Scaling HR with Tech
Payroll management in a business is not just paying salaries. It involves the handling of associated sophisticated processes: tax deductions, compliance with laws, employee benefits, reporting, and secure management of data. For Indian companies with over 100 employees, manual or half-baked approaches won’t do. That’s where smart, scalable payroll software in India comes to the rescue.
As businesses grow, it is essential to invest in payroll software that simplifies compliance, automates calculations, integrates with HR systems, and grows with the company. In this blog post, we weigh best-of-breed solutions, list must-have features, and offer tips on how to choose the best payroll software in India for your business.
Feature Comparison Table: Top Payroll Software in India Enterprises
| Software | Key Features | Compliance Coverage | Integration Support | Best For | Pricing (Starts at) |
| TankhaPay | EPF, ESI, gig payroll, contractor compliance | EPF, ESI, TDS, PT, LWF | Attendance, HRMS | Enterprises & gig teams | Custom pricing |
| Keka | Advanced HRMS, payroll analytics | EPF, ESI, PT, TDS | Attendance, finance tools | Tech & mid-sized companies | ₹6,999/month |
| Zoho Payroll | Tax-ready payroll, employee portal | TDS, EPF, ESI | Zoho suite, GSuite | SMBs & Zoho ecosystem users | ₹50/employee/month |
| RazorpayX Payroll | Direct payouts, automated filings | EPF, ESI, TDS, PT | Razorpay ecosystem | Startups & fintech firms | ₹100/employee/month |
| GreytHR | Statutory compliance, multi-location support | All major Indian laws | HRMS, biometric, Excel | Large enterprises | ₹4,495/month |
| Pocket HRMS | AI chatbot, mobile payroll | EPF, ESI, LWF, PT | Tally, SAP, QuickBooks | Enterprises & HR teams | Custom pricing |
| HROne | Full-suite HR + payroll platform | EPF, ESI, PT, IT | ERP, CRM, Biometric devices | Corporates & MNCs | ₹85/user/month |
Top 5 Payroll Challenges Indian Tech Startups and Businesses Face
Even with robust expansion in the Indian business sector, payroll troubles are still a challenge. The below mentioned are the most troublesome ones that scalable software solves:
1. Manual Errors & Delays
Processing hundreds of employees manually leaves scope for errors in salary calculation, deductions, and payment. They undermine trust and productivity.
2. Complex Compliance Across States
With presence in multiple states, companies struggle to have varied provisions pertaining to professional tax, labor welfare fund, and leave law.
3. Excessive Administrative Burden
Every month’s processing of payroll, generation of payslips, and audit trails consume significant HR bandwidth.
4. Decoupling with Attendance and HRMS
Different independent systems for leave, time, and payroll create redundancy and inconsistency in data.
5. Inefficient Reporting
Leaders are denied real-time dashboards and reports to take strategic payroll decisions.
In-Depth Analysis: Best 7 Payroll Software in India for Enterprises
1. TankhaPay
Best Suitable For: MSMEs and gig-based businesses
Features: Contractor invoicing, social security compliance, ESI/EPF automation, contractor payroll
Pros: Suitable for compliance-based industries, best for remote teams
Integrations: Aadhaar verification software, HRMS
Pricing: Custom
USP: Among the top payroll services in Delhi for workers in the gig economy
2. Keka
Best For: Tech-enabled companies with advanced HR requirements
Features: Advanced workflows, advanced analytics, multi-country payroll
Pros: Elegant UI, deep HR integration, granular dashboards
Integrations: Slack, MS Teams, SAP
Pricing: ₹6,999/month for 100 employees
3. Zoho Payroll
Best For: Zoho users, small companies growing big
Features: Automation of payslips, compliance-ready forms, IT declarations
Pros: Easy on the wallet, effort-free Zoho CRM/Books sync
Integrations: Zoho Books, Google Workspace
Pricing: ₹50/employee/month
4. RazorpayX Payroll
Best For: Fintechs and startups with direct payment needs
Features: Auto salary transfer, auto TDS payment, Form 16, PF, ESIC
Pros: Easy to set up, Razorpay integration
Integrations: Razorpay, attendance software
Pricing: ₹100/employee/month
5. GreytHR
Best For: Large enterprises with multiple office locations
Features: Salary processing, statutory reports, compliance calendar
Pros: Mature product, scalable
Integrations: Biometric devices, Excel, Tally
Pricing: ₹4,495/month base price
6. Pocket HRMS
Best For: Companies that need mobile-first payroll
Features: Mobile payroll, chatbot support, payslip on WhatsApp
Pros: Excellent UX, scalable
Integrations: Tally, SAP, QuickBooks
Pricing: On request
7. HROne
Best For: Large corporates with HR+Payroll consolidation needs
Features: 360° HR, employee lifecycle, role-based access
Pros: Enterprise-grade features, role-based access
Integrations: ERP, CRM, biometric devices
Pricing: ₹85/user/month
Best Practices for Smooth Payroll Management
Start Early: Deploy your payroll system before 100 employees to avoid messy migrations.
Automate Integrations: Adopt software that integrates with attendance, leave, and accounting software.
Schedule Internal Audits: Periodic monthly payroll audits ensure data accuracy and legal compliance.
Centralize Documents: Keep tax documents, employee contracts, and reports safe in the cloud.
Train HR Teams: Train HR and finance departments on the tool they have chosen using vendor-offered training.
How to Choose the Best Payroll Software for Your Business
Assess Your Needs: Staff size, geographical territory, and intricacy of pay structure
Confirm Compliance Automation: Automatic EPF, ESI, PT, LWF, TDS, etc., updates.
Ensure Integration Support: Does it have integration with your existing ERP, HRMS, or biometric solutions?
Verify Support & Scalability: Is support prompt? Does it scale with your business?
Test UI/UX: A clean and minimal interface ensures ease and better adoption.
Compliance, Reporting & Analytics Features
Compliance: Top products such as TankhaPay and GreytHR include in-built compliance checks, updation of laws in real-time, and auto-generated forms.
Reporting: Custom dashboards, monthly payroll reports, generation of Form 16, TDS returns.
Analytics: Some products give insights into attrition trends, department-wise salary cost, and payroll projections.
100+ employees organizations cannot afford to be non-compliant. Automating these ensures peace of mind and compliance.
Indian Startups Recommended Tools That Are Scaling Into Enterprises
If you’re a scaling startup, take a look at these tools before crossing the 100-employee threshold:
Zoho Payroll: Ideal for startups utilizing the Zoho platform
RazorpayX Payroll: Suitable for technology-driven organizations looking for integrated payments
TankhaPay: Most suitable for compliance-focused startup cultures with gig employees
Keka: Most appropriate for technology-led fast-growing companies with HR+payroll needs
These solutions provide early scalability and compliance protection, so it’s simple to scale from a startup into a mid-sized company.
Conclusion: Which One is Best for You?
The best payroll software in India depends on your:
- Type of business (tech, services, manufacturing)
- Number of employees and growth rate
- Level of existing HR automation
- Regulatory requirements by state
Here’s a quick recommendation by business types:
- Gig or Hybrid Staff: TankhaPay
- Fintech or Startup: RazorpayX Payroll
- Scaling Tech Businesses: Keka
- Zoho Suite Subscribers: Zoho Payroll
- Large Traditional Businesses: GreytHR or HROne
No matter your size or industry, investing in the appropriate payroll software in India ensures compliance, minimizes admin burden, and fosters employee trust through timely and open payroll procedures.
