In the classic accounting-firm model, the firm does much of it themselves: master-data maintenance, the pay run, OASI filings, withholding-tax settlement. That works — but ties up hours every month that don't go into higher-value advisory work.
A newer model: operational payroll processing runs on a platform with its own client lead. The accounting firm remains the strategic adviser to the client and focuses on what only they can do — tax advice, annual accounts, audit support, strategic topics.
Where the value really lies in 2026
If you look honestly at an average payroll-engagement week: how much is operational routine, how much is advisory value?
- Operational routine — entering master data, triggering the pay run, sending filings, generating the banking file: 60–70% of the time, <CHF 80/h worth to the client.
- Compliance readiness — tracking cantonal updates, CBA changes and BVG thresholds: 10–15% of the time, value depends on the client.
- Advisory value — pay policy, edge cases, social-security optimisation, client strategy: 15–25% of the time, >CHF 200/h worth.
A good system can handle operational routine more cheaply and with fewer errors — it can't replace the advisory value.
What "preparatory payroll" really means
Preparatory payroll at payrollnow means: we handle operational processing, the accounting firm remains the strategic point of contact for their client. In practice:
Pay runs, social-security filings, cantonal withholding tax, wage-statement generation, banking file — all automated through Swissdec ELM 5.1 via partner channels.
A dedicated client lead verifies every critical posting, runs a four-eyes check and is the escalation contact for edge cases.
Tax advice, annual accounts, audit, ledger consolidation — all stays with the accounting firm. Journal entries flow automatically into the general ledger, with no CSV hopping.
The client signs with the accounting firm or directly with payrollnow — both models are possible. Co-branded PDFs from the accounting firm are standard.
Benefits for accounting firms
- Higher margin per engagement — operational work costs you less, advisory value stays intact.
- Grow scalably — more payroll engagements without having to hire more payroll specialists.
- Compliance is solved — Swissdec, BVG, cantonal withholding tax, OASI updates: the platform tracks it.
- Client retention rises — when payroll runs error-free, trust grows for the genuinely strategic engagements.
- Switching costs you nothing — we build migration tools that move master data from your accounting-firm system in 24h, with 12-month back-testing.
An average payroll engagement with 15 employees ties up about 3–4 hours per month in the classic accounting-firm set-up. With preparatory payroll on a platform: 30–60 minutes of verification. The rest of the time can go into advisory engagements — at a higher hourly rate.
Partnership, not competition
We have built payrollnow explicitly as a partner for accounting firms, not as competition. In practice that means:
- The accounting firm can run its own brand (co-branding) — wage statements and PDF reports with the firm's logo.
- Special accounting-firm rates when the platform is used across several engagements.
- Direct client communication via the firm or directly — both work.
- Training and onboarding for accounting-firm teams when they switch to the platform.
How to get started
We recommend a pilot with a mid-sized payroll engagement (15–50 employees). Three phases:
- Phase 1 (week 1): data migration from your accounting-firm system, 12-month back-testing.
- Phase 2 (weeks 2–6): parallel run, both systems calculate, differences are resolved.
- Phase 3 (from week 7): live, you take on verification, the client lead carries operational responsibility.
If you're an accounting firm exploring preparatory payroll as a service model: we always open the conversation with two questions — which engagements do you have today, and where are you losing margin on operational work? That's how the pilot takes shape. Request a meeting →