When you run a small business, time and trust are everything. But payroll can quickly become a constraint, especially when the platform you’re paying for is complicated and takes longer than it should to navigate. 

That’s what Tony Adams, the Director at First Call Pest Management, found before switching to Employment Hero’s Free Payroll. Since making the move, he’s completely transformed the way payroll is run. The process has been slashed from over 30 minutes to just five minutes, removing login frustration and saving money every month. It’s powerful. It’s simple. And yes, it’s completely free.

The challenge

All the effort, none of the reward

First Call Pest Management is a family-run business with a tight-knit team of three employees. Tony, like many others, had found a payroll provider through the HMRC website, but felt like it wasn’t supporting him well. 

In Tony’s words, the platform was “antiquated, long-winded and confusing”. And on top of that, their support was unhelpful when Tony had questions. It was starting to make every pay run a chore, and since Tony pays his team weekly, even basic tasks like sending payslips or submitting RTI felt like a full-time job. Tony needed a better way.

Key challenges Tony faced included:

• Wasting 20 minutes each week due to clunky login processes alone.
• Needing third-party tools to submit RTI and send payslips, creating back and forth.
• Navigating a dated, unintuitive interface that made payroll confusing.
• Lacking confidence in the system or support when things went wrong.

The solution

Smarter payroll. Zero cost. Five minutes.

Switching to Employment Hero’s Free Payroll changed everything. From the very first pay run, the difference was instant. With an intuitive interface, real-time automation and built-in compliance, Tony now completes payroll in under five minutes. He logs in, approves hours and it’s done.

Employment Hero’s Free Payroll software does all the heavy lifting. RTI submissions, payslip generation and email confirmations happen behind the scenes, giving Tony full confidence without the stress. There’s no need to cross-reference spreadsheets or chase updates. The platform keeps everything accurate, fast and compliant by default.

And best of all? It costs nothing. Tony no longer has to pay for functionality that should be simple. Employment Hero’s Free Payroll gives small businesses the power of a premium solution, without the premium price tag. For Tony, Free Payroll has turned a once painful process into a quick, efficient task that fits neatly into his week.

The impact

No more delays. Just done.

Employment Hero’s Free Payroll has given Tony exactly what he needed: a simple solution that just works.

Since switching to Employment Hero, First Call Pest Management has:

• Saved over 80% of their payroll admin time
• Eliminated the need for external platforms to send payslips or submit RTI
• Gained confidence with a secure, intuitive system
• Freed up time to focus on running the business, not running payroll

Ditch the fees, not the features, with Employment Hero’s Free Payroll software

Employment Hero’s Free Payroll Software is a powerful, no-cost solution designed to help UK small businesses manage payroll with confidence and ease. HMRC-recognised, the platform automates pay runs, generates BACS files, submits RTI, manages pensions via PensionSync and provides employee self-service through the EH Work app—all at zero cost. With built-in compliance checks, automated payslips and insightful reporting tools, businesses can streamline their payroll processes while remaining accurate and up to date. It’s the perfect starting point for SMEs looking to simplify payroll without compromising on functionality.