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Outsourced Payroll for Accountancy Practices in Ireland
Add payroll capacity without adding permanent payroll headcount
Payroll can be difficult to scale inside an accountancy practice. A growing payroll book creates fixed deadlines every week and month, but the volume does not always justify another permanent hire. Holiday cover, new client wins, weekly payrolls and more complex cases can also create pressure quickly.
Payrollcompany.ie provides outsourced payroll processing for Irish accountancy practices that need additional capacity. We can work behind the scenes where a white-label model is agreed, while your practice remains at the centre of the client relationship. The operating model, communication routes and Revenue access are agreed before any payroll transfers.
Monthly Payroll — By Headcount
1-9 employees
€30 / employee
10-20 employees
€25 / employee
21+ employees
Custom quote
- White-Label Delivery, Where Agreed
- Flexible Capacity
- Dedicated Practice Contact
support built for practices
Payroll support built for accountancy practices
The point of outsourcing is not to create another layer for your team to manage. It is to give you dependable payroll capacity with a clear handover, agreed deadlines and a defined responsibility split.
That can be useful when your practice has only a small payroll portfolio, when a growing client base starts taking too much internal time, or when you need cover without committing to another permanent payroll employee. It can also work as a longer-term model for practices that want to offer payroll without building a separate payroll department.
Sole practitioners and smaller practices.
Growing practices.
Create more capacity when client wins are arriving faster than the internal team can absorb them.
Practices under temporary pressure.
Add processing support for holidays, leave, peak periods or a short-term backlog.
Established firms.
Move selected payrolls to a specialist processing team while retaining your preferred client-management model.
Delivery model
A white-label model where it suits your practice
Not every practice wants the same degree of visibility from an outsourced provider. Some want payroll processing to sit completely behind the scenes. Others prefer a shared-support arrangement where responsibilities are split between the practice and Payrollcompany.ie.
Where white-label delivery is agreed, the practical details are settled before onboarding. That includes who communicates with the client, where payroll inputs are sent, how approvals work, how payslips and reports are presented, and who responds when an employee has a payroll query. We do not assume that one model works for every practice.
This matters because a white-label service is more than placing a logo on a payslip. The real test is whether the payroll workflow supports the relationship you already have with the client without creating confusion about who does what.
Revenue access
Revenue access needs to match the work being done
Revenue has specific agent permissions for employer PAYE and PRSI work. A payroll-only agent can draw down Revenue Payroll Notifications and submit payroll, but that permission does not automatically cover Enhanced Reporting Requirements or Global Mobility work.
For an accountancy practice, that distinction is key.
If a client requires only routine payroll, the relevant payroll permission may be sufficient. If the agreed service also includes ERR, the Revenue access must support ERR reporting. Where an existing payroll-only link needs to be expanded to additional permissions, Revenue guidance requires the relevant agent permissions to be updated rather than assuming the original link covers the extra work.
We work within your practice's existing Revenue agent relationship and TAIN (Tax Advisor Identification Number).
This means the client’s Revenue relationship remains with your practice rather than creating a separate Payrollcompany.ie agent relationship. We confirm the permissions required for the payroll work being transferred and structure access around your practice’s existing Revenue setup.
Where additional Revenue permissions are required, for example for Enhanced Reporting Requirements (ERR), the appropriate authorisation is put in place before that work begins. If a new or changed agent link is required for a client that is active on ROS or myAccount, Revenue’s e-linking process allows the client to review and approve or reject the request.
Revenue also provides controlled ROS sub-user access, with permissions managed by the ROS administrator. Digital certificates should not be shared between users. The precise user-access model is agreed during onboarding so the setup reflects the practice’s existing Revenue structure and the work we have actually been engaged to process.
Scope
What we can handle for your practice
The scope is agreed client by client or across a defined portfolio. Routine payroll work can include:
Weekly, fortnightly and monthly payroll.
PAYE, USC and PRSI.
Payroll calculations using the relevant employee information and Revenue instructions.
Revenue Payroll Notifications.
Retrieving and applying the latest RPN before payroll is processed. See the RPN guide.
