Buyer’s guide
Best payroll software in Sri Lanka (2026)
The best payroll software in Sri Lanka for most businesses of 5 to 5,000 staff is Humanised: EPF, ETF, APIT and gratuity built in, Sinhala or English payslips, bank files and QuickBooks and Xero integration from LKR 10,000/month. We compared nine Sri Lankan vendors on price, compliance, payslips, integrations and support, using their public pages on 3 September 2026.
Our pick by business size
| Company size | Our pick | Why | Price from | Free trial |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5–50 staff | Humanised | Returns, Sinhala payslips and bank files from one run at a flat price; Better HR or OODOX if per-user or a lower tier decides it | LKR 10,000/month | Yes |
| 50–300 staff | Humanised | Attendance devices, rosters and accounting posting without an implementation project | LKR 25,000/month up to 50, then quote | Yes |
| 300+ staff | Humanised Enterprise; MiHCM and PeoplesHR also serve this segment | Multi-country payroll and enterprise reporting are the enterprise vendors’ territory | On request | Demo |
How we compared
- Built for Sri Lankan statutory payroll: EPF, ETF, APIT, gratuity and the C-form, R1/R4 and T10 named on the vendor’s site
- Published LKR price
- Payslips in Sinhala and English
- Bank transfer files for named Sri Lankan banks
- Accounting integrations (QuickBooks, Xero)
- Employee app and local support
Humanised is our product and is listed first. We did not weight G2 or Capterra reviews because Sri Lankan review counts are too small to be meaningful. “Not published” is what we write when a vendor’s site is silent.
1. Humanised — payroll with the returns done, for 5 to 5,000 staff
Payroll built only for Sri Lanka: EPF, ETF, APIT (Tables 1, 2 and 5), gratuity and stamp duty on every run, the C-form, R1/R4, T10 and annual statement generated, payslips in Sinhala or English, bank files for HNB, Sampath, BOC, Commercial and other local banks, and journals posted to QuickBooks, Xero and Zoho Books. Attendance from ZKTeco and HikVision devices feeds overtime and no-pay. No setup fee, free trial.
- Published flat LKR tiers, no setup fee, free trial
- EPF, ETF, APIT, gratuity and stamp duty with the C-form, R1/R4, T10 and annual statement generated
- Sinhala or English payslips, ZKTeco and HikVision devices, employee app, QuickBooks and Xero posting
- Sri Lanka only: no multi-country payroll
- Cloud only: no on-premise option; recruitment and performance modules are not part of the product
2. Simplebooks — accounting software with a separate payroll module
Simplebooks (Colombo, founded 2016, 4,500+ businesses claimed) is accounting software and services, not an HRIS. Its payroll page promises EPF and ETF automation, APIT, payslips, leave and a one-month free trial; OODOX adds attendance. It is on this list because it appears in most SME shortlists.
- Books, invoicing, tax filing and payroll from one vendor
- Published prices and a free trial
- Company registration and secretarial services alongside
- No employee app, contracts, rosters or Shop and Office Act leave rules listed
- Sinhala payslips, gratuity, stamp duty, C-form and R1 not named on the payroll page
3. MiHCM — Microsoft-aligned HCM for medium and large companies
Microimage’s HCM runs on Microsoft Azure with the MiA ONE assistant inside Teams, payroll in 12 countries and SOC 2 Type II. Its Sri Lanka payroll page names APIT, EPF, ETF, a stamp duty report and the T10, and ZKTeco devices. Prices are not published.
- Sri Lankan statutory items named on its own page
- Teams assistant and Azure single sign-on
- Regional payroll across 12 countries
- Quote only; the pricing page returns 404
- QuickBooks, Xero and Sinhala payslips not listed
4. PeoplesHR — enterprise HR and payroll from hSenid
The cloud product of CSE-listed hSenid Business Solutions, claiming 1,700+ companies, 1.5 million users and 40+ countries. Modules cover HR, Pay, Time, Talent, Engagement, Insight and loan management; the Sri Lanka page states statutory compliance and asks for a quote.
- Multi-country payroll and enterprise reporting
- Listed parent company with published results
- Loan management and analytics modules
- Quote only, sold with an implementation project
- C-form, stamp duty and Sinhala payslips not named on the pages checked
5. Better HR — regional SaaS with a published per-user price
Better Technologies Pte. Ltd. (Singapore, founded 2019) sells one plan with every module included across nine Asian countries and a Colombo office. Its Sri Lanka page names APIT Tables 1 and 2, EPF, ETF, the EPF C-form, an ETF bank format and Form 2, plus a free trial.
