Payroll is one of the most critical processes in any business, but it’s also one of the most complex. Between compliance obligations, shifting regulations, varied pay rules, and the need for accurate time tracking or attendance data to inform payroll, the process can quickly become a major strain on HR and finance teams.
The way organisations manage payroll is changing. With more businesses adopting cloud-based HR software that connects employee data, attendance management, and finance workflows, the question is no longer whether to integrate payroll, but how.
Every business has a unique approach to payroll. Some prefer to continue working with their existing payroll provider, while others want a fully integrated payroll solution built into their HRMS (Human Resource Management Solution).
HR Duo offers both:
Payroll Reporting: Consolidate data from time tracking, attendance management, leave, and employee profiles into accurate payroll-ready reports that can be exported into any payroll provider.
Integrated Payroll: End-to-end payroll processing built directly into HR Duo, connecting HR and finance in one platform.
This flexibility means your business can choose the option that works best now, with the ability to transition when ready. Having payroll integrated into your HRMS ensures efficiency, accuracy, and compliance, but payroll reporting remains a powerful option for organisations with established payroll provider relationships.
HR Duo has evolved from providing payroll-ready reports as the only option to manage payroll, to offering fully integrated payroll software. This means payroll is no longer a separate process. Instead, it’s connected directly to:
Employee profiles
Time tracking
Attendance management
Leave and absence records
With integrated payroll, HR and finance teams can run payroll in just a few clicks, without worrying about double entries, inaccurate calculations, or missed compliance checks.
Issues like inaccurate recording of overtime, double entry of employee data, and complex pay rules often make payroll processing one of the most time-consuming parts of workforce management.
By using integrated payroll software within your HRMS, you can eliminate these frustrations and gain real-time accuracy across HR, time tracking and attendance management, llleave and availability data, and finance. Here’s how HR Duo addresses today’s payroll pain points:
Automated Pay Calculations: No more spreadsheets or manual adjustments. HR Duo pulls data directly from approved shifts, digital timesheets, and leave records to calculate pay, overtime, and TOIL accurately.
No More Double Entry: Updating contracts, working hours, or leave entitlements in two systems is a common source of payroll errors. With HR Duo, changes sync instantly between HR and our payroll software, removing duplication and reducing mistakes.
Custom Pay Rules: Many businesses struggle with complex pay structures across roles, departments, and sites. HR Duo lets you apply pay rates, shift premiums, overtime logic, and role-specific rules once, leaving the system to handle the calculations automatically.
One-Click Payroll Runs: Processing payroll can take hours with traditional systems. HR Duo generates payroll-ready outputs in seconds and allows you to submit directly through the payroll module, cutting admin time significantly.
Secure and Scalable: Payroll software needs to be both compliant and future-proof. HR Duo is cloud-based, secure, and designed for businesses of all sizes, from SMEs to multi-site enterprises, with role-based permissions to control access.
Payroll doesn’t need to be stressful or time-consuming. Your payroll should work for you, your employees, and your business. HR Duo keeps everything accurate, compliant, and connected to your workforce data, so you can run payroll with confidence every time. With HR Duo, you can:
Automate payroll calculations from shifts, timesheets, and leave records
Eliminate manual entry with HR and payroll syncing in real time
Flag errors and discrepancies before payroll is finalised
Track holiday pay, working time, and right-to-work documentation
Reduce admin with faster, more accurate payroll runs
Stay compliant with HMRC (UK) or Revenue (Ireland) requirements
HR Duo adapts to your needs, handling complex pay rules, pensions, and compliance checks in one secure platform. But payroll also provides more insights into your company than you might think.
Payroll is more than just paying employees, it's a tool used by both finance and HR teams to understand trends, forecast for the future, and make smarter decisions for hiring and promotions. With HR Duo’s payroll software, you can:
Gain instant insights into payroll costs and workforce trends
Customise reports for compliance and business needs
Validate leave and absence calculations automatically
Spot discrepancies early to avoid costly re-runs
Access a full audit trail across HR and payroll in one system
Share payroll reports securely with HR, finance, or leadership teams
Not ready to switch payroll providers? That’s fine. HR Duo gives you options. Below, we’ve outlined the differences between payroll reporting and integrated payroll so you can choose the approach that works best for your business.
| Feature | Payroll Reporting | Integrated Payroll |
|---|---|---|
| Core Function | Consolidates data into accurate payroll reports | End-to-end payroll processing built directly into HR Duo |
| Output | Export payroll-ready reports into any provider | Run payroll in HR Duo with one click |
| Data Sync | Manual import into external payroll provider | Real-time updates from employee profiles, shifts, leave, and contracts |
| Compliance | Provides audit-ready data exports | HMRC Recognised (UK), RTI compliant / Revenue RTR compliant (Ireland) with built-in checks |
| Pension Integration | Data available for external providers | Auto-enrolment & API submissions (NEST, SMART Pension, more) |
| Error Detection | Requires validation before export | Flags discrepancies in shifts, leave, and hours before payroll is finalised |
| Custom Pay Rules | Applied in HR Duo and externally in payroll software | Set once in HR Duo: shift premiums, overtime rules, role-specific logic |
| Scalability | Flexible exports for any provider | No processing limits, secure, cloud-based payroll for any size business |
| Audit Trails | Exports support compliance reviews | Full audit trail across HR and payroll in one system |
Whether you’re exporting payroll-ready reports to your provider or using integrated payroll software, HR Duo gives you accuracy, compliance, and confidence every pay run.
By connecting HRMS, payroll software, and workforce data, HR Duo ensures payroll works for your business, not against it. Talk to our team today to see how it works, or book a quick demo.