Buyer's guide · 2026
Best Payroll Software in the Philippines (2026)
There is no single best payroll software for every Philippine business. A growing professional services firm, a construction company with project-based workers, a distributor with field employees, and a 200-employee company with a full HR team do not have the same payroll problem. The right choice depends on how you employ people, manage attendance, handle Philippine statutory obligations, and connect payroll to your accounting records.
How to choose
What should Philippine businesses look for in payroll software?
Before comparing brands, compare against the things that actually matter for paying people correctly in the Philippines. Product features and pricing change, so treat every option as a starting point and confirm current details directly with each vendor.
Philippine statutory computations
SSS, PhilHealth, Pag-IBIG, BIR withholding on compensation, 13th month, and overtime/holiday pay built around DOLE rules.
Government and year-end reporting
BIR 2316, annualization, Alphalist where supported, and the contribution reports each agency expects. Confirm the exact forms with the vendor.
Attendance that matches your work
Office, field, work-from-home, flexible, shifts, project-based, contractual, and multiple sites all compute differently.
Employee self-service
Let employees see their own payslips and records so HR is not the copy desk.
Controls and review
Approvals before a run is finalized, and a clear audit trail.
Multi-company and multi-branch
Decide whether you need several legal entities, several branches, or both. They are not the same thing.
What happens in accounting
Payroll creates journal entries, liabilities and a cash disbursement. Check how, or whether, that reaches your books.
The question most guides skip
What happens to payroll after everyone gets paid?
Most payroll comparisons stop at the payslip. But every payroll run also creates accounting consequences that someone still has to record:
- • salaries and wages
- • employer contributions
- • employee deductions
- • withholding tax liabilities
- • government contribution liabilities
- • payroll payable
- • bank or cash disbursement
This is where two kinds of system differ. An HR/payroll-first platform treats payroll as the core product and leaves the accounting entries to be transferred or reconciled elsewhere. An accounting platform with payroll keeps the payroll run connected to the books. Neither is universally better; the right one depends on whether you most need HR depth or a single financial picture.
The comparison
Philippine payroll software, side by side.
A factual comparison compiled from each vendor's official product pages (reviewed October 2026). Confirm current details directly with each vendor before deciding.
| What matters | Quenta | Sprout | GreatDay HR | WORKSPHR | Payruler |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philippine payroll | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| SSS / PhilHealth / Pag-IBIG | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Published by vendor |
| BIR payroll support | Yes | Yes (2316, Alphalist) | Yes (2316, Alphalist) | Yes (1601-C) | Verify with vendor |
| 13th month pay | Yes | Yes | Verify with vendor | Yes | Verify with vendor |
| Attendance / timekeeping | Yes (DTR) | Yes | Yes (geotag, biometrics) | Yes | Yes |
| Field employee support | Yes (fieldwork) | Verify with vendor | Yes (geotagged) | Verify with vendor | Yes (geotagged) |
| Project-based workforce | Yes | Verify with vendor | Verify with vendor | Verify with vendor | Verify with vendor |
| Contractual workforce | Yes | Verify with vendor | Verify with vendor | Verify with vendor | Verify with vendor |
| Employee self-service | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Broader HRISThe competitors here are HR/payroll-first platforms; Quenta is an accounting platform with payroll. | Payroll-focused | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Accounting capability / connection | Yes (accounting platform) | Payroll general ledger (published) | Not identified | Not identified | Not identified |
| Payroll-to-accounting workflow | Yes (posts to the books) | Verify with vendor | Verify with vendor | Verify with vendor | Verify with vendor |
| Multi-company support | Separate per company | Verify with vendor | Verify with vendor | Verify with vendor | Verify with vendor |
| Multi-branch support | Yes (by plan) | Verify with vendor | Verify with vendor | Verify with vendor | Verify with vendor |
How to read this: Yes means the capability was identified in current published product information reviewed for this guide. Published by vendor means the vendor states it but the exact scope was not fully detailed. Verify with vendor means the exact workflow should be confirmed directly rather than assumed unavailable. Not identifiedmeans it was not found in the vendor's published product information. Nothing here is a flat “No”; product functionality can change.
Sources: Quenta Payroll · Sprout · GreatDay HR · WORKSPHR · Payruler · Bureau of Internal Revenue. Independent guidance only; not an endorsement by any vendor.
The options
Who each option tends to suit.
