The 8 best global payroll services [2024]

Arriving at the tipping point where your company can expand globally is an exciting time, and you need all the support you can get to take care of your new global workforce. However, not all global payroll services are created equal. 

Some companies claim to offer global payroll solutions but often work as payroll aggregators that work with other third-party payroll vendors to process your payroll information manually. Unlike those service providers, Rippling is a native payroll platform. It allows you to pay your global workforce in various countries with different labor and tax laws in their local currency without third-party vendors—all with just one click. 

If you're expanding your workforce globally or are unsatisfied with your current global payroll solution, there are various factors to consider when choosing a payroll services provider. Some key considerations include whether it can handle contractor invoices, if it offers employee benefits, and if it provides employer-of-record services to localize employment contracts without establishing a legal entity. Here are some of the top global payroll services to consider.

What is global payroll software?

Global payroll software allows businesses to pay employees and contractors around the world. Typically, these tools provide the necessary integrations and currency exchange capabilities to streamline global payroll operations for accurate and timely payments—like data collection, tax calculation, labor law compliance, and payment processing. Some global payroll providers integrate with existing HR systems such as human capital management (HCM) and human resources information systems (HRIS).

8 best global payroll services

1. Rippling

Most global payroll providers rely on third-party vendors or local providers in the countries where they operate, which can create delays and errors. Not Rippling. Rippling Global Payroll is different because it processes everything in-house as a native payroll platform, ensuring a secure and efficient experience.

Rippling has built more than a dozen HR tools into one unified platform. All your HR data—employee hours and time tracking, time off, benefits, deductions, expenses, and more—automatically syncs with payroll, eliminating the need for manual data entry and calculations. You can run payroll with just one click, paying all your employees and contractors in different tax jurisdictions and local currencies.

Rippling also handles all the other parts of managing a global workforce–from onboarding and benefits administration to people analytics reporting—all in one place. Rippling unifies your HR, IT, and finance systems and integrates with your other tools, like Slack, Zoom, Google Workspace, popular accounting software, and more. It even has a mobile app, making it easy for employees to request time off or clock in and out.

And finally, Rippling is one of the few global payroll providers that offers employer of record (EOR) services. That means you can start your global expansion by hiring through an EOR. And if you ever decide to switch to your own entity, you can easily transition your employees to Rippling Global Payroll without painfully ripping out and replacing the systems you’ve built.

Rippling key features 

• Onboard international employees and independent contractors in 90 seconds
• Pay workers in their local currency in minutes, without waiting on transfers or conversion
• Automatically file and pay taxes globally
• Create and send onboarding documents for new hires to sign

• Securely offload payroll tasks with permissions and admin privileges
• Automate your global compliance work, including benefits administration, minimum wage, etc.
• Manage human resources, IT, and finance in one global management system
• Build powerful reports, like total employment cost by region, department, team, and more
• Delegate tasks, like approving hours and leave, with permissions that automatically update based on someone's role
• Mobile app where employees can clock in and out, request time off, and more

2. ADP

ADP is one of the best-known payroll providers in the US—largely because it caters to many different kinds of businesses, from small businesses to large corporations. In addition to payroll, it offers add-on options like time tracking, retirement services, and benefits administration. 

There are a couple of downsides to ADP, though, especially for global businesses. First, ADP charges per pay run, with additional fees for tax filing and W-2 generation. And second, ADP offers different products for different payroll needs. As your business grows and scales internationally, you may need to upgrade to different ADP systems, which requires reimplementation and relearning.

ADP offers two products for businesses with international employees: ADP Celergo and GlobalView Payroll. 

ADP Celergo seeks to simplify international payroll processing, handling up to 1,000 employees per country. With local suppliers, it takes care of changes, calculations, compliance, funding, and reporting. Data integration and seamless syncing with your HCM software ensure visibility and compliance.

GlobalView Payroll software enables you to manage payroll in 40 countries, convert local currency, and comply with local laws and tax withholding—but you have to have at least 500 employees in a single country to be eligible to use it. Its cloud-based, flexible, and scalable human resources portal suits multinational corporations of all sizes. However, including non-US-based users in a unified pay run is impossible.

ADP key features

• Benefits administration, retirement, health insurance, and workers’ compensation features are available as add-ons
• Pairing ADP Celergo with ADP GlobalView Payroll allows payroll access in over 140 countries and 51 currencies
• Provides data security and privacy law compliance
• The system integrates with QuickBooks Online, Xero, BambooHR, Workday, Slack, and other similar tools
• On-demand analytics with ADP Global Insights Dashboard
• You can produce reports using real-time data with no manual input
• Employee self-service portal to check pay stubs

3. Blue Marble

In 2021, Paylocity acquired Blue Marble to offer global payroll management to their clients. Blue Marble's global payroll service, WebGlobe, allows you to manage payroll from a central location and access customized reporting in real-time. You can view payroll costs across all countries in one place, and its cloud-based technology provides aggregated monthly reporting. With a hybrid service model, you get support from a US-based team, in-country experts, and third parties. The platform integrates with HR software under one monthly payment.