- The only vendor on this list with a published LKR price
- EPF C-form and ETF bank format named
- Free trial; app on iOS and Android
- Stamp duty, R1, T10, Sinhala payslips and accounting integrations not listed
- Per-user pricing grows with headcount
6. OODOX — SimpleBooks’ payroll-first product
OODOX is SimpleBooks’ enterprise payroll product: automated salary runs with EPF, ETF and APIT, attendance tracking and payslips, positioned from small teams to thousands of employees. Employee limits per tier, integrations, an app and the returns are not published.
- Flat tiers published
- Attendance included
- Backed by an established accounting services firm
- Tier limits, returns (C-form, R4, T10), Sinhala payslips and integrations not published
- No mobile app found
7. hrpayroll.lk — cloud HR and payroll from EArrow
EArrow (Pvt) Ltd (Colombo 08, founded 2005) offers a web-based HR and payroll system with monthly, daily and hourly payroll, payslips in English and Sinhala, EPF, ETF and APIT calculations and reports, gratuity, loans and advances, attendance, leave and an employee self-service portal.
- Sinhala and English payslips named
- EPF, ETF, APIT and gratuity named
- Employee self-service portal
- Prices not published
- C-form, R4, T10, integrations and a mobile app not published
8. AccSoft — desktop payroll and HR from a Colombo accounting software house
AccSoft Solutions (Colombo 06, founded 1998) sells payroll, HR and time and attendance alongside its accounting products and QuickBooks resale. Its payroll page names EPF 8%/12%, ETF 3%, APIT per the IRD tables, the C-form, SLIPS bank files, staff loans and gratuity reports, and claims 600+ companies.
- C-form, SLIPS bank files and gratuity reports named
- One-time licence suits a strict on-premise policy
- Biometric devices supplied by the same vendor
- Desktop-first; no mobile app listed
- No published prices; no payroll-to-QuickBooks integration published despite reselling QuickBooks
9. Gallery HR — Sri Lankan SME suite with 19 modules
Soft Gallery (Pvt) Ltd, Ja-Ela, with Houston and Dubai addresses, markets 19 integrated modules including payroll, leave, time and attendance with geo clock-in and rosters, claims, performance, recruitment and self-service, and states EPF, ETF and PAYE/APIT compliance, gratuity, multi-currency payroll and UAE WPS.
- Broadest module bundle among the Sri Lankan SME vendors
- Named customers include John Keells Logistics
- App on iOS and Android
- No published price; demo rather than trial
- QuickBooks, Xero and Sinhala payslips not listed
Full comparison table
| Vendor | Price from | Pricing model | Free trial | EPF/ETF/APIT automatic | C-form, R4, T10 | Sinhala payslips | Bank files | QuickBooks / Xero | Employee app | Local support |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Humanised | LKR 10,000/month | Flat tiers | Yes | Yes | All three, plus annual statement | Yes | HNB, Sampath, BOC, Commercial and others | Yes, and Zoho Books | Yes | Phone, WhatsApp, email, Colombo |
| Simplebooks | LKR 1,200/month + payroll from LKR 3,000 (service) or LKR 10,000 (software) | Per company + headcount | Yes | Yes | Not published | Not published | Not published | Own ledger | Not published | Colombo office |
| MiHCM | On request | Quote | Demo | Yes | T10 named; C-form and R4 not | Not published | Banking platforms | Not published | Yes | Colombo office |
| PeoplesHR | On request | Quote | Demo | Yes | Not published | Not published | Not published | Accounting integrations listed | Yes | Colombo office |
| Better HR | LKR 399/user/month | Per user | Yes | Yes | C-form named; R4 and T10 not | Not published | ETF bank format named | Not published | Yes | Colombo office |
| OODOX | LKR 10,000/month | Flat tiers | Not published | Yes | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Colombo (SimpleBooks) |
| hrpayroll.lk | Not published | Not published | Not published | Yes | Not published | Yes | CSV/Excel | Not published | Web portal | Colombo 08 |
| AccSoft | On request (one-time licence) | Licence + support | Not published | Yes | C-form named | Not published | SLIPS files | Not published | Web ESS | Colombo 06 |
| Gallery HR | On request | Quote | Demo | Yes | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Yes | Ja-Ela office |
“Not published” means the vendor’s site did not state it on 3 September 2026; it may still be offered. Prices in the currency the vendor publishes.
