How Lavinia Stamps upgraded their payroll, without the hefty price tag

Based in the scenic market town of Ruthin, North Wales, Lavinia Stamps has grown from a pottery business into a globally recognised leader in polymer stamps. With a passionate team of 20, growing demand and a focus on creativity, Lavinia Stamps needed their payroll process to be just as streamlined as their day-to-day operations. 

Having used the same payroll process for a long while, Andrew Peers, General Manager of Lavinia Stamps, decided it was time to reassess how they run payroll. Already using Employment Hero’s HR platform, they saw Employment Hero’s Free Payroll Software as an opportunity to bring everything into one place. 

Since switching, they’ve been so impressed with the functionality that they upgraded to Employment Hero Payroll’s paid plan, unlocking time-saving tools like timesheets and streamlining even more of their admin.

The challenge

A growing business with no time to waste

Lavinia Stamps was already using Employment Hero’s HR platform, but had a separate process for payroll. When their team change prompted them to reassess, they were looking for a system that could:

• Replace a legacy process that relied on back-and-forth with external accountants.
• Unify HR and payroll data that previously lived in separate systems. 
• Replace the clunky, old system with a fast, easy-to-implement solution.

“We were using Employment Hero’s HR platform and thought that we should look at the other features to make more use of everything available. Our bookkeeper recently left so we needed to streamline a few things and this seemed an excellent place to start.”

The solution

Free Payroll that flexes with you

Lavinia Stamps made the switch to Employment Hero Free Payroll and carried out a smooth setup process to migrate their payroll data across. The user-friendly interface and powerful self-service features made the transition painless for the whole team. Instead of back-and-forth emails or managing handovers, they can now log in directly, submit payslips and ensure everyone gets paid on time, with minimal manual input.

“Your system is much easier than our previous process. Our accountant can simply log in, access everything and submit the payslips via the app and through email.”

For Andrew, even the little things made a big impact, like the ability to brand payslips for a more professional feel. 

“We found it particularly helpful that we could add our logo to the payslip which looks great and gives it more of a professional look. Everything is clearer on the new payslip.”

The impact

Time saved. Confidence gained. Levelling up.

After just a couple of months using Employment Hero’s Free Payroll software, the product had already exceeded Andrew’s expectations. With the system up and running, Lavinia Stamps saved significant time and frustration, so much so that Andrew has already upgraded to the paid version. 

“The product met our expectations and once we became familiar with everything on the free version, we were so impressed that we have now upgraded to the paid version. It has only added £2 per employee but the additional timesheets feature will in turn save us more time and money, so it’s definitely worth it.”

Now, as a result:  

• Payroll now runs in-house without external bottlenecks.
• Payslips are clearer and more accessible to staff via app and desktop.
• The back-and-forth frustration has been removed, with no IT headaches.
• They’ve saved themselves time and money which can be pumped back into the business.
  

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.