India Payroll

India payroll that Finance can actually trust

Multi-state compliance, automated PF/ESI/PT/TDS deductions, payslips in 48 hours, and zero audit surprises — all for a flat monthly fee. No hidden costs, no guesswork.

$5M+ payroll processed
150+ global companies
48-hr payroll runs
No setup fees

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$5M+
Payroll Processed
48hrs
Median Payroll Run
800+
Employees on Payroll
4.9
Client Rating

Trusted by global companies running India payroll

Canva Automattic Toptal Beamery Nium Spendflo Maze Rocketlane Canva Automattic Toptal Beamery Nium Spendflo Maze Rocketlane

What is managed payroll in India?

Managed payroll in India means fully outsourcing your India payroll cycle — salary computation, statutory deductions (PF, ESI, Professional Tax, TDS), payslip generation, Form 16 issuance, and all statutory filings — to a specialist provider. The provider becomes accountable for payroll accuracy and compliance with India's multi-state labour laws, removing the need for any in-house payroll expertise.

For global companies without a registered India entity, managed payroll is delivered through an Employer of Record (EOR) who assumes legal employment responsibility alongside payroll management — one vendor, zero India entity required.

Everything your India payroll needs — nothing missing

From monthly salary runs to year-end Form 16 — every piece of India's complex payroll puzzle is handled, documented, and audit-ready.

💰

Monthly Salary Processing

Gross-to-net computation, bank transfers, payslips delivered to every employee inbox on payday.

🏛️

PF & ESI Compliance

Provident Fund and ESIC deductions computed, remitted, and challan-filed before every deadline.

📋

Professional Tax (Multi-State)

PT rates vary by state — we track every jurisdiction your employees are in and file accordingly.

🧾

TDS & Income Tax Filing

Monthly TDS deduction, quarterly 24Q returns, and Form 16 issued to all employees at year-end.

📅

Year-End Tax Computation

Investment proof collection, HRA validation, salary restructuring advice, and final tax settlement.

🧑‍💼

Employee Payroll Support

Your team members get a dedicated support channel for payslip queries, tax declarations, and pay disputes.

📊

Finance-Ready Reports

GL-mapped payroll journals, cost-centre breakdowns, and accrual reports formatted for your accounting system.

🔍

Audit-Ready Documentation

Every challan, return, and payslip archived and accessible — so your next audit doesn't become a crisis.

🔔

Compliance Calendar Alerts

Never miss a filing deadline. We alert your team 5 days before every statutory due date.

Up and running in 4 steps

From your first conversation to payroll going live — most clients are fully operational within one pay cycle.

1

Payroll Audit & Setup

We review your existing payroll data, salary structures, and statutory registrations — then configure your account.

2

Data Sync

You share monthly attendance, variable pay, and new joiner data via a simple template or API — no complex integrations.

3

Payroll Run & Approval

We compute, validate, and send you a payroll summary for approval before any money moves. Full control, always.

4

Payout & Compliance Filing

Salaries hit employee accounts. All statutory challans are filed. Reports are posted to your Finance dashboard.

Versatile vs. running payroll in-house

Most companies attempt payroll internally — then discover the compliance overhead too late. Here's why that calculation rarely works.

Capability Versatile Managed Payroll In-house / DIY Generic Global Platform
Multi-state Professional Tax ✓ All states, auto-calculated ✗ Prone to state-specific errors ⚬ Limited state coverage
PF/ESI challan filing ✓ Filed before every deadline ⚬ Manual — missed deadlines common ✓ Usually included
Form 16 & 24Q returns ✓ Fully managed, archived ✗ Often outsourced last-minute ⚬ Add-on cost
Finance GL-mapped reports ✓ Custom to your chart of accounts ✗ Manual reconciliation required ✗ Rarely available
Employee payslip queries ✓ Dedicated support line ⚬ HR handles ad hoc ⚬ Ticket-only system
Audit documentation ✓ Every document archived 7 years ✗ Scattered across drives ⚬ Portal access only
Setup fees ✓ Zero ⚬ HR overhead costs ✗ Often $500–$2,000+
Payroll run time ✓ 48 hours ✗ 5–10 days typical ⚬ 3–5 days
Case Study

OneReach.AI scaled payroll from 3 to 24 India employees — without a single compliance incident

OneReach.AI needed to move fast hiring senior B2B SaaS talent in India. Their Finance team couldn't afford compliance errors — every payroll had to be clean, documented, and audit-ready from day one. We ran their entire payroll operation: PF, PT across states, TDS, and quarterly returns.

team growth in 14 months
0
compliance incidents
48h
payroll run, every month
"Versatile has been a great partner — providing integrated EOR and payroll. They helped us hire experienced professionals from Tier 1 B2B SaaS brands quickly and compliantly."
— Saurabh Sharma, CMO, OneReach.AI

Payroll without the panic

"

"Versatile has been a great partner — providing integrated EOR and recruitment. They helped us hire experienced professionals from Tier 1 B2B SaaS brands quickly and compliantly."