How to choose payroll software in Sri Lanka: five questions to ask a vendor
- Which APIT table set is loaded, and when was it last updated? The right answer names the year of assessment and the effective date; see the APIT guide.
- Show me the C-form and R4 output. From a demo run, not a slide.
- Which banks’ file formats do you generate? Names, and your corporate banking portal’s format in particular.
- What happens to my data if I leave? Employees, pay history and payslips exported in a format another product reads.
- What does year one cost including setup and add-ons? A written figure, with VAT treatment stated.
What payroll software must do in Sri Lanka
Every month it must calculate EPF at 8% and 12% and ETF at 3% on total earnings, apply the IRD APIT tables to employment income, and produce the payslip with the items regulation 17 of the Shop and Office Regulations requires; it must generate the EPF C-form and the ETF R1 or R4 for remittance before the end of the following month and the APIT schedule by the 15th; and after 31 March it must issue the T10 and annual statement. Gratuity provisions, stamp duty and the minimum wage check belong in the same run. The payslip format page lists the required components.
Payroll software vs payroll outsourcing
Software means you or your accountant run each month in a system that does the calculations and files. Outsourcing means a bureau runs it for you from your changes, usually per payslip or per month. Many Sri Lankan accounting firms now do both, running client payroll on software such as Humanised. The payroll companies in Sri Lanka directory lists vendors and bureaus side by side.
Run one month of your payroll in Humanised, free
A 20-minute walkthrough with the LKR pricing and your own payroll questions, or a free trial with your staff imported from Excel. WhatsApp +94 76 443 7726.
Book a demoFrequently asked questions
Which payroll system is the best in Sri Lanka?
For most businesses of 5 to 5,000 staff, Humanised: EPF, ETF, APIT and gratuity with the C-form, R1/R4 and T10 generated, Sinhala payslips, bank files and accounting posting from LKR 10,000 a month. Enterprises with multi-country payroll look at MiHCM and PeoplesHR.
What is the best payroll software for a small business in Sri Lanka?
Humanised on price and outputs; Better HR if per-user pricing suits a very small, stable team; OODOX if a flat tier from the Simplebooks group appeals.
How much does payroll software cost in Sri Lanka?
Published prices on 3 September 2026: Humanised LKR 10,000 a month for up to 15 employees; OODOX from LKR 10,000 a month; Better HR LKR 399 per user per month; Simplebooks LKR 1,200 a month for accounting plus payroll priced separately. MiHCM, PeoplesHR, Gallery HR, AccSoft and hrpayroll.lk quote on request.
Is there free payroll software in Sri Lanka?
No. Free trials are common (Humanised, Better HR, Simplebooks), but the APIT tables and statutory rules change and maintaining them is what you pay for.
Which payroll software in Sri Lanka handles EPF, ETF and APIT automatically?
All nine on this list state it. What differs is whether the C-form, R1/R4 and T10 are generated: Humanised names all three; AccSoft and Better HR name the C-form; MiHCM names the T10.
Which payroll systems in Sri Lanka issue payslips in Sinhala?
Humanised and hrpayroll.lk state it on their sites; the others did not on the check date.
Can Sri Lankan payroll software connect to QuickBooks or Xero?
Humanised posts to QuickBooks, Xero and Zoho Books. PeoplesHR lists accounting integrations without naming products. No other vendor on this list publishes one.
Is Simplebooks payroll or Humanised better for a small business?
Simplebooks for a small office that wants books and basic payroll from one vendor; Humanised for a business with shifts, devices, leave rules or an employee app. See Humanised vs Simplebooks.
What is the difference between MiHCM, PeoplesHR and Humanised?
MiHCM and PeoplesHR are enterprise suites priced on request with implementation projects and multi-country payroll. Humanised is Sri Lanka-only, self-serve, with published flat tiers and no setup fee.
How do I switch from Excel payroll to payroll software?
Put your staff, salaries, allowances and EPF numbers on the import template, upload it, run one month in parallel with the spreadsheet, reconcile EPF, ETF, APIT and net, and cut over at month end.
Is foreign payroll software usable in Sri Lanka?
Zoho Payroll covers only GCC, Canada, India and the USA; OnPay and QuickBooks Payroll are US products. None handles EPF, ETF or APIT. Use Sri Lankan payroll software and post the journal to your accounting product.
How often is this comparison updated?
Every six months, with the year in the title updated each January; the check date is shown under the heading.