Blue Marble key features 

• Cloud-based platform where you can manage global payroll for more than 150 countries from one place
• Aggregated, real-time reporting on payroll providers and costs
• Managed payroll services for extra support and compliance without having to hire a team overseas
• Help setting up local entities in the country of choice, including bank accounts
• One central place for employee data and HR tools
• Calculate local payroll taxes and deductions for both employees and contractors in each country where they operate

4. Deel

Deel offers global payroll, contractor management, and other HR services in more than 100 countries. With local country experts working in-house, Deel helps you navigate hiring and compliance with local pay standards, tax laws, and other regulatory requirements in the countries where you manage and pay your workforce.

Aside from payroll and local tax compliance, Deel offers a benefits tool and payroll reporting features. It also gives you various ways to pay your employees, from standard bank transfers to credit and debit card payments, Brex, and even cryptocurrency payments—if that fits your business’s needs.

Deel key features 

• In-house payroll experts who can advise you on local compliance in more than 100 countries
• Global analytics reporting that makes it easy to understand your payroll spending at a glance, from employer costs to taxes, bonuses, and more—all in one standard currency
• Many software integrations, plus the option to build your own
• Automated workflows

5. Remote

Remote offers global payroll services in more than 180 countries. It can help you calculate payroll, manage local tax deductions and reporting, ensure compliance with local payroll regulations, pay employees in their currencies, generate payslips, calculate bonuses, and more.

Remote stands out from other global payroll providers in its country-specific benefits administration. Remote can help you create relevant and compliant benefits packages tailored to employees’ specific locations around the globe, including health insurance, dental insurance, pension plans, life and disability insurance, and mental health support. You can even pay global employees in equity, creating compensation plans that include restricted stock units, non-qualified share options, and more—all while ensuring that any equity you offer complies with local regulations.

There are some drawbacks—Remote is limited in the support it offers, and its pricing isn’t very transparent for some plans.

Remote key features

• Pay employees and contractors in more than 180 countries
• In-house compliance experts help streamline payments, taxes, deductions, and more
• Create benefits packages tailored to each employee’s location, including health insurance, vision insurance, pension plans, life and disability insurance, mental health support, and more
• Pay global employees in equity, while ensuring that equity compensation complies with local tax and payroll regulations
• Pay employees in their local currency, generate payslips, and more

6. Oyster

Oyster offers multi-country global payroll services in a streamlined way: Your business pays a single invoice from Oyster, which then divides the payment and pays each employee or contractor in their preferred currency. This can simplify global payroll—especially for businesses that are expanding to different countries for the first time. But it can come with drawbacks, too—Oyster requires businesses to make their payments well in advance so there’s enough time to divide and disburse payments to international contractors and employees. Oyster is also expensive for global businesses with employees rather than just contractors.

Oyster key features

• Global payroll with streamlined payments in 120+ currencies, all from a single invoice
• One platform that handles salaries, expenses, and bonuses for global employees and contractors
• Compliance with local laws and tax regulations
• Built-in time tracking
• Role management tool with misclassification analysis that can help your business avoid costly penalties and fees

7. Multiplier

Multiplier has established itself as a market leader in global payroll, HR management, benefits administration, and compliance. It bills itself as a one-stop solution for global businesses, allowing them to hire anyone, almost anywhere in the world, in 30 seconds or less.

But while Multiplier supports global payroll in 150 countries and 120 currencies, it doesn’t offer truly native payroll. Multiplier only has its own entities in a small handful of countries—it offers payroll in the rest by partnering with local, third-party payroll providers, which can leave customers vulnerable to inefficiencies and security risks. Plus, Multiplier’s pricing is less transparent than many other payroll providers—benefits administration, for example, isn’t included with some of its global payroll packages and needs to be purchased as an add-on.

Multiplier key features

• Global payroll, HR management, benefits administration, and compliance all in one platform
• Global payroll in 150 countries and 120 currencies via partnerships with local, third-party payroll providers
• Full visibility into each payroll cycle, so you can see who’s getting paid when and how
• Analysis and reporting to track performance, time, attendance, schedules, and more with pre-built and custom reporting templates

8. Papaya Global

Papaya Global is an all-in-one workforce management software that offers HR management, benefits administration, employer of record (EOR) services, immigration, and global payroll. Its cloud-based system makes it convenient for businesses, and its global payroll features allow it to administer locally compliant payments to employees and contractors in more than 160 countries.

