Payroll Software vs Accountant: Which Is Right for Your Business?

Most small businesses start payroll one of two ways: they give it to their accountant, or they use basic payroll software. Both work. The question is which fits your business as it grows — and whether the two can coexist.

An accountant running your payroll gives you professional oversight but also creates a dependency. Every change — a new hire, a pay rise, a benefit to add — goes through them. Response time varies. The monthly cost is often higher than payroll software, though it includes expertise. If your accountant makes a payroll error, you are still liable to HMRC — the obligation sits with the employer, not the service provider.

Payroll software puts you in control. Changes happen in real time. RTI submissions are made automatically. Payslips are issued immediately. The cost is per-employee rather than a flat monthly fee, which means it often scales better. Mellow combines payroll software with the wider HR system, so leave records, contract changes, and pay changes flow through one platform. Your accountant can still be involved — many review payroll runs before approval — but you are not creating a bottleneck every time you need to make a change.