What is Payroll?

Payroll is the part of accounting software that processes salaries, tax and payslips for your staff. In many packages it is bundled with bookkeeping and invoicing, but in others it is sold separately, so you pay for it on top of the base plan and per pay run or per employee. 1C includes payroll in its package, as does Abacus, while 7C treats it as an add-on. Which side a provider falls on tells you what your staff cost is really going to be, and whether hiring a bookkeeper means buying a second tool.