Learn how to narrow down your shortlist of options, and choose the right payroll provider for your global team
When you partner with the right payroll provider, you save time and money, and gain peace of mind. This is why it’s crucial to choose a vendor that delivers what it promises, can support your growth, and provides transparency around pricing.
Whether you’re expanding globally, or you want to switch from your current payroll provider, this guide will help you find the perfect partner for your team.
In it, we’ll explain:
What you should ask vendors
Which features to look out for
The biggest payroll red flags
How to directly compare payroll providers
Whether you’re hiring at home, abroad, or both, a reliable payroll provider is key. It ensures that you are complying fully with local tax laws and employment regulations, reducing the risk of legal issues, penalties, and fines.
A reliable provider also manages complex tasks such as handling multiple currencies, calculating and withholding local taxes and social contributions, and payroll reporting. When done effectively, this reduces errors, streamlines administrative processes, and saves your business time and resources.
In addition to compliance and efficiency, the right payroll provider enhances your employees’ satisfaction by ensuring that payments are handled consistently and accurately. This is key to building trust and retaining your workforce.
“For any business, poorly-run payroll impacts retention, sentiment, and motivation. Those are all really big. It doesn't matter that you pay your employees well if you’re not paying them correctly.”
Jonathan Goldsmith, GM Payroll at Remote
Before you start speaking to potential payroll partners, you need to whittle down your shortlist. You can do this by visiting software comparison websites, such as Capterra, Trustpilot, and Fit Small Business.
You can also consult your network, and ask the leaders of other companies which payroll solutions they recommend.
Finally, you can simply do a Google search and see what kind of information is out there about each provider. Many organizations have a comparison page on their website that shows how their services compare to competitors.
The first step is to understand how your potential partner works, and how your team members will be taken care of. The following list of questions will help you get the answers you need to make an informed decision.
Unfortunately, many payroll providers don’t display their pricing and charges transparently, and it can be hugely frustrating to incur unexpected fees once you’ve signed a contract.
Therefore, it’s important to clarify all the pricing details before you commit — especially if the initial price seems low. It's also a good idea to directly ask what features or services are not included in the quote, so there are no surprises in the form of additional fees.
Remember: hidden fees and additional charges imply a lack of trust and transparency, and are not the ideal platform on which to build a relationship.
At Remote, we’re completely transparent about pricing. There's nothing that comes after what's up front; that's why we don't charge for implementation. We want to build a relationship with your business and we don't want that to be a barrier to entry. We want to invest as much in you as you invest in us.
Jonathan Goldsmith, GM Payroll at Remote
“Straight away, we got the sense that Remote cares about our success — that there was a person at the other end who was really listening and trying to find solutions for us. We weren’t simply directed to an FAQ sheet on the website.”
Maria Shkaruppa, Senior Global Mobility and Remote Hiring Manager at Semrush
This is a crucial question, and a key differentiator. Some providers — like Remote — manage and run payroll in-house, using our own local experts. This means that everything is handled internally. However, many providers don’t, and rely entirely on third-party companies to do everything for them.
This poses a number of problems. As the provider is dependent upon local third parties, there is:
Less control over the service, which can lead to an unpredictable employee experience
Additional service fees, which are usually passed on to the customer
Time delays, which can cause issues in time-sensitive situations
Significant security risks (particularly in regard to sensitive employee information), which can result in serious legal risks
To avoid such problems, it’s highly advisable to choose a payroll provider that has the experience and capability to handle everything in-house.
Ensure that you and the provider are on the same page when it comes to clarifying what services are — and aren’t — included.
In particular, you should ask about:
The minimum contract term
Fees related to implementation, support, onboarding, or foreign exchange rates
The responsibilities of the payroll provider and the company
Data protection and privacy
Minimum team numbers required
Deposit amounts
The process for adding more employees
Cancellation fees
Top tip: Request to see a demo. It’s important to be familiar with the platform and how it works before you make any decisions.
This might sound like a strange question, but ask if there are any special considerations. You could keep things open-ended and ask if there’s anything else that hasn’t been discussed that would be important to know. This can give you insights that you maybe otherwise would not have been aware of.
If you are planning to hire in a particular country, you can also ask if there are any unique factors to consider. This can give you an idea of the depth of localized expertise the provider has.
Data security is crucial when working with a payroll provider. You need to be confident that your team members’ sensitive data is being fully protected, and that you’re fully adhering to all relevant data protection rules and regulations.
To ensure that they are fully committed to security, ask each provider provider the following questions:
What crisis management and recovery plan is in place if there is a breach?
Have you had any incidents in the past and how did you respond?
What security certifications does the company hold?
Are there any threat detection systems or processes in place?
Where are the servers located that store your data?
Does the company meet GDPR or other data regulations?
Does the company have an ISO27001 certification?
How does Remote protect your data?
When you have team members in different countries, it can be a hassle to manage multiple platforms, each containing information for different employees. It’s far easier if your payroll platform is centralized, enabling you to input and manage all your people’s data in one place.
Remote Payroll is fully integrated with our in-built HR management system, allowing you to manage all your employee information in one place. Learn more about Remote HR Management.And, if you do wish to retain a diverse HR tech stack, we have integrations with hundreds of other tools and platforms.
“Remote hire’s individuals who understand local business, and who understand the specificity of their countries. How can we advise a customer in a certain location if we don’t have someone there? Our people know it, live it, and understand it.”
