Many SMEs start doing payroll where their bookkeeping already lives — understandable, and often good enough at first. But payroll is a discipline of its own: withholding tax tariffs, collective agreement supplements, the pro-rata 13th salary, maternity, accidents, retroactive corrections. At some point there is a month where you spend more time searching than settling.
How to tell it is time
Four honest questions — about you, not about your software:
- When special cases come up, do you google how to record them — instead of your system telling you?
- When someone joins, marries or falls ill, do you know off the top of your head which steps are now required — registrations, tariff changes, filings?
- Do you double-check payslips by hand because nothing tells you when something is missing?
- Is year-end a project instead of a click?
If you nodded more than once: the problem is not your knowledge. It is the division of roles — the know-how sits with you, and the tool is just a calculator. At payrollnow it is the other way round.
The difference: the system guides
At payrollnow the payroll know-how lives in the system: you only report the event — the new hire, the raise, the absence — and are guided step by step. Concretely:
Courses, manuals, tutorials? Not needed — that is the point.
How the switch works
- Mid-year is fine: no need to wait for January — past months are re-entered.
- Back-testing: previous months are recalculated in the new system and compared with your existing payslips — you see deviations before going live, not after.
- Parallel run: on request, one month runs twice until the trust is there.
- Your bookkeeping stays: the switch only concerns payroll — you keep your accounting and keep posting the payroll entries there.
- Ready in 2 days: deliver master data, verify, go live — the details are on our migration page.
Done with payroll altogether?
Then hand it over completely: from 30 employees, our Swiss service team runs your entire payroll in payroll outsourcing for CHF 25 per payslip — payroll runs, filings, salary certificates, authority contact. You only report the events. And if you prefer doing it yourself, the payroll software costs CHF 12 per employee per month — both on the same platform, switching any time.
Frequently asked questions
Can I switch payroll mid-year?
Yes. You can switch at any time, not just in January: past months are re-entered, back-testing compares them against your existing payslips, and on request one month runs in parallel — you only go live once everything matches.
What happens to my existing payroll data?
Master data and payroll history are migrated and verified transparently. Back-testing recalculates past months in the new system and compares them with your previous payslips — you see any deviation in black and white before switching.
Do I have to change my bookkeeping too?
No. The switch only concerns payroll — you keep running your accounting as before and keep posting the payroll entries there. You are replacing one tool, not your whole administration.
What if I do not want to do payroll myself any more?
From 30 employees, our Swiss service team takes over payroll completely — for CHF 25 per payslip: payroll runs, filings, salary certificates, contact with the authorities. You only report the events. If you prefer self-service, the software costs CHF 12 per employee per month.