Short, factual profiles based on each vendor's current published information. Read them as starting points for your own shortlist.
Quenta
See Quenta Payroll →Best suited to: Philippine SMEs and growing businesses that want payroll and accounting operating on the same business platform.
Quenta Payroll is part of a broader Philippine accounting and financial platform. It covers SSS, PhilHealth, Pag-IBIG, BIR withholding on compensation, 13th month pay, DTR and payroll workflows, payslips and Employee Self-Service, with attendance for fieldwork, flexible, project-based and contractual work. Its distinguishing point is that a payroll run posts to the same reviewed books as the rest of your accounting, receivables, payables, inventory, Tax Center and Financial Command Center, rather than ending as a separate HR process that is later reconciled into accounting. Quenta Payroll is a paid add-on billed separately from the core-platform free trial.
Sprout
Official site →Best suited to: Companies looking for a broad Philippine HR and payroll ecosystem.
Sprout is a Philippine HR and payroll platform. Its published materials describe BIR, SSS, PhilHealth, Pag-IBIG and 13th month processing, government reports, time and attendance, employee self-service and payroll controls, along with a payroll General Ledger feature. It is best understood as an HR/payroll-first ecosystem with payroll accounting functionality, rather than a general SME accounting platform.
GreatDay HR
Official site →Best suited to: Businesses wanting HRIS, attendance and payroll in one workforce platform.
GreatDay HR is an HRIS and payroll platform with a Philippine presence. Its published features include SSS, PhilHealth, Pag-IBIG and BIR payroll, e-payslips, Alphalist, instant annualization and BIR 2316, plus attendance with geotagging, facial recognition, biometrics and shift scheduling.
WORKSPHR
Official site →Best suited to: Philippine companies wanting a locally oriented HR and payroll platform with detailed statutory positioning.
WORKSPHR is a Philippine cloud HRIS that unifies payroll, attendance and people operations. Its published materials describe SSS, PhilHealth, Pag-IBIG, BIR and DOLE automation, auto-computation of overtime, night differential, holiday pay and 13th month, agency reports such as SSS R-5, PhilHealth RF-1, Pag-IBIG MCRF and BIR 1601-C, and employee self-service via web and an Android app.
Payruler
Official site →Best suited to: Businesses wanting a Philippine HRMS with payroll and workforce management.
Payruler is a locally built Philippine HRMS covering the employee lifecycle, with Philippine payroll, timekeeping and employee self-service through its apps. It is particularly relevant to field teams: it publishes geotagged (GPS) field time-in and work-from-home time capture. Confirm the exact statutory and reporting workflow with the vendor.
Weighing these two approaches directly? Read Quenta vs Sprout Payroll.
By business type
Which payroll software is best for SMEs in the Philippines?
For a growing business, payroll is often run by a small team on top of everything else, and the stakes rise as headcount grows. The practical priorities are correct statutory computations, payslips and reporting that do not eat the week, and as few disconnected systems as possible.
If HR depth (recruitment, performance, a full HRIS) is central, a dedicated HR/payroll platform may fit best. If you would rather keep payroll close to the books so labor cost shows up in your financial picture without a separate transfer, an accounting platform with payroll such as Quenta Payroll is worth a look.
Field teams
What is the best payroll software for field employees in the Philippines?
When people do not clock in from one office, attendance is the hard part. Look for location-aware timekeeping, flexible and work-from-home modes, project assignment, supervisor approval, and clean handling of exceptions.
GreatDay HR and Payruler publish geotagged field attendance; Quenta supports fieldwork attendance tied to payroll and to the books. Confirm the exact field workflow, approvals and exception handling with any vendor you shortlist.
Engineering & construction
What payroll software suits engineering and construction companies?
These businesses often pay project workers and site employees, engage contractual staff, and operate across multiple locations, with overtime and labor-cost visibility to manage.
The fit comes from attendance that matches site and project work, handling of contractual and project-based staff, and a clear path from payroll cost into the financial records. No mainstream Philippine payroll product on this list is a construction-specific job-costing system; evaluate on workflow fit and on how payroll cost reaches your books, not on an industry label.
Company structure
Do I need multi-company payroll software?
First, separate two ideas that are often confused. A branch is a location within one company. A company is a separate legal entity, with its own books and its own statutory registrations.
If you run several locations under one entity, you need branch support. If you run several legal entities, you need each company's payroll and books kept separate. Decide which you actually have before shortlisting, and ask each vendor to show exactly how it handles your structure.
