Payroll Software in India (2026): Prices & Compliance

Last updated: 22 October 2026

Short answer: for up to 10 employees, Zoho Payroll has a free plan, and its paid plans start at ₹1,000 a month (billed annually, plus GST) for 25 employees. greytHR starts at ₹2,495 a month for 50 employees and suits firms that also want HR features. RazorpayX Payroll starts at ₹3,499 a month for 20 employees and suits businesses that want salaries paid out from the same platform. None of these three charges less than ₹1,000 a month once you leave Zoho’s free plan.

Want to see the take-home pay for a CTC? Use our free salary calculator to check CTC to in-hand pay, PF, and old vs new tax regime.

Before you compare, note two changes that many older guides miss. The EPF wage ceiling is now ₹25,000 a month (from 17 Sep 2026), and the salary TDS certificate is now Form 130 (earlier Form 16). Your payroll tool must handle both.

Payroll software in India at a glance

Prices checked 22 Oct 2026 on each vendor’s official pricing page. GST on software subscriptions is 18% (the residual services rate). “With GST” figures below add 18% to the listed price.

Source: Zoho Payroll, greytHR, RazorpayX Payroll and TallyPrime pricing pages, checked 22 Oct 2026.

*greytHR’s pricing page does not state whether GST is included. Ask for a written quote that shows the tax line.

Razorpay’s page says the prices are per month and that 18% GST is extra; it offers annual and semi-annual billing, so confirm which billing period your quote uses. Tally lists “Payroll Management” among its features, but its buy page does not say payroll is part of every licence. Confirm this with Tally before you rely on it.

What you will actually pay: worked examples

Per-employee cost is the easiest way to compare. Here is the monthly bill for three team sizes, using only the listed prices.

30 employees

Source: Zoho Payroll, greytHR and RazorpayX Payroll pricing pages, checked 22 Oct 2026.

40 employees on RazorpayX

PRIME works out to ₹3,499 + 20 × ₹150 = ₹6,499. That equals the ELITE price of ₹6,499 a month (source, checked 22 Oct 2026), which covers 50 employees. So once you cross about 40 staff, ELITE gives you 10 more seats for the same money (₹7,668.82 with GST).

60 employees

Source: Zoho Payroll, greytHR and RazorpayX Payroll pricing pages, checked 22 Oct 2026.

*If GST is added on top. You can run your own numbers in our SaaS cost calculator.

Do you need payroll software, or is a salary slip template enough?

Under about 10 staff and no PF or ESI

A spreadsheet and a salary slip format are often enough. You calculate pay once a month and send slips by email. If you still want software, Zoho Payroll’s free plan covers up to 10 employees.

When statutory deductions make software worth it

Software starts to pay for itself when you deduct PF and ESI, run salary TDS, and must produce returns and certificates on time. Mistakes in these are costly and slow to fix. A good rule: once anyone on your team is covered by PF or ESI, or salaries are taxable, use a tool that calculates deductions for you.

Statutory compliance a payroll tool should handle

PF (EPF) and the new ₹25,000 wage ceiling

The EPF wage ceiling went up from ₹15,000 to ₹25,000 a month from 17 Sep 2026 (S.O. 5109(E)). The rates have not changed: the employee pays 12%; the employer pays 12%, split as 8.33% to the pension scheme (EPS) and 3.67% to EPF; EDLI is 0.50%. EPFO’s FAQ says September 2026 goes in a single ECR (the monthly return file).

Worked example, employee with basic pay + DA of ₹30,000, contributions limited to the ceiling:

Under the old ₹15,000 ceiling, the same employee’s share would have been ₹1,800. Check that your tool has already been updated, and that it put September 2026 in one ECR.

ESI contributions

ESI applies to employees earning up to ₹21,000 a month (₹25,000 for persons with disability). The employee pays 0.75% and the employer 3.25%. Contributions are due within 15 days of the end of the month.

Example: gross wages of ₹20,000. Employee share = 0.75% × ₹20,000 = ₹150. Employer share = 3.25% × ₹20,000 = ₹650. Employees whose daily average wage is up to ₹176 pay no employee share.

Salary TDS and Form 130 (earlier Form 16)

From 1 Apr 2026, the Income-tax Act 2025 applies. Salary TDS now falls under section 392, and the employee’s TDS certificate is Form 130 (earlier Form 16). It is due by 15 June after the end of the tax year. When you compare tools, ask each vendor whether it generates Form 130, not only “Form 16”.

Labour Codes: what changed for salary structures

The Code on Wages, 2019 has been in force since 21 Nov 2025. Its definition of “wages” (section 2(y)) has a 50% rule: if excluded allowances are more than half of total pay, the excess is added back to wages.

Example: total pay ₹40,000, of which basic + DA is ₹16,000 and excluded allowances are ₹24,000. Half of ₹40,000 is ₹20,000, so ₹4,000 is added back and wages become ₹20,000. A payroll tool should let you check salary structures against this rule. The Ministry of Labour’s FAQ says older rules continue during the transition where they are in line with the Codes.

Pricing models explained

• Base fee + per employee: Zoho Payroll, greytHR and RazorpayX all charge a monthly base that includes a set number of employees, then a fee for each extra employee.
• Annual vs monthly billing: Zoho charges about 20% less if you pay annually (₹1,000 vs ₹1,250 for Standard) (source, checked 22 Oct 2026). greytHR offers annual plans but does not refund unused credit.
• Add-ons: greytHR charges extra per user each month for timesheets (₹35), expenses (₹35), performance management (₹35–45) and GPS (₹140) (source, checked 22 Oct 2026).
• Licence-based: TallyPrime sells accounting licences by month, year or lifetime, not per employee.

