dhPayroll Review 2026: Managed Payroll Services & Costs Quick answer
dhPayroll is a UK payroll bureau specialising in outsourced and managed payroll, particularly for small and growing businesses and their services include:
Managed payroll
PAYE and payroll calculations
HMRC RTI submissions
Workplace pension and auto-enrolment support
Electronic payslips
CIS payroll
P11D support
Recruitment agency payroll
Payroll for accountants
Director payroll
dhPayroll says it has more than 25 years’ payroll experience , supports around 300 clients and has processed more than 70,000 payrolls, and their pricing is tailored rather than published as a simple standard tariff.
Our view: dhPayroll is most interesting for SMEs that don’t want another payroll system to operate themselves.
Its proposition is much simpler give the payroll information to a specialist team and let them process it.
That makes it particularly relevant to owner-managed businesses, start-ups and growing SMEs where payroll is consuming valuable internal time.
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Key Takeaways
dhPayroll specialises in outsourced and managed UK payroll.
It has 25+ years of payroll experience.
dhPayroll currently says it supports around 300 clients.
It has processed more than 70,000 payrolls.
Services include PAYE, RTI, pensions, P11Ds, CIS and electronic payslips.
Weekly, fortnightly and monthly payroll requirements can be supported.
dhPayroll is a BACS-approved bureau.
Specialist services are available for recruitment agencies and other sectors with variable payroll.
dhPayroll says it doesn’t impose a minimum contract period.
Pricing is tailored, with the provider advertising transparent pricing and no hidden fees.
We think dhPayroll is strongest when a smaller business wants payroll expertise and personal support rather than a large HR/payroll technology platform.
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How do we work?
Our comparisons are researched and reviewed by the Compare Your Business Costs editorial team using provider information, official UK guidance and business buying criteria. See how Compare Your Business Costs works .
Authored by: Ally Cox – Business Technology & B2B Services Specialist, 10+ years’ experience
Last updated: October 2026
Contents
What Is dhPayroll? dhPayroll is a UK payroll bureau based in Hampton Wick, Kingston upon Thames and they specialise in outsourced payroll for UK businesses rather than selling payroll software for customers to operate themselves.
dhPayroll currently says they have over 25+ years’ experience, 300 clients, and has processed more than 70,000 payrolls.
Their services cover core payroll administration as well as pensions, CIS and specialist payroll requirements.
Our take: dhPayroll occupies a very different part of the market from providers such as Rippling, MHR or Ramco.
Those platforms can make sense when an organisation wants extensive HR + payroll + workforce technology.
dhPayroll’s proposition is closer to “we’ll run the payroll for you.”
For many small businesses, that may actually be the more relevant solution.
How Much Does dhPayroll Cost? dhPayroll doesn’t currently publish a simple standard price list for its managed payroll service and instead, businesses request a tailored payroll quote.
Your cost can depend on factors such as:
Employee numbers
Payroll frequency
Hourly or salaried workers
Variable pay
Starters and leavers
Pension requirements
CIS requirements
Reporting
Additional payroll services
dhPayroll currently advertises transparent pricing with no hidden fees.
That is useful, but we’d still ask for a written schedule showing exactly what is included, so, in particular, establish whether your quote includes:
Setup
Regular payroll runs
Pension administration
Year-end processing
P45s and P60s
P11Ds
Additional reports
Off-cycle payrolls
Corrections
Employee queries
Our view: the cheapest payroll quote isn’t necessarily the cheapest payroll service.
A slightly higher fee can be worthwhile if it removes substantially more administration from your own team.
Compare UK Payroll Costs →
dhPayroll Managed Payroll Services dhPayroll’s managed service is designed for businesses that want an external payroll specialist to handle much of the regular payroll process.
The provider says its service includes areas such as:
Maintaining payroll records
Calculating gross pay
PAYE deductions
Pension deductions
Statutory payments
Payslips
HMRC submissions
Auto-enrolment support
Payroll reporting
The process is relatively straightforward.