Saurabh Sharma CMO, OneReach.AI
"

"The payment solutions are seamless and the team's responsiveness and proactive approach made expanding to India genuinely stress-free."

José Enrique Montero Pérez EOM-Energy O&M Services
"

"The whole process was professional and very smooth. I was very pleased with how quickly the team moved and how transparent everything was."

Gear Fisher Co-Founder, Onform

Simple, flat-fee payroll pricing

One fee per employee, per month. No setup costs, no per-filing charges, no surprises on your invoice.

Starter
$99
per employee / month
CTC up to ₹15L/year
  • Monthly salary processing
  • PF & ESI filing
  • Multi-state PT management
  • TDS deductions & remittance
  • Payslip delivery
  • Year-end Form 16
Get started
Senior
$199
per employee / month
CTC above ₹30L/year
  • Everything in Growth
  • ESOP & perquisite tax handling
  • Senior executive salary structuring
  • Priority SLA — 24-hr payroll run
  • Audit documentation pack
  • Quarterly compliance review
Get started

Questions Finance always asks us

Salary computation, PF/ESI/PT/TDS deductions, payslip generation, bank transfers, challan filing, quarterly 24Q returns, and year-end Form 16 — all included at your flat monthly fee. No hidden per-filing costs.
Yes. PT rates and slabs differ by state — and some states don't have PT at all. We track each employee's work location and apply the correct rate and filing schedule for their state automatically.
Our median payroll run is 48 hours from data submission to completed payout. Senior plan clients get a priority SLA of 24 hours. You approve the payroll summary before any money moves.
We support data exchange via Excel templates, CSV, or API for most modern HRMS platforms. Our GL-mapped payroll reports are formatted for common accounting systems including QuickBooks, Xero, and NetSuite.
We handle pro-rated salaries for joiners and leavers. Just notify us before the payroll cut-off date and we'll compute the correct amount — including applicable PF/ESI on the proportionate salary.
We track all pending Labour Code regulations and update our payroll engine as state governments notify implementation dates. Your payroll stays compliant even as the regulatory landscape evolves.
Absolutely. Our managed payroll service is separate from EOR. If you already have a PVT LTD or branch office, we can take over payroll operations for your existing employees — no EOR required.
Setup is free. We start with a payroll audit of your current data, configure your account, migrate employee records, and go live within one pay cycle. No setup fees, ever.
Provident Fund (PF) is governed by the EPF Act 1952. Both employer and employee each contribute 12% of basic salary (statutory basis capped at ₹15,000/month). The employee's share goes entirely to EPF; the employer's 12% splits — 3.67% to EPF and 8.33% to EPS (pension). We handle all PF deductions, ECR uploads, and monthly challan deposits on your behalf.
ESI (Employees' State Insurance) applies to employees earning up to ₹21,000/month gross. Employer contributes 3.25% and employee 0.75% of gross wages. It provides medical, sickness, maternity, and disability benefits. We file ECR contributions by the 15th of each month and issue ESI IP numbers for all applicable employees.
Form 16 is a TDS certificate issued by employers to employees each year. Part A contains the TDS deducted and deposited on the employee's behalf; Part B details salary income and deductions claimed. It must be issued by June 15 for the preceding April–March financial year. We generate and distribute Form 16 to all employees automatically at year-end.
Gratuity is payable after 5 years of continuous service under the Payment of Gratuity Act, 1972. Formula: (Last drawn basic + DA) × 15/26 × completed years of service. For example, an employee with ₹50,000 basic earning gratuity after 6 years would receive ₹50,000 × 15/26 × 6 = ₹1,73,077. We track gratuity eligibility and provision monthly in your cost reports.
Yes. ESOP perquisite income is taxable in India at the time of exercise. We compute the perquisite value (FMV on exercise date minus exercise price), include it in the monthly payroll run, deduct TDS accordingly, and report it in Form 12BA at year-end. Startup ESOPs with DPIIT registration can defer tax to the earlier of sale, exit, or 5 years.
Yes — payroll outsourcing is entirely legal in India and widely practiced by both Indian corporates and multinational subsidiaries. The legal employer (your entity or our EOR entity) remains accountable for statutory compliance, but all operational payroll work can be delegated to a managed payroll provider like Versatile.

Ready to fix your India payroll?

Stop worrying about missed PT filings, incorrect TDS, or audit-day scrambles. Let's take it off your plate — permanently.

No setup fees — ever
First payroll run within one pay cycle
All statutory filings included — PF, ESI, PT, TDS
150+ global companies trust our payroll