Global payroll providers and what they cost

Global payroll vs employer of record

Lowest published price

$10per employee per month, Playroll

Remote

$29per employee per month

Quote only

Deel, Rippling, G-Pand others

You need

An entityin each payroll country

If you do not have an entity, global payroll is not an option yet; you need an employer of record or a contractor arrangement. The trade-off between the two is in EOR vs global payroll.

Global payroll providers

We have not published scores for this product category yet, so these providers are listed by published starting price, lowest first. Their employer of record scores are on our scored EOR list.

Published global payroll prices

The starting price usually depends on the country and the number of employees in it. Papaya Global says payroll pricing may vary by country, and Playroll says minimums apply without stating them.

What international payroll costs for 5, 10 and 25 employees

The gap between the two models is the budget your entity has to fit inside. At 10 employees, Remote payroll at $29 costs $68,400 a year less than a $599 EOR fee. If your local accounting, legal and registered office costs in that country are lower, the entity plus payroll is cheaper. Model a specific country with the international employee cost calculator and the employer contribution rates in our cost by country index.

What global payroll does not include

• The entity itself. Formation, a registered office, local accounting and annual filings are your costs.
• Employer contributions and mandatory extras. You fund them through the payroll run: 14.88% of salary in the UK at GBP 30,000, 21.30% in Germany at EUR 35,000, and 31.8% in Mexico at MXN 740,000 including the aguinaldo, vacation premium and Mexico City payroll tax, per official 2026 rates.
• Employer liability. If a filing is wrong, your entity answers to the tax office. Check what the provider’s contract says about errors it causes.
• Extra fees. Multiplier names setup, implementation, payment and statutory fees “as applicable”; Papaya Global lists separate license fees.

Global payroll outsourcing: own engine or local partners

Some providers run payroll on their own engine in each country; others route it to local payroll firms. Papaya Global says it works with in-country partners and that its designated country specialists are hired by local accounting firms. Deel says it owns its payroll engine in 130+ countries. Ask which model applies in each of your countries, because it decides who fixes an error and how fast.

Contracts, exit and complaints

• Remote: terms need 90 days’ notice to end Payroll Services, longer than the 30 days for its other services.
• Papaya Global: no minimum term and a 60-day opt-out. Its one critical review visible on Trustpilot (Apr 20, 2026) cites no live customer service.
• Multiplier: payroll is billed annually.
• Deel: payroll and tax errors in Trustpilot reviews from September and October 2026, and an AI bot in front of human support.

Before switching, ask for the year-to-date payroll registers and tax filings in a format your next provider can load. More on the big platforms: Deel review, Remote review, Multiplier review and Deel vs Rippling.

Common mistakes

• Buying global payroll before the entity exists. Until it does, use an EOR. See EOR pricing.
• Comparing starting prices only. Country pricing, minimums and license lines change the total.
• Missing the notice period. Remote’s 90-day payroll notice means planning a switch a quarter ahead.
• Ignoring permanent establishment. Staff abroad can create a taxable presence; see permanent establishment risk.