Visible and Hidden Costs of Payroll
Hidden costs make up over 50% of the total cost of in-house payroll processing. Companies often overlook the following parameters when calculating their overall in-house payroll processing cost.
Visible costs:
- System implementation cost
is a one-time expense for acquiring and implementing the payroll processing system, which can be a significant investment for the organization.
- System upgrade cost
includes periodic expenses for system upgrades and keeping it up-to-date with the latest version.
- Direct labor cost
involves the total salary expenses of employees directly engaged in payroll processing, along with their benefits, travel expenses, and other allowances.
- Outsourcing cost
includes the total annual cost of any outsourced services related to payroll processing (e.g., sending payslips, preparing legally required statistical reports related to payroll, submitting tax reports, etc.).
Hidden costs:
(These constitute over 50% of the total cost of owning payroll processing):
- System maintenance
IT systems require infrastructure, constant and fast IT support, software, and regular system maintenance, all of which come with certain costs.
- Training and education
The cost of educating, training, and mentoring employees involved in the process, as well as training employees on using new or upgraded systems.
- Indirect labor cost
Hours spent by employees who are not directly involved in payroll processing but support those functions partially. For example, collecting data needed for payroll processing, preparing and approving time records, gathering deductions, handling documentation, responding to employee inquiries, issuing various employee certificates, etc.
- Direct costs excluding labor
Total cost of consultants, flat fees for vendors, licenses, computer equipment, depreciation, vendor system support, payroll-related overhead costs, space rental, and maintenance, as well as the cost of consumables (paper, toner, etc.).
- Integration cost (seams costs)
Involves all activities related to integrating payroll processing into a comprehensive whole. This refers to the efforts an organization needs to make to ensure and support the interaction between integrated processes. These additional costs are caused by the discrepancy between technology development and business processes. Implementing or upgrading technology often leads to unintentional costs, such as manual activities to incorporate the technology into existing processes and integrate that adaptation at the overall organizational level. Integration cost is a hidden cost but constitutes a significant part of the total cost of ownership (TCO): 21% higher TCO than if companies outsourced payroll processing.
- Data consolidation
A time-consuming and often forgotten cost. Consolidating reports generated from different systems takes time. The individuals performing these tasks may not be part of the HR department, but their time spent should be factored in when selecting a payroll processing solution.
- Qualitative opportunity costs
Choosing the wrong solution is sometimes the biggest hidden cost of all, as it can have a tremendous impact on the company's future. For example, if a company needs to assemble a team for a new project, its HR processes need to be flexible, reactive, and fast.
- Costs related to the creation and protection of payroll backups
including time spent, storage media, preservation costs, and archiving.