Revenue payroll submissions.
Reporting payroll information on or before the employee’s pay date, in line with the employer’s reporting obligation. Read the payroll guide.
Starters, leavers and employee changes.
Updating payroll for changes supplied through the agreed workflow.
Payroll adjustments and corrections.
Correcting payroll records and submissions where a change or error needs to be addressed.
Payslips and payroll reports.
Year-end payroll support.
Additional payroll work can be included where it forms part of the agreed service and the required authorisation is in place:
Enhanced Reporting Requirements (ERR).
Reporting specified employee and director expenses and benefits where the practice and client have engaged us for ERR processing.See the ERR guide.
MyFutureFund payroll administration.
Processing payroll contributions and related payroll information for employees enrolled through the statutory auto-enrolment system. NAERSA identifies and enrols eligible employees; the payroll provider does not make that statutory eligibility decision. See the MyFutureFund employer guide.
Director payroll.
Processing director pay through PAYE and applying the relevant payroll treatment, while keeping personal tax, PRSI classification and other fact-dependent advice separate where specialist input is needed. See the Director Payroll guide.
Revenue requires employers to report payroll information on or before the day the employee is paid. Outsourcing the processing does not transfer that statutory responsibility away from the employer. Our role is to carry out the agreed payroll work accurately and on time from the information and authorisations provided, and to flag issues that need clarification rather than making assumptions.
Before the first run
Clear responsibility boundaries from the start
A practice partnership works best when the responsibilities are written down before the first payroll run. The exact split varies by engagement, but the following areas should always be clear.
| Area | What needs to be agreed | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Payroll inputs | Who supplies hours, salary changes, benefits, starters, leavers and other changes, and by what cut-off. | Late or incomplete inputs can affect payroll timing and accuracy. |
| Approval | Who reviews and approves the payroll before final processing or payment. | A clear approval point avoids uncertainty about whether a run is final. |
| Revenue access | Which agent permissions and ROS users are required for the agreed scope. | Payroll, ERR and other Revenue permissions are not interchangeable. |
| Employee queries | Whether the practice, client or Payrollcompany.ie responds to payroll questions. | The client and employees should know where payroll queries go. |
| Corrections | Who authorises corrections and how revised information is supplied. | Payroll changes can affect both payslips and Revenue reporting. |
Getting started
Add capacity without moving every client at once
Outsourcing does not need to be an all-or-nothing decision. You can start with selected clients and expand later if the model works for your practice.
Start with time-consuming payrolls.
Move the payrolls that are absorbing a disproportionate amount of staff time.
Use it for new payroll wins.
Use it for temporary capacity.
Keep suitable work in-house.
A staged transfer also gives both teams time to settle the practical process. You can test input formats, approval routes, reporting preferences and communication before bringing across more clients.
Process
How the partnership works
1
We map your payroll portfolio.
We look at client numbers, payroll frequencies, employee counts, Revenue access, ERR requirements, MyFutureFund administration and any payrolls that need particular attention.
2
We agree the operating model.
We document who communicates with the client, how payroll inputs are supplied, who approves payroll, how Revenue access works and how employee questions are handled.
3
We select the first clients.
4
We complete the payroll handover.
We reconcile the payroll information needed to continue processing from the agreed start date and confirm the access required for each client.
5
We run to the agreed timetable.
6
We keep the workflow under review.
If a client’s headcount, pay frequency or reporting requirements change, we review the payroll scope and access rather than assuming the old setup still fits.
confidentiality & data
Client confidentiality and payroll data
Payroll data can include salaries, PPS numbers, bank details, employment information and other personal data. A white-label arrangement does not reduce the need for clear data-protection controls.
The Data Protection Commission explains that controller and processor responsibilities depend on the actual facts of the arrangement. Where a controller engages a processor to process personal data on its behalf, GDPR requires a legally binding data-processing contract that sets out the relevant roles and processing terms.
Before onboarding, the working arrangement should therefore cover the data needed for payroll, who is authorised to access it, how information is transferred, confidentiality, retention and deletion, and any processor or sub-processor arrangements that apply. The contractual data-protection roles should reflect how the service actually operates, not a generic label copied from another engagement.
