Best Payroll Software in the UAE (2027 Guide: WPS, Gratuity and Payslips)
UAE payroll is not just a spreadsheet of salaries. It needs a WPS salary file your bank will accept, end-of-service gratuity calculated to current law, and payslips and leave that agree with each other. This guide ranks the main options and explains what to test before you trust one with payday.
The short answer
If you only need payroll and want to spend as little as possible, Zoho Payroll's UAE edition is our pick. If you want payroll in the same system as leave, attendance and hiring, OfficeHR is the better fit for small UAE teams, and it's our second pick for payroll overall. Bayzat is worth a look if you want insurance administration too.
Full disclosure: we build OfficeHR, so we've put ourselves in this list and we're not a neutral party. To keep it useful, we say how we ranked, give each option's real strengths and limits, and explain when OfficeHR is not the right choice. Products and prices change, so verify anything that matters with the vendor and test with your own data before you commit.
How we ranked them
This ranking is for UAE companies of roughly 10 to 50 employees, because that is who we build for and talk to every week. We weighed five things:
- UAE compliance built in: WPS salary files, end-of-service gratuity, UAE leave rules and pension handling, not bolted on.
- Fit for a small team: quick to set up, no dedicated HR administrator needed.
- Price you can predict: published, or at least clear, before the demo, and stable as headcount changes.
- Breadth in one place: how much of hiring, records, leave, attendance and payroll sits in a single system.
- Support and migration: who helps you move your data and fixes a problem on payday.
A larger company, a multi-country team or a team that only needs one function could reasonably rank these differently. That is why every entry says who it is best for.
What good UAE payroll software must do
- Generate the WPS salary file from the same data as the payslips, in the format your bank or exchange house accepts. (See how to create a SIF file and how WPS works.)
- Calculate gratuity correctly, with the working shown. (See how gratuity is calculated.)
- Handle deductions and adjustments such as loans, unpaid leave and overtime. (See overtime rules.)
- Produce final settlements on exit with accrued leave and notice. (See resignation and final settlement.)
- Let you review before anything is paid, and keep a record of each run.
At a glance
| # | Option | Best for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zoho Payroll (UAE edition) | Payroll-only on a budget | Standalone: HR records, leave and hiring are separate products |
| 2 | OfficeHR | Payroll in the same system as leave, attendance and hiring | Built for UAE teams of 10 to 50; personal onboarding rather than instant sign-up |
| 3 | Bayzat | Payroll alongside insurance and benefits administration | Quote-based pricing; can be costly for the smallest teams |
| 4 | greytHR / Zimyo | Mid-market HRMS with payroll and a Middle East edition | Test UAE-specific WPS and gratuity handling on your own data |
| 5 | Deel | Payroll across several countries | More than most single-country UAE teams need |
The ranking in detail
1. Zoho Payroll (UAE edition)
Best payroll-only option on a budgetBest for: a company that already has its HR records elsewhere and wants a focused, low-cost payroll tool.
Strengths
- Zoho describes its UAE edition as covering WPS salary file generation, gratuity calculation and pension deductions.
- Per-employee pricing is published, and it's a focused product that does payroll without a lot of extras.
Limitations
- It is a standalone payroll product, so leave, attendance and employee records come from somewhere else and need to stay in sync.
- Prices and plans change, and reported figures vary, so confirm the current rate card.
Pricing: published per employee and by plan. Confirm the current figures on Zoho's site.
2. OfficeHR
Best when payroll should live with HR, leave and hiringBest for: a UAE team of 10 to 50 that wants payroll fed automatically by approved leave, attendance and overtime, with hiring and records in the same place.
Strengths
- WPS salary files generated from the same data as payslips, with end-of-service gratuity calculated under Federal Decree-Law 33 of 2021 and pension handling for GCC nationals.
- Approved leave and attendance flow straight into payroll, so there's nothing to re-key at month end.
- Review the run before it's final, with one-off adjustments such as overtime, loans and unpaid days.
- Predictable published pricing, with payroll included rather than sold as an add-on.
Limitations
- Built for UAE teams of about 10 to 50 employees. Much larger companies may outgrow it.
- UAE only. It doesn't run multi-country payroll.
- Customers are onboarded personally (by phone or WhatsApp) rather than through instant self-serve sign-up.
- It is software, not an insurance broker, so insurance is something you arrange separately.
Pricing: published and simple. A base fee of AED 300 a month includes your first 10 employees, then AED 30 per employee a month for employees 11 to 25, AED 25 for 26 to 50, and AED 20 from 51. Annual billing charges 10 months instead of 12. Prices exclude 5% VAT and there is no setup fee. See the pricing calculator.
3. Bayzat
Good if insurance sits alongside payrollBest for: a company that wants payroll, HR and insurance or benefits administration from one UAE provider.
Strengths
- Describes WPS file generation alongside benefits and insurance administration.
- A familiar name among UAE SMEs.
Limitations
- Pricing is by quote, so compare total annual cost carefully.
- Reviewers have described it as costly for very small teams.
Pricing: by quote. Ask for the full annual cost in writing.
4. greytHR and Zimyo
Mid-market HRMS with payrollBest for: teams that want a conventional HRMS with payroll and are comfortable testing UAE specifics.
Strengths
- Both offer payroll with Middle East editions and position themselves for small and mid-sized firms.
- Zimyo has published dirham pricing per employee.
Limitations
- Check the exact WPS file format your bank accepts and how gratuity workings are shown.
- Ask who supports you in UAE time zones and how migration works.
Pricing: check each vendor's current pricing page or request a written quote.
5. Deel
Best for multi-country payrollBest for: a business paying employees or contractors in several countries.
Strengths
- Designed for global payroll, contractors and cross-border employment.
Limitations
- If everyone is in the UAE, a UAE-built tool is usually simpler and cheaper.
- Confirm exactly how WPS is handled and who is responsible for it.
Pricing: by plan. Confirm the current structure with the vendor.
Not ready to buy software?
You can run WPS through your bank's or exchange house's portal with a spreadsheet. It works for a handful of people, but mistyped IBANs and labour card numbers are the usual cause of rejected files, and gratuity gets calculated ad hoc when someone resigns. If you've had one rejected file or one disputed final settlement, the cost of switching is usually smaller than another year of patching.
How to test before you switch
- Give each shortlisted vendor last month's payroll data and one real leaver.
- Check that the payslips, the WPS file and the final settlement match what you calculate yourself.
- Run one cycle in parallel before cutting over.
- Ask who fixes a rejected salary file on payday, and how quickly.
For more questions to ask, use our HR software checklist, and see how to run payroll in the UAE for the process itself. For the full HR picture, read the best HR software guide.
This guide reflects our own view as of October 2026 and was written by the makers of OfficeHR. Descriptions of other products are based on publicly available information and vendor materials, may be out of date, and are not endorsements or guarantees. Verify features and pricing directly with each vendor. WPS requirements are set by UAE authorities and banks and can change.
Run your next payroll with the WPS file ready.
Salaries, deductions, leave, overtime and gratuity in one place, with a WPS file and payslips generated from the same data.