Zoho has announced the introduction of its Payroll solution in UAE, further extending the number of applications that it has available in the region. Last month is published a blog about the availability. Zoho Payroll is a comprehensive solution which is used by more than 20,000 companies globally. Its localisation and introduction into the UAE indicate a desire by the company to further invest in the region.
While there is already a crowded market within the UAE for payroll solutions, Zoho has thought deeply about the localisations required. It has developed solutions that meet the pension requirements for employees across the region, including:
- Abu Dhabi: ADRPBF
- Kuwait: PIFSS
- Nahrain: SIO
- Oman: PASI
- Qatar: GRSIA
- Saudi Arabia: GOSI
- UAE: GPSSA
It will also support and calculate the end-of-service benefits for ex-pats in different industries. There is also support for the Wages Protection Systems (WPS). The payroll platform can auto-generate SIF files and ensure that employee salaries are paid on time and in a compliant way. The solution also synchronises with Zoho People to ensure that any overtime is paid in a timely manner. Further integrations exist for Zoho Books, simplifying the work required by finance and Zoho Expenses. Thus reducing the administration work that organisations have to do to reimburse employees.
Zoho Payroll also integrates with the recently launched Zoho Practice. Zoho Practice is a complete practice management solution for accountants. The integration will allow accountants to manage client payrolls, offering a valuable service to smaller firms that do not have the internal compliance expertise to manage the solution. Accountants can view their client’s pending pay runs, unapproved revisions, and payments. They can also manage and share employee payroll-related documents and set expiry notifications.
Prashant Ganti, Head of Product Management, Zoho Finance and Operations Suite, commented, “Businesses often face key challenges in payroll management like pulling in employee records from multiple sources while staying compliant with the local labour laws. Zoho Payroll serves as a modern alternative for UAE businesses, providing built-in compliance, automating monthly payroll tasks, and seamlessly connecting with the relevant data sources.
“With a consumer-grade UI, the solution not only simplifies payroll management for finance teams but also enhances the employee experience by offering a user-friendly self-service portal. Today’s launch builds on our recent momentum of addressing Corporate Tax compliance for UAE businesses, further solidifying our commitment to supporting businesses in the country.”
What does Zoho Payroll deliver
As is usual for Zoho, it offers two levels of its Payroll solution: the standard edition, which costs AED 7 per employee per month, and the professional edition, which costs AED 11 per employee per month (if charged on an annual basis). Smaller organisations can opt for slightly more expensive monthly pricing for greater flexibility (AED 9 and AED 13, respectively). Both have a minimum employee count of 5. There is also a 30-day free trial available.
The standard payroll solution offers everything most organisations will require, including payroll calculations, payslips, payments and compliance. The professional version offers greater flexibility and includes additional features such as:
- Bonus & off-cycle pay runs
- Reporting Tags
- Pay run and salary revision approvals
- Advanced salary components – scheduled components, formula-based components
- Salary Hold
- Customisation for fields, reminders, user roles and permissions
- Giving Module enabling employee donations
There are a range of features that improve the user experience, including an employee self-service portal and a mobile application that supports both iOS and Android. Employees are able to carry out many self-service tasks on the mobile such as:
- View their salary information
- Download payslips
- Receive notifications related to documents and salaries
- Track loans, including Loan Amount, Amount Repaid, Remaining Amount, Instalments Remaining, Next Repayment Date and Instalment History
- They can also collaborate with the Payroll team through the app
Employees cannot apply for loans through the portal, though, and must contact their Payroll team, which can view the mobile application and self-service portal.
Enterprise Times: what does this mean
At the start of 2023, Zoho announced that it had grown its business by 10x in the Middle East, only five years after it began operations there. The company is now offering more of its application suite and is localising some of the more complex applications for the UAE market. Its pricing approach is clearly winning friends. Alongside its partnerships with the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority and the Department of Economy and Tourism (DET).
The release of Zoho Payroll for UAE is the next step of its growth plans for the region. It will be interesting to see whether it has continued the momentum of 2022 in 2023.
