Top 10 Payroll Service Companies in India (2026 Guide)
27 October 2026
Disclosure: this guide is published by Resolve, which is one of the providers listed. Details for other providers reflect their public positioning at the time of writing. Check each provider's website for current plans and pricing.
Choosing a payroll provider in India is really two decisions. First: do you want software your HR team runs, or a managed service where someone else runs payroll for you? Second: which provider is strongest for your size, states, and salary structures?
This guide lists ten well-known options, explains what each is known for, and gives you a checklist to compare them on the things that actually cause payroll problems: statutory accuracy, deadlines, and who is accountable when something goes wrong.
Payroll software vs managed payroll: the first decision
Payroll software calculates salaries, generates payslips and produces statutory reports. Your HR or finance team still owns inputs, approvals, filings and corrections. It suits companies with an experienced in-house payroll person.
Managed payroll (payroll outsourcing) means a provider's team runs the full cycle: inputs, processing, TDS, PF, ESI, professional tax, payslips, and filings. You approve; they execute. It suits companies without payroll specialists, or with multi-state or high-variance payroll.
The 10 payroll providers at a glance
| Provider | Type | Who runs payroll | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Resolve | Managed payroll | Resolve's CA/CS-led team | SMBs, GCCs, NGOs and service companies that want payroll fully handled |
| ADP India | Managed service and software | ADP or your team | Multinationals wanting one provider across countries |
| greytHR | Software | Your team | SMBs with an in-house HR/payroll person |
| Keka | Software | Your team | Growing companies wanting HR, attendance and payroll in one app |
| Zoho Payroll | Software | Your team | Businesses already using Zoho Books or Zoho People |
| RazorpayX Payroll | Software | Your team | Startups wanting salary payouts tied to business banking |
| Darwinbox | Enterprise HR software | Your team | Large employers wanting a full HR platform |
| Paybooks | Software | Your team | Small and mid-sized businesses |
| TeamLease | Staffing and payroll services | TeamLease | Companies combining staffing with payroll outsourcing |
| Deel | Employer of record (EOR) | Deel | Foreign companies hiring in India without an Indian entity |
1. Resolve — CA/CS-led managed payroll
Resolve runs managed payroll for Indian businesses from Bengaluru, serving clients across India for 20+ years. Chartered accountants and company secretaries own the payroll cycle: salary processing, TDS, PF, ESI, professional tax, payslips, and statutory filings. Employees use Resolve's leave, attendance and expense apps, and that data flows into payroll.
Resolve also runs accounting and compliance, so payroll entries, TDS and books reconcile in one place. Best fit: companies that want an accountable expert team rather than another tool.
2. ADP India
ADP is a global payroll and HR services company with operations in India. It offers both payroll outsourcing and software. It is often chosen by multinationals that want one payroll provider and consistent reporting across several countries.
3. greytHR
greytHR, from Bengaluru-based Greytip Software, is HR and payroll software widely used by Indian SMBs. It covers payroll processing, statutory reports and employee self-service. Your team runs payroll on it and remains responsible for inputs and filings.
4. Keka
Keka is an HR and payroll platform popular with growing technology and services companies. It is known for employee experience: attendance, leave, performance and payroll in one app. Payroll is run by your team.
5. Zoho Payroll
Zoho Payroll is part of the Zoho business suite. Its main advantage is integration: if your books are in Zoho Books and employee records in Zoho People, payroll data connects without exports.
6. RazorpayX Payroll
RazorpayX Payroll is payroll software connected to Razorpay's business banking. It automates salary payouts and statutory payments from the same account, which appeals to startups that already bank with RazorpayX.
7. Darwinbox
Darwinbox is an enterprise HR platform that covers the full employee lifecycle, including payroll. It is typically chosen by large employers that want hiring, performance and payroll on one system.
8. Paybooks
Paybooks is payroll and HR software aimed at small and mid-sized Indian businesses, covering payroll processing, statutory compliance reports and employee self-service.
9. TeamLease
TeamLease is one of India's large staffing and HR services companies. Alongside staffing, it offers payroll outsourcing, and its RegTech arm offers compliance management software. A natural fit when you already use TeamLease for contract staffing.
10. Deel
Deel is a global employer-of-record and contractor platform. A foreign company without an Indian entity can hire employees in India through Deel, which becomes the legal employer and runs payroll. Once you set up an Indian entity, a local payroll provider usually costs less.
How to choose: a 7-point checklist
- Who is accountable for errors? With software, your team is. With managed payroll, the provider should correct and absorb its own mistakes. Ask for this in writing.
- Statutory coverage: TDS, PF, ESI, professional tax and labour welfare fund in every state where you have employees.
- New Wage Code readiness: can they model the 50% wage rule's effect on PF, ESI and gratuity? See our New Wage Code 2026 guide.
- Deadlines: PF and ESI are due by the 15th of the following month, and TDS deposits by the 7th. Ask how they guarantee these.
- Inputs: how attendance, leave, reimbursements and variable pay reach payroll. Manual spreadsheets are where most errors start.
- Security: access controls, data location, and how employee data is handled when you leave.
- Exit: can you get all historical payroll data and statutory records if you switch?
Frequently Asked Questions
It depends on who you want running payroll. If you want experts to run it end to end, a managed payroll provider such as Resolve fits. If you have an in-house payroll specialist, software such as greytHR, Keka, Zoho Payroll or RazorpayX Payroll fits. Multinationals often choose ADP, and foreign companies without an Indian entity often use an employer of record such as Deel.
Payroll software calculates salaries and produces reports, but your team runs it and owns errors and filings. Payroll outsourcing, or managed payroll, means the provider's team runs the full cycle, including statutory filings, and you approve the output.
Salary processing, payslips, TDS on salary, PF, ESI, professional tax, labour welfare fund where applicable, statutory returns, full and final settlements, and year-end tax certificates for employees.
Yes. Small businesses often benefit most, because they rarely have a full-time payroll specialist, and a single missed PF, ESI or TDS deadline can cost more in interest and penalties than the service itself.
Conclusion
If your team has the time and expertise, good payroll software is enough. If you want payroll to stop being your team's problem, choose a managed provider and hold it accountable for accuracy and deadlines. Related reading: how to find affordable payroll services and all-in-one payroll, accounting and compliance.
Need help with this?
Resolve's CA/CS-led team can take over your payroll, including TDS, PF, ESI and professional tax, and show you the work through our apps.