Zoho Payroll

Zoho Payroll is an employee payroll service with contractor administration and payments in the same workflow. It suits organizations paying both employees and contractors, especially those that need contractor records, tax withholding and spend reports alongside payroll. Its main draw is that combined workflow; Contractor Payroll begins with the Standard plan.

Overview

Zoho Payroll brings contractor onboarding, payment and employee payroll together. Organizations can assign reporting managers, upload contractor documents and track contract end dates, while the system applies TDS under Section 194C or 194J according to contractor category. That can keep routine contractor administration within payroll, rather than split across separate processes.

Employees and contractors can be included in the same pay run, with separate off-cycle payouts for contractors when timing differs. Payments may be made by cheque, cash, manual transfer or direct deposit. The variety accommodates different payment practices, but teams seeking a fully direct-deposit workflow may prefer to use that method consistently.

Key features

Contractor self-service and reporting

Contractors can access payslips and payment history through a self-service portal, giving them a way to check records without routing every query through payroll staff. Reports cover contractor payouts, project costs and overall spend, useful for organizations that need visibility into contractor costs as well as payment status.

Integrations and security

Zoho Payroll lists integrations with Zoho Books, Zoho People, Zoho Expense, Zoho Practice, Zoho SalesIQ, Zoho Analytics, Zoho Payments, HSBC, ICICI Bank and WhatsApp Business. This breadth is useful for organizations already working with those services. Security measures include two-factor authentication, role-based access, password-protected payroll documents, activity logs and 24/7 monitoring. Its listed certifications include ISO/IEC 27001, ISO/IEC 27017, ISO/IEC 27018, ISO 9001, SOC and GDPR.

Pricing

The Free plan costs ₹free and is free forever, with basic payroll for up to 10 employees and email support. It is the practical starting point for small teams that do not need Contractor Payroll, which is included at no additional cost only from Standard.

Standard costs ₹₹1,000 a month per organization per month, billed annually. It includes 25 employees, charges ₹40 per additional employee and includes Contractor Payroll. For organizations with contractors and up to 25 employees, this is the entry plan that combines both workflows. Standard includes voice and email support.

Professional costs ₹₹3,000 a month per organization per month, billed annually, and includes 50 employees with ₹60 per additional employee. Premium costs ₹₹4,000 a month per organization per month, also billed annually, and includes 50 employees with ₹80 per additional employee. Both include voice and email support; the employee limits and per-employee charges make the included headcount important to compare against a growing payroll. Contractor Payroll is included from Standard, so the Free plan gives it up.

A 14-day free trial provides paid-product benefits; an upgrade is required afterward to keep using the paid product. The trial is useful for assessing the workflow, but it is not an ongoing free route to Contractor Payroll.

Platforms

Zoho Payroll is available on Android, iOS and the web. It supports scheduled payments, single-country payout coverage, tax forms and accounting integrations.

Who it's for

Zoho Payroll is best suited to organizations that run employee payroll and contractor payments together, particularly those that need contractor onboarding, category-based TDS and reporting on project costs or overall spend. Teams with 10 or fewer employees that need only basic payroll can start on Free. Organizations needing Contractor Payroll must budget for Standard or higher, while teams making payments across multiple countries should look elsewhere given its single-country coverage.

Pros and cons

• Pro: Employee and contractor pay can share a pay run, with separate off-cycle contractor payouts available for exceptions.
• Pro: Contractor onboarding, TDS handling, self-service payment records and contractor cost reports cover several parts of the contractor payroll workflow.
• Pro: Free forever covers basic payroll for up to 10 employees.
• Con: Contractor Payroll is not included in Free, making Standard the least expensive plan for organizations that need it.
• Con: Paid plans are billed annually, and additional employees carry plan-specific charges.
• Con: Payout coverage is limited to one country.

Alternatives

For a wider comparison, browse Contractor Payment Software.

• Cleo Pay has a free Get Paid plan for vendors and contractors with one user seat and unlimited incoming payments, but no outbound payments; consider it for receiving payments rather than running contractor payroll payouts.
• PayWow offers free contractor payroll for unlimited contractors with limited reports and check payments; consider it when a no-cost check-based contractor payroll is the priority.
• BuildFair offers a free Owner plan for invited project owners and a paid Subcontractor plan; consider it for project-based owner or subcontractor access.
• Petl Pay is a freemium option for project and contributor billing; consider it when that focus fits your workflow better.
• Payoneer Payer is a paid business payment option with custom pricing for higher payment volumes; consider it when payment fees by method and location suit your needs.
• Plane Contractor Management offers a free HRIS Platform with hiring and onboarding tasks, a directory, custom reports, holidays and time tracking; consider it when contractor management and HRIS functions are more central than payroll.
• IRIS Practice Engine is another paid option.
• TLC IT is another paid option.

Verdict

Choose Zoho Payroll if your organization wants contractor administration, TDS handling and payments alongside employee payroll, with self-service records and contractor spend reporting in the same service. Its clearest reason to look elsewhere is the combination of annual billing for paid plans and single-country payout coverage; the Free plan also does not include Contractor Payroll.