With one in six Small and Midsized Businesses likely to outsource their payroll, clients typically anticipate payroll services as an integral component of a comprehensive accountancy package. However, accountants interviewed by QuickBooks often say payroll is a low-margin business in which efficiency and automation are key.

Accountants face the challenge of both balancing work efficiently whilst also maintaining payroll accuracy and compliance. This is exacerbated by the rising costs of software, managing multiple platforms, and needing to meet multiple deadlines all whilst staying on top of regulatory changes. As a result, accountants are looking for efficient, automated, and integrated payroll solutions.

The key benefits of Bureau Payroll for accountants include:

• Automation: Streamlined workflows with automated payruns, pension and RTI submissions, tax code updates and more.
• Integration with clients’ accounting software: Post journals to any integrated software (such as Xero, Sage, FreshBooks and more) while running payroll from a single, consolidated dashboard.
• Fixed fee structure: Predictable pricing that scales in line with their business, with fixed, transparent fees based on the number of payroll clients, regardless of how many employees they have on payroll.
• Efficient employee data management: Employees can update their own records and access professional payslips.
• Up to date compliance: Automatic software updates in line with latest government rules and regulations.
• Cloud-native: Access data or adjust payruns on the go, from any device with the full-cloud software.
• Multi-user access: Manage team and client access with flexible permissions.

Nick Williams, UK Product Director at Intuit QuickBooks, says: “QuickBooks Bureau Payroll was developed to alleviate the pain points that accountants face on a daily basis. Our research shows that payroll consumes up to 1 hour per client per pay cycle, which can impact other critical tasks.

“The automation introduced by Bureau Payroll really makes our solution unique. For instance, the automation of director-only payruns has been met with a lot of enthusiasm from our accountant customers, who see the opportunity to reduce time spent on payroll accordingly. By boosting efficiency without sacrificing accuracy, accountants will have more time to focus on work that directly benefits their clients.

“Ensuring seamless collaboration and integration was also a priority given most accountancy firms need to support multiple payroll tools to service their clients. Bureau Payroll can be easily integrated into existing software, accessed from anywhere using cloud-native technology, and can be shared with other colleagues through multi-user access.”

Fiona McIlwaine at DNT Chartered Accountants, says: “Payroll is hugely emotive. It’s people's livelihoods, and if it’s not accurate or late, it can have a big impact.

“QuickBooks Bureau Payroll has helped us significantly improve our practice’s operations. Managing payroll for over 120 clients, we’ve found its automated features and cloud-based system a major upgrade from traditional desktop solutions. The intuitive dashboard and time-tracking for payroll tasks have been absolutely crucial in enhancing efficiency.

“The whole transition, which has been supported excellently by QuickBooks, has saved us significant time within the business, allowing us to build stronger client relationships and focus more on our advisory services. This platform is more than just a tool, it’s a vital part of our strategy to deliver superior service to our clients and grow our practice.”