What is the purpose of this research?

The purpose of this research is to discover a deeper understanding of professional industry leaders, accountants, bookkeepers and payroll UK  professionals, and their relationship with outsourced payroll services, client demand, staying abreast of change and cloud technology.

Accounting is arguably one of the most crucial elements of every business. But, with so much change over the past few years, we wanted to get a temperature check on current challenges, opportunities, perceptions, and future goals for professional service firms offering the outsourced payrollfunction. We hope to identify areas that will help professional service firms such as accountancy, bookkeeper, and bureaus to inspire change, reflection, and insight, even if they are not providing UK outsourced payroll services.

Who did we survey for this report?

The survey collected responses between the 2nd March and 8th March. In total, there were 313 survey participants in the United Kingdom. Respondents had to service business clients to be eligible to participate in the research.

Job titles of respondents include accountants, business owners, CEOs, CFOs, payroll professionals and bookkeepers. Business types include accountancy, consultancy, HR, bureaus and bookkeeping firms.

What are the key themes of the research?

• Cost of living and increasing prices
• Shift in client needs and expectations
• Professional service firms are unaligned with client needs
• Perception and usage of cloud applications vary
• Opportunities and challenges of UK outsourced payroll services
• How does the United Kingdom compare with Australia and New Zealand

Why is this research helpful for accountants, bookkeepers and payroll bureaus?

Accountants, bookkeepers and bureaus can gain a deeper understanding of their peers’ business needs and client demands. Gaining deeper insight through these findings enables more strategic business decisions. Whether that be expanding services or growing your outsourced payroll service.

Download the State of Outsourced Payroll in the UK report

The professional service industry has radically transformed over the last decade. Download this report to gain a deeper understanding of accountants, bookkeepers, business leaders and bureaus’ perceptions and attitudes towards topics such as cloud technology, outsourced payroll services and client demands. Get inspired for your practice’s strategic plans in 2025 and beyond.

Employment Hero is the world’s first Employment OS (operating system). We offer everything your business needs, from finding and hiring top talent using SmartMatch to seamlessly onboarding new hires, automating complex payroll, and driving employee engagement and morale, all backed by UK-based expert support.

The smarter way to manage HR, people, payroll and productivity. For accountants, bookkeepers and payroll bureaus on the up.