Register → provide payroll information → dhPayroll processes the payroll and reports.
That simplicity is important.
What we like
Small-business payroll doesn’t necessarily need another complicated technology implementation.
Sometimes the problem is simply “I don’t want to spend several hours every pay period doing this.”
A managed bureau can solve that problem without requiring the business owner to become a payroll-software expert.
What Payroll Work Will You Still Need to Do? Outsourcing payroll doesn’t mean the employer has no payroll responsibilities and you’ll still need to provide accurate information about things such as:
Hours worked
Overtime
Bonuses
New starters
Leavers
Salary changes
Sickness
Family leave
Other payroll changes
The important question is what happens after you’ve supplied that information.
Ask“What exactly will our team still need to do every pay period?”
A genuinely useful managed service should remove a meaningful amount of calculation + submission + reporting + pension + payslip administration.
What Does dhPayroll Include? dhPayroll’s wider service currently covers a substantial portion of normal UK payroll administration.
PAYE & RTI
The service covers PAYE calculations and Real Time Information submissions to HMRC.
Starters & leavers
dhPayroll can support employee payroll administration and relevant documentation such as P45s.
Year-end documents
Services include payroll documentation such as P60s.
P11Ds
dhPayroll can prepare and file P11D and P11D(b) information for taxable benefits.
Electronic payslips
Employees can receive payslips securely online rather than relying on printed documents.
Payroll reports
dhPayroll says reporting can be tailored according to customer requirements.
Employer registration
New businesses can receive support setting up their PAYE scheme with HMRC.
Our take: this breadth makes dhPayroll particularly relevant to a business owner who doesn’t want to coordinate accountant + payroll software + pension process + payslips
separately every month.
dhPayroll Pensions & Auto-Enrolment dhPayroll supports workplace pension administration and their services include areas such as:
Auto-enrolment setup
Employee assessment
Pension deductions
Contribution administration
Employee communications
This can be valuable for small businesses because workplace pensions create another recurring administrative process alongside payroll itself.
Our view: when comparing payroll bureaux, always establish exactly where the payroll provider’s pension responsibility ends.
Ask “Will you calculate the contributions, produce the pension file and submit it to our pension provider?”
A provider that only performs the first step leaves considerably more work with your team.
Does dhPayroll Handle CIS Payroll? Yes. dhPayroll currently offers CIS support for construction clients.
This is useful for businesses paying subcontractors under the Construction Industry Scheme.
Our take: this is a more meaningful differentiator for a construction company than dozens of generic payroll features, so if you’re comparing providers for construction payroll, ask them to demonstrate:
Subcontractor verification
CIS deductions
Monthly returns
Payment statements
PAYE employees alongside CIS subcontractors
The ideal provider should be comfortable handling both sides of the workforce.
Compare Construction Payroll Services →
dhPayroll for Recruitment Agencies Recruitment is another area where dhPayroll has a specialist proposition and their recruitment payroll service supports:
Permanent employees
Temporary employees
Hourly workers
Salaried employees
Weekly payroll
Fortnightly payroll
Monthly payroll
HMRC submissions
Pensions
Employee documentation
This matters because recruitment payroll can be much more operationally demanding than a conventional monthly salary payroll.
Imagine 150 temporary workers + different hours every week + starters and leavers + pension assessments + a Friday payment deadline.
That’s a very different workload from paying 10 directors once a month.
We think this is one of dhPayroll’s stronger niches.
Businesses with large volumes of temporary or variable workers should compare providers based on their ability to handle that operational workload, not simply the headline price per payslip.
dhPayroll for Other Variable Workforces dhPayroll also targets sectors including:
Hospitality
Retail
Healthcare
Care homes
Education
Construction
Dental practices
Vets
These sectors can involve payroll complications such as shifts + variable hours + overtime + temporary workers + commissions + seasonal staff.
For example, its retail payroll service specifically supports multi-site payroll, shift-based pay, commissions, seasonal workers and statutory pay.