A dedicated contact for your practice
Accountancy practices do not need another generic support queue. The partnership is built around a dedicated practice contact who understands the clients being processed, the agreed payroll timetable and the way your practice wants information handled.
That becomes especially useful when something changes. A new director joins. A client starts paying weekly instead of monthly. ERR becomes relevant. An employee is enrolled in MyFutureFund. The point is to deal with the change inside an established workflow rather than rediscovering the client setup every time a question appears.
Pricing
Pricing for accountancy practice partnerships
Practice partnerships are quoted around the portfolio and service model rather than the standard direct-client per-employee pricing. The commercial structure can take account of client numbers, employee numbers, payroll frequency, complexity, ERR requirements, MyFutureFund processing, level of client interaction and reporting needs.
We review the proposed portfolio with you before clients transfer so the scope and price reflect the work being outsourced. If you only want to start with a small number of clients, the initial quote can be based on that group rather than your entire payroll book.
For comparison, you can also view our published direct-client payroll pricing. Practice partnership pricing is agreed separately.
Add payroll capacity without adding headcount
If payroll is taking too much time inside your practice, start with the part of the portfolio that creates the most pressure. We can map the workflow, agree the Revenue access and responsibility split, and build a processing model around the way you want to manage your clients.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about for accountants
Will our clients know Payrollcompany.ie is involved?
Not necessarily. Where a white-label arrangement is agreed, we can work behind the scenes and structure the communication model around your practice. The exact position is agreed before onboarding, including payslip presentation, sender details and who responds to employee queries.
Can we start with only a few payroll clients?
Yes. You can begin with selected clients and expand later. That is often the easiest way to test the workflow before deciding whether more of the payroll portfolio should move.
What Revenue access is needed?
It depends on the work being processed. Revenue distinguishes between payroll, ERR, Global Mobility and combined financial/payroll permissions for employer PAYE and PRSI clients. A payroll-only agent can retrieve RPNs and submit payroll, but that link does not automatically include ERR. We confirm the required access as part of onboarding. See Revenue agent guidance.
Does the client have to approve a Revenue agent link?
If a new or changed agent link is required and the client is registered and active on ROS or myAccount, Revenue uses its e-linking process so the client can approve or reject the request. If the practice already has the appropriate client link and permissions, the onboarding process is structured around the existing authorised relationship. Revenue e-linking guidance.
Do you handle Enhanced Reporting Requirements?
Yes, where ERR forms part of the agreed service and the required Revenue permission is in place. ERR applies to specified employee and director expenses and benefits and is separate from the ordinary payroll submission. Read our ERR guide.
Do you handle MyFutureFund?
We can support the payroll processing and contribution administration for employees enrolled in MyFutureFund. NAERSA uses Revenue payroll data to identify and enrol eligible employees, so we do not describe payroll processing as making the statutory eligibility decision. Read our MyFutureFund employer guide.
Can you process director payroll?
Yes. We can process director pay through payroll and handle the relevant PAYE reporting within the agreed scope. Where PRSI classification, personal tax or another fact-dependent issue requires separate advice, that is flagged rather than treated as part of routine payroll processing. Read our Director Payroll guide.
Who remains responsible for payroll compliance?
The employer remains responsible for ensuring payroll compliance even when a payroll company or agent is used. The engagement should also define the practical responsibilities of the employer, your practice and Payrollcompany.ie so there is no uncertainty about inputs, approval, processing or reporting. Revenue payroll submissions guidance.
How is payroll data handled?
The data-handling model is agreed as part of onboarding and the relevant contractual arrangements. This should cover authorised access, transfer methods, confidentiality, security, retention and the controller, processor or sub-processor roles that apply to the actual service arrangement. Data Protection Commission guidance.
How is practice partnership pricing calculated?
Pricing is based on the portfolio and operating model rather than a standard retail rate. Client numbers, employee numbers, pay frequency, payroll complexity, reporting requirements and the level of client interaction can all affect the quote.