ADP Workforce Now
Comprehensive HR and payroll platform for mid-sized businesses with integrated payroll, benefits, talent management, and compliance tools.
SimplePay
Website: www.simplepay.com
SimplePay at a glance
- Best for
- Firms running client payroll in ZA, IE, or UK
- Pricing model
- Per employee per month, volume tiers
- Deployment
- Cloud, with employee self-service
- Regions
- ZA, IE, UK
- Key integrations
- Xero, Sage, QuickBooks Online
Last reviewed . Pricing and features change frequently — confirm current details with the vendor.
SimplePay is a cloud payroll platform for small and medium-sized businesses, available in separate versions for South Africa, Ireland, and the United Kingdom, each built around its market’s tax and compliance requirements.
How accounting firms use it
Firms use it to run client payroll where local statutory compliance is the binding requirement. Payroll is unforgiving of approximation — submissions are periodic, deadlines are fixed, and penalties follow errors — so a platform with the local rules built in removes a category of risk that a configurable international product does not.
A multi-client view covers all client payrolls from one login with permissions scoped per client, which is what makes bureau services practical rather than requiring a separate account per client.
Key features
Payroll runs handle multiple frequencies, salaried and hourly staff, and statutory deductions calculated to local rules, with payslip generation and distribution.
Statutory submissions cover PAYE, UIF, and SDL with SARS reconciliation filings in South Africa; RTI and pension auto-enrolment in the United Kingdom; and the equivalent obligations in Ireland.
Employee self-service gives staff access to payslips and tax documents, reducing routine queries to the firm. Leave management tracks entitlement and accrual per local rules, and payroll journals export to Xero, Sage, and QuickBooks Online.
Who it’s best for
Accounting and bookkeeping firms processing client payroll in South Africa, Ireland, or the United Kingdom, particularly smaller practices wanting straightforward, affordable payroll with local compliance handled.
Firms in Australia and New Zealand need KeyPay or a local equivalent, and US firms need Gusto, OnPay, or a comparable domestic platform — none of these markets are covered here.
SimplePay FAQ
- Which countries does SimplePay support?
- South Africa, Ireland, and the United Kingdom, each as a separate version built around that country's statutory requirements rather than a single system with regional settings. Firms with clients across more than one of these markets use the relevant version per client.
- Does it handle South African statutory submissions?
- Yes — PAYE, UIF, and SDL calculations and submissions, along with the annual and interim reconciliation filings SARS requires. Local compliance being built in rather than configured is the main reason South African firms choose it over an international platform.
- Does the UK version support RTI and auto-enrolment?
- Yes. Real Time Information submissions to HMRC and pension auto-enrolment assessment and reporting are both handled, which are the baseline requirements for any UK payroll platform.
- Can firms manage multiple clients from one account?
- Yes. A multi-client view covers all client payrolls from a single login with per-client permissions, which is the arrangement firms need when running payroll as a bureau service rather than logging into each client separately.
SimplePay Alternatives
Other payroll tools for accounting firms, ordered by how much of SimplePay's functionality they cover.
BambooHR
HR and payroll software helping growing companies manage workforce processes, automated HR, payroll, and employee self-service.
ClockOn
ClockOn is an Australian workforce management platform combining rostering, time and attendance, award interpretation, and STP payroll in one system.
Deel
Global payroll and compliance platform for hiring and paying employees and contractors in 150+ countries with local tax compliance.
Gusto
Cloud-based payroll, benefits, and HR platform that simplifies payroll and HR management for small to medium-sized businesses.