Two models
Standalone payroll vs accounting with payroll.
Both models are valid; they solve different problems.
HR/payroll-first
Payroll and HR are the core product, often with deep workforce features. Accounting entries are produced for export or handled in a separate accounting system, then reconciled.
Accounting with payroll
Accounting is the core, and payroll posts to the same books. Useful when you also want cloud accounting with payroll, inventory and financial reporting in one place.
Before you buy
Questions to ask any payroll provider.
Ask for a demonstration, not a brochure. Have the provider show:
- a full payroll run
- SSS computation
- PhilHealth computation
- Pag-IBIG computation
- compensation withholding
- 13th month processing
- payslips
- attendance corrections
- Employee Self-Service
- the year-end workflow
- field or project worker handling where relevant
- approval controls
- multi-company handling if needed
- how statutory tables are updated
- how payroll reaches accounting
- total cost at your actual headcount and pay frequency
“Show me what I still have to do manually after the payroll run is finished.”
The answer tells you how much of the real work the software actually removes.
Where Quenta fits
Built for businesses that want payroll inside the same financial system as accounting.
Quenta is not trying to be the deepest HR suite. It is built for businesses that want payroll to form part of the same financial system as accounting, so labor cost, liabilities and disbursements show up in the books rather than in a separate file to reconcile later.
Traditional, disconnected flow: payroll system → export or integration → accounting system → reconciliation → reports.
Quenta's objective: payroll → reviewed accounting records → current financial picture.
See how Quenta connects payroll, accounting and the Financial Command Center, and see current Quenta pricing.
Every number tells a story. Payroll should be part of the same one.
FAQ
Choosing payroll software, answered.
What is the best payroll software in the Philippines?+
There is no single best payroll software for every Philippine business. The right fit depends on your statutory requirements, how your people work and record attendance, your HR needs, your company structure, and what you want to happen to payroll in your accounting. A 20-person services firm, a construction company with field crews, and a company with a full HR department will often choose differently.
What payroll software handles SSS, PhilHealth, Pag-IBIG and BIR?+
Based on current published product information, Quenta, Sprout, GreatDay HR and WORKSPHR all describe SSS, PhilHealth, Pag-IBIG and BIR payroll support. Payruler publishes Philippine payroll built around the local tax structure; confirm the exact statutory and reporting workflow with the vendor. Always verify the current forms and schedules directly.
Can payroll software compute 13th month pay?+
Yes. 13th month pay is a standard Philippine payroll requirement, and Quenta, Sprout and WORKSPHR describe it in their published materials. Confirm the exact computation and payout handling with any vendor you shortlist.
What payroll software works for field employees?+
Field teams need attendance that works away from one office. Quenta supports fieldwork attendance; GreatDay HR and Payruler publish geotagged attendance for field and work-from-home staff. Confirm the exact field workflow, approvals and exceptions with the vendor.
What payroll software is good for construction or engineering companies?+
Construction and engineering businesses often have site-based, project-based and contractual workers across multiple locations, with overtime and labor-cost visibility to manage. Look for attendance that fits site and project work and for a clear path from payroll cost into the books. Fit depends on workflow; no mainstream Philippine payroll product on this list is a construction-specific job-costing system.
Is there accounting software with payroll in the Philippines?+
Yes. Quenta is a Philippine accounting platform with payroll built in, so a payroll run posts to the same books as the rest of your accounting. This is different from HR/payroll-first systems, where payroll is the core product and accounting is handled elsewhere.
Should payroll and accounting be in the same system?+
It depends. If payroll, statutory reporting and employee self-service are your main needs, a strong HR/payroll platform may fit best. If you also want payroll cost, liabilities and disbursements to flow into your financial records without a separate transfer or reconciliation, an accounting platform with payroll like Quenta can reduce the number of systems you maintain.
How much does payroll software cost in the Philippines?+
Pricing models vary, commonly per employee per month or per payroll run, sometimes with a monthly minimum or module-based plans. Quenta Payroll is a paid add-on billed per employee per payroll run with a monthly minimum; see the pricing page for current rates. Confirm each vendor's current pricing and your total cost at your actual headcount and pay frequency directly.
See how payroll fits into your actual books.
Quenta keeps Philippine payroll connected to the accounting records and financial reporting your team already relies on. Payroll is a paid add-on billed separately; see current pricing for details.