Our view: this makes dhPayroll more interesting for operational SMEs than the generic phrase “small-business payroll provider” suggests, so the more variable your workforce is, the more important specialist payroll administration becomes.
Does dhPayroll Have a Minimum Contract? This is one feature we think is worth highlighting as dhPayroll currently says it doesn’t impose a minimum contract period.
That’s potentially attractive compared with payroll providers requiring a longer fixed commitment. However, we’d still confirm the current terms before signing, so ask about:
Notice period
Cancellation process
Data export
Final payroll responsibilities
Exit charges
Our take: contract flexibility is particularly valuable with payroll.
You don’t really know how responsive a managed provider is until you’ve worked through several pay runs and dealt with a few unusual employee situations.
Is dhPayroll a BACS-Approved Bureau? Yes! dhPayroll states that it is a BACS-approved bureau.
Businesses wanting employees paid through BACS can therefore discuss the appropriate payment process with the provider.
This is another area to clarify when comparing payroll quotes.
Ask “Do you calculate payroll only, or can you also facilitate the payment process?”
The answer changes how much work remains with your finance team.
Who Is dhPayroll Best For? We think dhPayroll deserves particular consideration from:
Small businesses
Especially where payroll currently sits with the owner, finance administrator or accountant.
Growing SMEs
As employee numbers increase, outsourcing can reduce payroll administration without hiring a dedicated payroll employee.
Start-ups employing staff for the first time
dhPayroll can help with employer registration and payroll setup.
Recruitment agencies
Its specialist service supports temporary workers and frequent payroll cycles.
Construction businesses
CIS support makes the service more relevant where PAYE and subcontractor payroll need to coexist.
Hospitality and retail businesses
Variable hours, shifts, overtime and seasonal workers can make managed payroll valuable.
Businesses wanting personal payroll support
dhPayroll emphasises dedicated payroll specialists rather than a software-only model.
Who might be better elsewhere?
A multinational employer requiring:
multi-country payroll + EOR + international payments
should compare global payroll specialists.
Similarly, a larger organisation looking for:
enterprise HR + talent + workforce management + payroll
may prefer an integrated HCM platform.
dhPayroll Pros & Cons Advantages
25+ years of payroll experience
UK managed payroll specialist
Dedicated payroll support
PAYE and RTI administration
Auto-enrolment and pension support
Electronic payslips
P11D support
CIS payroll available
Recruitment agency payroll
Support for variable and frequent payrolls
BACS-approved bureau
No minimum contract period currently advertised
Secure online payroll systems and reporting
Potential Disadvantages
No simple public standard price list
Primarily focused on UK payroll rather than international workforce management
Businesses looking for a large all-in-one HCM platform may need a different provider
Employers still need to supply accurate payroll inputs and approve relevant information
Service scope needs to be compared carefully to establish exactly which tasks remain in-house
What Should You Compare Before Choosing dhPayroll? Give dhPayroll and competing payroll bureaux the same requirements so include:
Employee numbers
Weekly or monthly payroll
Hourly and salaried employees
Variable pay
Starters and leavers
Pension scheme
CIS subcontractors
Reporting
P11Ds
Employee queries
Payment requirements
Then ask:
“What is our complete annual cost for this exact payroll?”
We’d also ask:
“What will our team still need to do each pay period?” “What happens if we send payroll information late?” “What does an additional or corrected pay run cost?” “Will you deal directly with employee payroll queries?” “Exactly what pension administration is included?” “Can you support our employee payments as well as the calculations?”
Those answers are much more valuable than comparing generic feature lists.
Compare Managed Payroll Providers →
Our View: Is dhPayroll Worth It? We think dhPayroll has a straightforward strength it knows what type of customer it is trying to serve.
This isn’t positioned as a global HCM platform with hundreds of modules, rather, it’s a UK payroll bureau designed to take payroll administration away from businesses that would rather spend their time elsewhere.
