Do I Need an Accountant to Do Payroll?

When you first start employing people, one of the big questions is: Do I need an accountant to do my payroll? The short answer is: not necessarily. While accountants can manage payroll, it’s not their core focus—and in many cases, a dedicated payroll provider may be a better fit.

Payroll Is More Than Just Numbers

Payroll isn’t just about paying staff. It involves:

  • Running real-time calculations for wages, tax, and National Insurance
  • Keeping up with HMRC requirements and frequent legislation changes
  • Managing pensions (including auto-enrolment)
  • Filing reports like FPS and EPS on time
  • Producing payslips, P45s, P60s, and dealing with holiday pay, sick pay, or maternity leave

And that’s before you get to things like CIS (for contractors), student loans, or payrolling benefits.

For most accountants, payroll is a small sideline to their core service of preparing accounts. That means it can get deprioritised, or passed around internally, leading to inconsistencies or delays.

So What Do Payroll Companies Do Differently?

Dedicated payroll companies (like Be Payroll) live and breathe this stuff. Here’s how it typically works:

1. Onboarding

You send over basic company and employee info. Some providers even help set this up for you—Be Payroll offers guided onboarding to make sure everything starts off right.

2. Ongoing Payroll Processing

You submit hours, salary changes, bonuses—whatever’s needed. The payroll provider calculates pay, tax, and deductions, generates payslips, and submits all necessary HMRC filings on your behalf.

3. Extras Covered

Things like workplace pensions, Construction Industry Scheme (CIS) deductions, or dealing with employee leavers and joiners are all part of the service. With Be Payroll, it’s a complete package.

4. Support When You Need It

Instead of chasing your accountant during tax season, you get a payroll expert you can actually reach—someone who knows your setup and can troubleshoot quickly.

Who Is Payroll Outsourcing For?

  • Business owners who want peace of mind and fewer compliance headaches
  • Accountants who’d rather focus on tax and bookkeeping, not payroll admin
  • Small teams who don’t have internal HR or finance departments
  • Industries like care, hospitality or construction, where staffing changes are frequent and the rules are complex

Can Be Payroll Help?

Yes—if you’re unsure about whether to keep payroll in-house, with your accountant, or to outsource altogether, Be Payroll offers flexible support. Whether it’s full-service management, or working alongside your existing accountant, the focus is on making your payroll smooth, accurate, and fully compliant.

Final Thought

You don’t need an accountant to run payroll. But you do need someone who knows payroll inside and out. If you’d like to simplify things, save time, and avoid costly errors, a payroll company like Be Payroll might be exactly what you’re looking for.