Best Payroll Software in India: 10 Platforms to Automate Your HR in 2026

Managing payroll in India can get complicated quickly. Between ever-changing tax rules, PF and ESI regulations, attendance mismatches, last-minute salary changes, and compliance checks, HR teams often spend far more time on payroll than they expect. That is exactly why payroll software in India keeps rising every year. Businesses want fewer manual tasks, fewer errors, and a smoother month-end. The right payroll system can help you get there.

This guide walks you through ten well-known payroll software platforms used by Indian companies in 2026. Each one offers its own mix of automation, compliance support, reporting, and integration capabilities. The goal is simple. Help you understand what matters, compare options, and choose a system that fits your business without bias.

Why Indian Companies Are Moving to Automated Payroll

If you have ever managed payroll manually, you already know where things go wrong. Data scattered in spreadsheets. Incorrect attendance. Multiple revisions. Penalties for late filings. What payroll automation really does is streamline this chaos.

It helps with:

• Accurate salary calculations based on attendance and leave

• Automatic deductions for PF, ESI, PT, and TDS

• Faster reconciliation of full and final settlements

• Better record keeping for audits and statutory checks

• Reduced dependency on manual data entry

India has strict payroll compliance rules, especially around PF, ESI, and TDS. The Ministry of Labour and Employment and the Income Tax Department publish updates often, so relying on a system that stays aligned with regulations can save you from unnecessary penalties.

Key Features To Look For In Payroll Software

What really matters when choosing payroll software for your organisation is clarity on your needs. Here are the features most Indian businesses prioritise while evaluating platforms.

Compliance management

Support for PF, ESI, PT, TDS, and labour regulation updates is essential. If the software cannot keep up with statutory changes, your team will still spend time double checking everything.

Automated salary processing

Look for systems that generate payslips, calculate arrears, handle variable pay, and manage reimbursement without heavy inputs from HR.

Integration with attendance and HR modules

If your attendance system and payroll system do not talk to each other, you will end up importing data manually every month. That defeats the purpose of automation.

Self service for employees

Downloadable payslips, tax declarations, proof uploads, and investment submissions reduce questions to HR.

Scalability and ease of setup

You want software that grows with your business and does not require a lengthy onboarding process.

Top Ten Payroll Software Platforms in India for 2026

Here is a closer look at ten platforms used widely across Indian companies of different sizes.

1. uKnowva HRMS

uKnowva is a cloud based HRMS that includes a fully automated payroll engine. The platform covers core functions like attendance, leaves, reimbursement claims, and employee data. Payroll integrates seamlessly with these modules, which reduces manual intervention.

Notable features include automated compliance calculations, investment declarations, detailed salary registers, and flexible salary structures. It also supports multi branch payroll and handles full and final settlements smoothly. uKnowva suits organisations that want HR and payroll to run in a single system instead of juggling multiple tools.

2. Zoho Payroll

Zoho Payroll is a popular option among small and mid sized companies. It offers clean workflows for salary processing and a simple interface that non technical teams can use easily. Attendance and leave management integrate well if you also use Zoho People.

Zoho supports standard Indian compliance rules and provides automated form generation for TDS and PF filings. The focus is on ease of setup and minimal manual work.

3. Keka HR

Keka positions itself as an employee experience platform, but payroll is one of its strongest modules. Companies that want deeper performance and HR workflows often find Keka appealing.

In payroll, Keka handles allowances, variable pay, cost to company structuring, and statutory filings. It integrates smoothly with biometric attendance systems and gives employees clean, easy to read payslips.

4. GreytHR

GreytHR has a long standing presence in the Indian payroll market. The platform is known for its strong compliance backing and simple salary processing workflows.

It supports automated challans for PF and ESI and offers reliable reporting for audits. GreytHR works well for businesses that want strong statutory support without needing a full HR suite.

5. RazorpayX Payroll

RazorpayX Payroll stands out because it combines payroll with direct salary disbursal through RazorpayX accounts. Startups and tech first companies often choose it for speed and simplicity.

The platform automates compliance deductions and generates required employee documents. It is built mainly for companies with fewer complex HR needs but a heavy focus on financial operations.

6. Kredily

Kredily is a cost effective HR and payroll tool that focuses on startups and small companies. Payroll calculations are automated and basic compliance reports are included.

The platform also offers employee self service and attendance tracking. Kredily is suitable for teams that want a light tool with straightforward features.

7. Pocket HRMS

Pocket HRMS provides HR modules along with an integrated payroll engine. It supports multi location payroll and gives managers strong reporting capabilities.

Features include expense management, attendance tracking, and statutory updates. It works for businesses that want a single HR solution without investing in heavy customisation.

8. Beehive HRMS

Beehive is used by mid sized and enterprise level firms that need deeper configuration. Payroll supports complex salary structures, shift based pay, and multi entity operations.

It also offers analytics and custom reporting for finance teams that want more visibility into payroll data. Beehive fits organisations with layered requirements.

9. PeopleStrong

PeopleStrong offers enterprise grade HR and payroll capabilities. It suits companies with thousands of employees, multiple locations, and structured workflows.

Payroll includes statutory compliance support, configurable pay cycles, and advanced reporting. PeopleStrong is generally adopted by organisations that need a full scale HR transformation solution.

10. Darwinbox

Darwinbox is a cloud based HCM platform known for enterprise flexibility. Payroll integrates with its attendance, leaves, and workforce management modules.

It handles complex payroll structures and is built for large scale organisations. Companies choose Darwinbox when they want automation combined with strong analytics and process depth.

How To Choose the Right Payroll Software for Your Business

Choosing payroll software is less about finding the biggest brand and more about knowing what your business expects. Here is the thing. A company with fifty employees has very different needs from a company with ten thousand.

Start by asking your team these questions:

• How complex is your salary structure

• Do you need HR and payroll in a single system or separate tools

• How important is tight integration with attendance systems

• Do you prefer cloud based tools with remote access

• What level of compliance automation do you want

Each platform in this list brings something different. The right choice matches your size, your workflows, and how much manual work you want to eliminate.

Final Thoughts

Payroll automation will continue to grow in India as companies deal with expanding compliance requirements and hybrid work models. Whether you choose uKnowva or any other software in the list, the goal stays the same. Reduce errors, save time, and ensure compliance with confidence.

A good payroll system becomes the backbone of your HR operations. Use this guide as a starting point to shortlist platforms and explore their features in detail based on your team’s needs.