For a small employer, that’s potentially much more useful.
A business owner doesn’t necessarily need AI workforce analytics + global EOR + talent management.
They might simply want their employees paid correctly + HMRC submissions completed + pensions dealt with + someone knowledgeable to call when something unusual happens.
dhPayroll’s specialist services also make it more interesting for businesses with less straightforward payroll.
Recruitment, construction, hospitality and retail can all create more administration through weekly pay + temporary workers + CIS + shifts + overtime + changing hours.
That’s where we’d expect a specialist managed bureau to demonstrate its value.
We also like the current absence of a minimum contract period as it lowers one of the barriers to trying an outsourced payroll service.
The main weakness from a comparison perspective is price transparency.
Without published standard pricing, you need an individual quote to know whether dhPayroll represents good value for your workforce.
But that’s also why we’d avoid inventing an estimated £X-per-employee figure.
For a UK SME wanting payroll taken off its internal team dhPayroll deserves a place on the shortlist.
The question we’d use to judge it is simple “How many hours of payroll work will this remove from our business each month?”
Compare dhPayroll & Other Payroll Providers →
Free quotes • No obligation • Compare UK payroll services
dhPayroll FAQs What is dhPayroll?
dhPayroll is a UK payroll bureau providing managed and outsourced payroll services to small and growing businesses.
How much does dhPayroll cost?
dhPayroll doesn’t currently publish one standard price list. Businesses can request a tailored quote based on their payroll size and requirements.
Does dhPayroll process PAYE?
Yes. Its managed payroll service includes payroll calculations and PAYE administration.
Does dhPayroll submit RTI to HMRC?
Yes. HMRC submissions including Real Time Information are part of its payroll services.
Does dhPayroll manage workplace pensions?
Yes. dhPayroll provides auto-enrolment setup and ongoing pension administration.
Does dhPayroll provide electronic payslips?
Yes. Secure online payslips are available through its payroll service.
Does dhPayroll handle CIS?
Yes. dhPayroll provides CIS payroll support for construction businesses.
Does dhPayroll provide recruitment agency payroll?
Yes. It has a specialist recruitment payroll service covering permanent and temporary workers and frequent payroll cycles.
Does dhPayroll offer weekly payroll?
Yes. dhPayroll supports payroll frequencies including weekly, fortnightly and monthly payroll.
Can dhPayroll help a new employer set up payroll?
Yes. dhPayroll says it can help new businesses register their payroll scheme with HMRC and establish the payroll process.
Is dhPayroll a BACS-approved bureau?
Yes. dhPayroll states that it is a BACS-approved bureau.
Does dhPayroll have a minimum contract?
dhPayroll currently says it doesn’t impose a minimum contract period. Confirm the current notice and cancellation terms before signing.
Does dhPayroll offer international payroll?
dhPayroll’s main proposition is UK payroll. Businesses needing multi-country payroll, Employer of Record services or international workforce payments should compare specialist global payroll providers.
Is dhPayroll suitable for small businesses?
Yes. Small businesses are one of dhPayroll’s core target markets, particularly where owners want to outsource payroll rather than manage payroll software themselves.
Compare dhPayroll With Other Payroll Providers For a managed payroll comparison, don’t simply compare price per employee.
Compare total cost + service scope + pension support + payroll frequency + employee support + contract terms + work left with your team.
The best-value service is often the one that removes the most useful payroll administration at a sensible total price.
Compare Payroll Providers →
Free quotes • No obligation • Compare UK payroll services
Related Payroll Guides Hi, I’m Ally Cox , a senior copywriter and blogger at CompareYourBusinessCosts.co.uk, the UK’s trusted platform for comparing business services.over a decade of experience in the B2B sector, I specialise in simplifying complex topics like leased lines, VoIP, business energy, HR and payroll solutions, accounting software, and EPOS systems .HR, copywriting, and business operations- from clocking-in systems to card machines and office technology .informed, confident decisions when choosing products and services that improve efficiency and save money.