Payroll software by business size

Micro (under 10 staff)

Choose a salary slip template if nobody is under PF or ESI. Choose Zoho Payroll’s free plan if you want automated slips and deductions at no cost.

Small (10–50 staff)

Choose Zoho Payroll Standard if price is the main factor. Choose greytHR Essential if you are close to 50 staff and want HR features in the same tool. Choose RazorpayX PRIME if you already use RazorpayX for payouts and want salaries paid from there.

Growing (50–200 staff)

At this size, leave, attendance and onboarding usually need a system too. Compare full HRMS software before you buy a payroll-only tool.

Tool-by-tool summary

Zoho Payroll

Who it suits: small firms that want the lowest entry price, and businesses already on Zoho apps. Plans: Free (up to 10 employees), Standard, Professional and Premium. The page states prices exclude GST. If you use several Zoho apps, also read our Zoho One pricing guide.

greytHR

Who it suits: firms of around 30–50 staff that want payroll and HR in one place. The Essential plan includes 50 employees in the base fee, so per-employee cost falls as you grow towards 50. There is no free plan. The Premium plan is priced on request.

RazorpayX Payroll

Who it suits: businesses that want salary payouts and payroll on one platform. Pricing is flat-plan, not free: PRIME ₹3,499 a month for up to 20 employees, ELITE ₹6,499 a month for 50 employees, each with ₹150 per extra employee (source, checked 22 Oct 2026). Enterprise (100+) is priced by sales.

TallyPrime

Who it suits: businesses that already keep their books in Tally. Silver costs ₹750 a month, ₹9,000 a year or ₹22,500 lifetime, plus 18% GST (source, checked 22 Oct 2026); subscriptions auto-renew until cancelled. Confirm payroll coverage for your licence with Tally. See our TallyPrime price guide.

Payroll in accounting software vs standalone payroll

Payroll inside your accounting software keeps salary costs and books together. A standalone payroll tool usually goes deeper on PF, ESI and TDS. If you are choosing accounting software at the same time, start with our accounting software guide for small businesses, and check whether the payroll tool exports salary journals to it.

Checklist before you buy

• Updated for the ₹25,000 EPF ceiling and Form 130.
• Generates the PF ECR file and ESI contribution figures.
• Bank transfer files or direct payouts for your bank.
• Data export in Excel or CSV if you leave.
• Price for your exact headcount, in writing, with GST shown separately.
• Support hours and language during payroll week.

What users commonly report

These themes summarise public reviews of the payroll products this guide discusses—greytHR (G2, Capterra, Software Advice, Trustpilot), Zoho Payroll (Capterra, G2, Software Suggest), RazorpayX Payroll (Software Suggest, Techjockey; fewer public reviews than the others) and TallyPrime’s payroll-related feedback (Capterra, Software Advice). They are paraphrased and India-focused where the sources allow.

• greytHR centralises HR and payroll: reviewers commonly praise one place for employee data, leave, attendance and salary runs, plus employee self-service for payslips.
• Zoho Payroll feels manageable once set up: users often like the dashboard, payslip breakup and linking with Zoho People or other Zoho apps.
• RazorpayX is praised mainly for payouts: in the smaller public sample, salary disbursement and a clear dashboard for simple teams come up most often.
• Support delays hurt most in payroll week: slow or uneven help is a repeated theme for greytHR and Zoho Payroll when calculations or tickets pile up.
• greytHR UI and glitches frustrate some firms: a dated interface, stuck payroll runs and attendance hiccups appear alongside the praise.
• Zoho Payroll can feel rigid: hard-to-change schedules, limited one-off pays and some leave edge cases show up in secondary review summaries.
• Tally payroll is secondary to books: some Tally users note payroll depth lags dedicated payroll tools, so confirm coverage for your licence before relying on it alone.

FAQs

Is there free payroll software in India?

Yes. Zoho Payroll has a free plan for up to 10 employees. greytHR and RazorpayX Payroll do not show a free plan.

Is RazorpayX Payroll free?

No. Its pricing page lists flat plans starting at ₹3,499 a month (plus 18% GST) for up to 20 employees (source, checked 22 Oct 2026).

Is GST charged on payroll software?

Yes. Software subscriptions attract 18% GST (the residual services rate). Zoho and Razorpay state that their prices exclude GST; greytHR does not say.

Payroll software or HRMS: which do I need?

Payroll software handles salaries and statutory deductions. HRMS adds employee records, attendance, leave and onboarding. See our HRMS comparison. Whichever tool you pick, the basic pay, DA and allowances it pays out should match the appointment letter you gave the employee.

Sources and checked dates

• Prices checked 22 Oct 2026: Zoho Payroll, greytHR, RazorpayX Payroll, TallyPrime.
• EPF ceiling: S.O. 5109(E) dated 17 Sep 2026, EPFO wage ceiling FAQs.
• ESI: ESIC contribution rates.
• Form 130: Income Tax Department Form 130 FAQs.
• Code on Wages: Ministry of Labour FAQs.
• GST 18%: Notification No. 11/2017-Central Tax (Rate).
• Related: offer letter format.

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