Questions to ask before choosing a provider

Before you decide on an outsourced payroll provider for your school payroll, there are a number of questions you should be asking them.

What is their education track record?

What recent experience have they had of school payrolls? How many schools do they deal with currently?

Do they understand the complexities of school payroll?

The issues surrounding school payrolls are specific and often unique. Understanding pay scales or handling Teachers Pensions and Local Government Pension deductions are all areas they need to be up to speed with.

Do they understand the specific needs of your school?

For many payroll service providers, it is all about volume. To achieve this goal, they treat all their clients in the same way, as a commodity. The fact is, that the needs of each school are different and your provider should take a more consultative approach including the setting up of bespoke management reporting to give you the information you need.

What advanced reporting do they offer?

Will they be able to help you with your monthly and annual pension reporting for LGPS and TP? Can they produce detailed departmental reporting and handle people on multiple contracts of employment?

Are they financially stable?

With such a sensitive area as your staff’s payroll you need to ensure you are leaving it in the hands of a business that has the financial security and stability to be around in the future.

How transparent is their pricing?

Unfortunately, the payroll industry is plagued by headline grabbing ‘per payslip’ figures and many payroll providers are guilty of hidden costs, even when those ‘extras’ are the essentials such as yearend filing and BACS payments.

>> Back to choosing the right provider