Zoho Payroll pricing, features & alternatives

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Zoho Payroll Overview

Zoho Payroll is Indian payroll software that calculates salaries, deductions and statutory contributions, then produces payslips, challans and reports. It handles the compliance pieces Indian employers deal with every month: EPF, ESI, professional tax, labour welfare fund and TDS on salary, with Form 16 at year end.

It is built for India first, and the free plan for up to ten employees makes it one of the few properly free options for very small employers.

Who Uses Zoho Payroll and Why

• Startups and small firms moving payroll off Excel or a CA’s spreadsheet
• Businesses that want employees to download payslips and submit investment declarations themselves
• Companies already using Zoho Books, so salary entries post straight to accounts
• Employers paying contractors alongside salaried staff

How a Payroll Run Works in Zoho Payroll

You set up salary components and templates once, then add employees with their structure, bank details and statutory IDs. Each month you import or sync attendance and loss-of-pay days, review the calculated payroll, approve it and export a bank transfer file or pay through a supported bank. Payslips go to the employee portal, where staff can also declare investments, upload proofs and track loans or advances.

Approvals and off-cycle runs, such as paying a bonus or a full-and-final settlement outside the normal cycle, start on the Professional plan.

Zoho Payroll Pricing for a 40-Person Company

At 40 employees, Standard costs ₹1,000 for the first 25 plus 15 × ₹40, or about ₹1,600 a month on annual billing, before GST. Professional and Premium include 50 employees, so the same company pays ₹3,000 or ₹4,000 a month with no extra headcount charge yet.

The practical decision is whether you need off-cycle payroll and approvals (Professional) or built-in leave and attendance (Premium). If attendance already comes from another HR tool, Standard is often enough.

Drawbacks to Know Before Buying

• India only: no multi-country payroll for staff abroad
• Leave and attendance are only built in on Premium; lower plans rely on imports or Zoho People
• Performance, hiring and engagement aren’t covered, so it isn’t a full HRMS
• Each additional employee adds a per-head charge on top of the base price

Setting Up Your First Payroll Run

1. Add your organisation’s PAN, TAN, PF and ESI registration details and the states where you pay professional tax.
2. Create salary components (basic, HRA, special allowance, reimbursements) and build templates for each grade.
3. Import employees with bank details, UAN and ESI numbers, and opening year-to-date figures if you’re switching mid-year.
4. Run a parallel month against your old process and compare net pay line by line before going live.
5. Open the employee portal so staff can submit investment declarations before the TDS projection is finalised.

Is Zoho Payroll a Good Fit?

It suits small and mid-sized Indian employers that want compliant payroll at a low, predictable price, especially inside the Zoho ecosystem. Companies wanting payroll and a full HR suite in one product should compare greytHR, Keka or HROne.