While Papaya Global is one of the most popular global payroll solutions available, it’s another provider that doesn’t offer native payroll through its own entities; instead, it aggregates third-party providers in most countries where it offers payroll services. Papaya Global also lacks integrations and is one of the more expensive international payroll providers on the market.

Papaya Global key features

• Tools for automating payroll and payments
• AI-powered compliance verification
• Reporting and insights on global payroll data
• Employee self-service portal where workers can create profiles, manage their time-off reports, and view and access their payslips, payroll statements, and other documents

The benefits of using global payroll software

Managing payroll in different countries is complex because there are so many local payroll tax laws to master. International payroll software, such as Rippling, can help you consolidate your global operations seamlessly, so you no longer need to worry about compliance as you expand. Here are the key benefits:

• All your employee data in one place: Say goodbye to disparate data. With global payroll software, all your employee data lives in one platform, making it easy to manage international teams. This includes deduction details, time off, attendance, and pay codes for payroll processing.

• Automated currency conversions: Save time and money when running payroll by automatically paying workers in their local currencies—ideal for companies with a workforce in different time zones.
• Maintain an in-sync general ledger: Reconciling expenses and payroll on spreadsheets is a time suck. Global payroll software automatically syncs payroll data, freeing up time for more strategic work.

• Local tax law compliance: Let local tax experts handle compliance requirements on your behalf. They navigate the tangled web of tax laws and regulations so you don’t have to.

How to choose a global payroll provider

As seen above, there are many features and factors to consider when it comes to global payroll services. So how do you choose the right one?

Here are some of the most important considerations to keep top of mind when partnering with a provider:

• Tax and compliance support: In addition to processing payments, a global payroll service should assist you with localized tax compliance in every new country you hire. Make sure they help you stay up-to-date on compliance requirements to avoid potential penalties and fines.
• Accurate and timely payments: If you’re outsourcing payroll, you want to be sure your provider delivers correct, on-time payments to contractors and employees. This means correctly calculating and processing disbursements in multiple currencies and on differing pay schedules.
• Availability of local experts: Ideally, a provider should also have local payroll experts who have a deep understanding of HR practices, employment laws, and tax regulations in the countries where your business is expanding.

• Automation: Look out for automation features that speed up processing times and reduce the risk of human error. The best global payroll system offloads admin work, giving back valuable time to your HR and finance teams.

Frequently asked questions about global payroll services

What is a global payroll service?

A global payroll service (also known as an international payroll service) is a platform that helps businesses pay employees compliantly, accurately, and efficiently across the globe. Through integrations and currency conversion capabilities, these services streamline global employment operations like tax deductions, local labor law compliance, payment processing, and more. 

How do I do international payroll?

Handling international payroll can be complicated, especially when expanding to new regions. Before you can even run payroll, you’ll need to know whether you’re hiring contractors or employees (or both), which will determine whether you need an entity in that country. You’ll also need a grasp of local tax and labor laws to ensure you pay contractors and employees compliantly.

The easiest way to run international payroll is through a global payroll provider, which can offload payroll operations across multiple countries—and take care of compliance requirements on your behalf so you can focus on growing your business. 

What is the best global payroll provider?

Rippling stands out as the best provider for global payroll processing, allowing companies to hire, manage, and pay workers in 185+ countries compliantly. With a centralized dashboard that houses all your payroll data alongside your HR data—like employee hours, time off, benefits, expenses, deductions, and more—you’ll never have to scramble to locate data in different tools again.

Additionally, Rippling is one of the only payroll providers that offers global HR services and an employer of record (EOR). That means you can jumpstart your global expansion by hiring through an EOR in any country. And if you ever change your mind, you can easily switch to your own entity and transition employees to Rippling Global Payroll without ripping out your current systems.

What’s the difference between international payroll, EOR, and PEO?

The primary difference between international payroll compared to EOR and professional employment organization (PEO) services is that your company retains full control over employment with the former. EORs and PEOs actually become responsible for certain parts of the employment process. A PEO co-employs a company’s workforce, meaning that both the company and the PEO are considered legal employers. On the other hand, an EOR acts as the sole employer of your workforce and assumes all of the legal responsibilities for hiring in that country.

Another distinction between international payroll, PEOs, and EORs has to do with their functions. International payroll is solely used to pay employees and contractors around the world, while PEOs and EORs handle other HR services in addition to paying employees.

Rippling and its affiliates do not provide tax, accounting, or legal advice. This material has been prepared for informational purposes only, and is not intended to provide, and should not be relied on for tax, legal, or accounting advice. You should consult your own tax, legal, and accounting advisors before engaging in any related activities or transactions.