Jonathan Goldsmith, GM Payroll at Remote
“Remote’s layout is beautiful and easy to navigate. It’s more like an iPhone game than a complicated IT system. It’s brilliant.”
Evgeniia Maksimova, HR Ops Specialist at Semrush
“To demonstrate our commitment to information security — and to provide a secure platform for our customers — Remote has sought out the world’s best-known, internationally-recognized information security standards. These certifications provide a standardized and independent confirmation, so employers can be confident that rigorous security measures protect their employee information.”
Marcelo Lebre, co-founder and CTO of Remote
As well as green flags, here are some primary red flags to look out for:
🚩Unclear contract terms
When discussing pricing or contract terms, is the company vague? Do they avoid answering any of your questions, particularly around sensitive areas? If the answer to either of these is yes, that is a major red flag. If the provider cannot be transparent with you, consider how the relationship will be moving forward — and how the experience will be for your employees.
🚩Negative reviews
As is the case with any service provider, reviews and testimonials are important. Look up reviews from past and current customers on trusted platforms such as G2 and, where possible, speak directly to contacts in your network. What does the provider seemingly do well, and where could they improve? Do negative reviews tend to focus on one area in particular?
Of course, customer reviews should not be the defining factor in your decision (particularly if they are vague and undetailed), but they can give you a useful impression of what it’s like to work with the provider in question, and better inform your decision.
How does Remote perform on G2?
🚩Undefined security processes
As mentioned, you need to trust that your partner is protecting your employees’ sensitive data — and this should go beyond simple reassurance.
If the provider can not explain or clarify how exactly it keeps your data safe and what security protocols and processes it uses, that’s a major red flag. If the processes are not of a high, independently-verified standard, then this is also a red flag.
🚩A lack of customer support
When you’re assessing vendors and communicating with them, make a note of which providers are prompt and punctual in their responses, and whether their answers and communications are actually helpful or not. Is the vendor genuinely interested in trying to help you? Or are they just focused on selling to you? Do you feel valued, or do you feel like just another logo?
As well as helping you to make a decision, poor communications at this stage are usually an indicator of the kind of support you’ll receive as a customer (and vice versa).
“It was very important to us that we found a reliable global partner. We evaluated both Remote and Deel and the extra service we got from Remote was impressive. We really felt like Remote took us seriously as a business and wanted a long term partnership. That was a real differentiator.”
Jeroen Rutten, CEO of Tablevibe
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As well as demos, sales communications, and reviews, there are other additional ways that you can assess and compare payroll providers. These include:
Most businesses publish case studies and customer stories on their website. These are an excellent research tool because they allow you to see how your own business might benefit from working with the vendor.
When viewing these studies, consider how the provider solved the customer’s problem, and — where possible — what kind of quantifiable, tangible impact it had.
Ideally, you should focus on studies of businesses that:
Are of a similar size and structure to yours
Operate in a similar industry or field
Are aiming to achieve similar hiring goals as you
Industry reports and publications provide a comprehensive overview of trends and developments in your field, and can contain highly valuable assessments and analysis.
They can give you key insights into different vendors and how they are perceived, adding an extra layer to your decision-making.
As touched upon, your — and your team’s — network is a potential goldmine of feedback, referrals, and in-depth information. Reach out to your connections and ask for their advice; if they are working with one of your shortlisted providers, ask for an honest, warts’n’all assessment of what the provider does well and where it could improve.
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The information in this guide is designed to help you approach the selection process objectively, and give you the best chance of making the right decision.
However, it can be a lot to remember when conducting sales calls and communicating with vendor representatives. To ensure you don’t miss anything, here’s a handy checklist of questions to follow when you’re making calls:
What is your pricing structure?
Do I have to sign a contract? How long are the terms?
Do you manage payroll in-house in all available countries, or do you use third-party providers?
Can I pay contractors as well as employees? If so, how?
How will you protect my company’s and my employees’ data?
How secure is your platform? What measures are in place to maintain this security?
How long does it take to get started with your company?
What is the implementation process and how long does it take?
What is the cancellation policy if I opt to leave? Are there cancellation fees?
What kind of support is available for the business?
What kind of support is available for my employees?
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So, given all of the information in this guide, why should you trust Remote to be your expert payroll partner?
In a nutshell, because we:
Offer a global payroll service. This means that if you have employees in different countries, you only need to go through one platform (instead of multiple local providers).
Always put compliance first. We will never do something that could put your business or ours at risk.
Are fully transparent with all our pricing, with no hidden fees or passed-on costs.
Run and manage payroll in-house in every country we operate in (and we’re adding more all the time).
Do not tie you into long-term contracts or charge you fees to leave.
Can set up the implementation process in just weeks, with your own assigned personal implementation specialist.
Focus on providing a seamless, inclusive experience for you and your employees.
Fully protect your data through high-level, industry-standard security protocols.
Enable you to hire, manage, and pay independent contractors.
Provide 24/7 support, and expert, local advice and guidance through our in-house specialists.
Don’t just take our word for it, either. On G2:
We received a 94% satisfaction rating for our quality support services
We were given a 92% satisfaction rating for ease of setup
We received a 91% satisfaction rating for ease of doing business
Our highest-rated feature was governance (93%)
93% of users rated Remote at 4 or 5 stars
90% of users said they would recommend Remote
We also pride ourselves on our transparency and service. To see this commitment in action, you can visit our service metrics page to see how we’re doing in real time.