers can generate reports that help businesses understand labor costs and employee performance.

“How does size of your business change the price?”

A good answer: Bigger work usually means more than one visit. — ask before the quote rather than after.

“How does number of employees change the price?”

A good answer: More to cover means a longer booking. — ask before the quote rather than after.

“How does complexity of payroll requirements change the price?”

A good answer: It affects how many people are needed on the day. — ask before the quote rather than after.

“What is not included?”

A good answer: Employee Records Management — payroll services often involve maintaining detailed records of employee information, including salaries, benefits, and tax information — get the exclusions named in the quote, because a payroll service job is priced on what was agreed and not on what was assumed.

“Who insures you, and what is the policy number?”

A good answer: Expect professional indemnity insurance, which the professional bodies require — payroll Processing — payroll services include the calculation of employee wages based on hours worked, overtime, and deductions.

“What do I get in writing, and when?”

A good answer: A written scope and a price before the payroll service starts, and an itemised invoice after — consultation Services — providing advice on payroll strategies, compliance issues, and best practices for efficient payroll management.

Getting the quote right

  • Size of your business — bigger work usually means more than one visit.
  • Number of employees — more to cover means a longer booking.
  • Complexity of payroll requirements — it affects how many people are needed on the day.
  • Size of your workforce — a compact job can be done in one visit; a large one rarely can.
  • In writing before anyone starts — a message on Locufy counts
  • What is NOT included, named
  • Who actually attends, and whether they are employed or subcontracted
  • The VAT number, and whether it checks out on the Revenue register

Walk away if

  • They will not talk about it: size of your business — bigger work usually means more than one visit
  • They will not talk about it: number of employees — more to cover means a longer booking
  • They will not talk about it: complexity of payroll requirements — it affects how many people are needed on the day
  • A price for the payroll service before anyone has asked the size, the access or the condition of what they are working on
  • Cash only, or a large deposit before anything at all has started
  • No written quote, or one that moves once the payroll service has begun
LOW
€5
TYPICAL
€10
HIGH
€20

What payroll service costs: €5–€20 per employee

The figures are for the job, per employee, and a quote for your own is the only number that binds anyone. Payroll processing and Tax compliance each carry their own band. Payroll Service price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

Payroll services near you, with the badges that matter shown

ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.

Or post the job free and let them come to you.

  1. Look firstSize of your business — bigger work usually means more than one visit — that is what the payroll service is judging on the first visit, and a price given without it is a guess.
  2. Agree what is being doneNumber of employees — more to cover means a longer booking — put in writing before anyone starts, because it is the document you both read back at the end.
  3. The work itselfComplexity of payroll requirements — it affects how many people are needed on the day — and anything found on the day that was not in that is priced before it is started.
  4. Check it togetherSize of your workforce — a compact job can be done in one visit; a large one rarely can — walked against the written scope rather than against the feeling of it, while the payroll service is still there.
  5. What you are handedThe itemised invoice and any guarantee on the workmanship and the parts, specific services required — a plain finish and a decorative one are hours apart.

Payroll Processing
Payroll services include the calculation of employee wages based on hours worked, overtime, and deductions.
Employee Records Management
Payroll services often involve maintaining detailed records of employee information, including salaries, benefits, and tax information.
Reporting and Analytics
Payroll providers can generate reports that help businesses understand labor costs and employee performance.
Year-End Reporting
This involves preparing and distributing necessary tax documents, such as P60s or 1099s, at the end of the fiscal year.
Consultation Services
Providing advice on payroll strategies, compliance issues, and best practices for efficient payroll management.
Call-out
A fixed charge for turning up, separate from the work itself. On a short payroll service job it is often most of the bill, so ask whether the first hour is inside it.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep the invoice and the paperworkAn itemised invoice with the trader's name, the work and the total — reporting and Analytics — payroll providers can generate reports that help businesses understand labor costs and employee performance, because it is what a buyer's solicitor, an insurer or a lender asks for long after the payroll service has gone.
Test what was doneEmployee Records Management — payroll services often involve maintaining detailed records of employee information, including salaries, benefits, and tax information — and something that does not work on the day is theirs to put right there and then.
Ask what the guarantee isOn the workmanship and on the parts, and for how long each one runs — they are usually different. payroll Processing — payroll services include the calculation of employee wages based on hours worked, overtime, and deductions — under the Consumer Rights Act 2022 what was agreed is what can be relied on.
Leave the reviewOnly a booked job can be reviewed on Locufy, which is why the score on a payroll service's card means something — consultation Services — providing advice on payroll strategies, compliance issues, and best practices for efficient payroll management.

STEP 1Say it in writing, firstSay what is wrong and what you want done. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2022 the work must be carried out with reasonable skill and care, and defective work put right.
STEP 2Use the make-it-right step on LocufyUnder four stars you are asked whether to send it to the provider first; we follow it through. Then review.
STEP 3Escalate to the body that regulates itThere is no register, so the route is the consumer body and, if needed, the courts.
STEP 4Small claimsSmall claims covers €2,000, once you have asked in writing and given them a chance to put it right.

Hiring payroll service: questions people ask

The cost of payroll services can vary based on the size of your business, the number of employees, and the complexity of payroll requirements. Additional services, such as tax filing and reporting, can also affect pricing.

The duration for processing payroll typically ranges from a few hours to a couple of days, depending on the size of the payroll and the efficiency of the provider. Generally, monthly payroll runs are quicker than weekly or bi-weekly ones.

Many payroll service providers offer same-day processing, but this may come with additional fees. It's best to check with your provider regarding their capabilities and any associated costs.

Yes, many payroll service providers offer bundled services, such as HR consulting or benefits administration. Booking multiple services can often lead to cost savings and streamlined processes.

Payroll services usually do not include HR services such as recruitment or employee training. Additionally, they may not cover non-payroll-related accounting tasks or financial consulting.

THE TERM 'ACCOUNTANT' IS NOT PROTECTED — anyone may use it, which surprises most people. What is checkable is membership of a professional body (Chartered Accountants Ireland, ACCA, CPA Ireland), each of which maintains a searchable member list, requires professional indemnity insurance and gives you a complaints route. An agent filing on your behalf also needs an agent registration with the tax authority.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in business & professional

How to hire: AccountantHow to hire: BookkeeperHow to hire: Tax AdvisorHow to hire: VAT ReturnsHow to hire: Self-Assessment HelpHow to hire: AuditorHow to hire: Financial AdvisorHow to hire: Mortgage BrokerAll 701 hiring guides →

Payroll services near you

Payroll services in DublinPayroll services in CorkPayroll services in GalwayPayroll services in LimerickAll payroll services on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. Revenue — agents and advisors
  2. CCPC — your rights when you buy a service
  3. Consumer Rights Act 2022
  4. Courts Service — small claims
  5. Revenue — ACCOUNTANTS' SERVICES — Standard rate
  6. Revenue — current VAT rates (effective 1 January 2026)
  7. Revenue — VAT thresholds: €42,500 for a person supplying services only