BrightPay Review UK 2026: Is It the Best Payroll Software for Small Businesses?
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Introduction
Payroll is one of those jobs that has to be done right, every single time. Get it wrong and you’re dealing with unhappy employees, HMRC penalties, and a mountain of corrections to unpick. If you’ve been searching for reliable payroll software that won’t cost a fortune or require an accounting degree to operate, you’ve probably already come across BrightPay.
It consistently tops recommendation lists — including our own payroll software roundup — yet until now, we hadn’t published a dedicated review. That changes today.
In this BrightPay review for 2026, we’ll cover exactly what the software does, how much it costs, what it handles well, where it falls short, and whether it’s the right choice for UK small business owners and sole traders managing their own payroll. No waffle, no sales pitch — just a straight answer.
What Is BrightPay?
BrightPay is a payroll software solution developed by Thesaurus Software, an Irish company with a long history of building payroll tools specifically for the UK and Irish markets. It’s been available in the UK for well over a decade and has built a strong reputation among small businesses, accountants, and payroll bureaus alike.
It’s HMRC-recognised, meaning it’s been tested and approved for submitting Real Time Information (RTI) submissions directly to HMRC — which is a legal requirement for any UK employer running a PAYE scheme. This alone rules out a lot of cheaper or less reputable alternatives.
BrightPay comes in two flavours: a desktop product (installed software for Windows) and BrightPay Connect, a cloud add-on that extends the functionality with self-service features and online access.
BrightPay Pricing: How Much Does It Cost in 2026?
One of BrightPay’s biggest selling points is its pricing, which is unusually transparent for payroll software.
BrightPay Desktop Pricing
BrightPay Desktop licences are annual and based on the number of employees:
| Licence | Annual price |
|---|---|
| Up to 3 employees | £69/year |
| Up to 10 employees | £119/year |
| Up to 25 employees | £189/year |
| Unlimited employees | £259/year |
A free single-director licence for sole traders operating as limited companies may also be available — check the BrightPay website to confirm. These are one-time annual fees — not monthly subscriptions. For a small business, this represents excellent value compared to per-employee monthly billing models used by competitors like Xero Payroll or QuickBooks Payroll.
Pricing correct at time of writing. Always confirm current details on the BrightPay website before purchasing.
BrightPay Connect Pricing
BrightPay Connect is an optional cloud layer that adds online employer access, an employee self-service portal, automatic cloud backups, and HR document storage. It’s billed per employee per month, on top of your desktop licence.
Pricing for Connect starts from around £1.50 per employee per month depending on the plan. For a business with five employees, you’re looking at roughly £90/year on top of your desktop licence — still very reasonable.
Key Features: What Does BrightPay Actually Do?
HMRC-Recognised RTI Submissions
BrightPay is fully HMRC-recognised. It handles Full Payment Submissions (FPS) and Employer Payment Summaries (EPS) directly from within the software, so you’re always compliant with RTI requirements without needing to log into HMRC’s own tools.
Payslip Generation
BrightPay generates clear, professional payslips that can be emailed to employees directly or printed. If you’re using BrightPay Connect, employees can view and download their own payslips through a self-service portal — which cuts out the admin faff of distributing them manually.
Automatic Enrolment (Auto Enrolment)
The software handles workplace pension auto enrolment in full, including worker assessments, contribution calculations, postponement letters, and submissions to pension providers. BrightPay integrates directly with major pension providers including NEST, The People’s Pension, Smart Pension, and others. If auto enrolment is causing you headaches, this alone could justify the purchase.
P60s, P45s and Year-End Filing
BrightPay handles your entire payroll year-end — generating P60s for employees, P45s for leavers, and submitting everything required to HMRC. It also manages P11D entries if you’re dealing with benefits in kind, though for complex benefit situations you may still want an accountant’s input.
CIS (Construction Industry Scheme) Support
For those in the construction sector, BrightPay supports the Construction Industry Scheme — handling subcontractor payments, deductions, and CIS monthly returns to HMRC. This is a feature many entry-level payroll tools skip entirely.
Multiple Pay Frequencies
Whether you pay weekly, fortnightly, four-weekly, or monthly, BrightPay handles it all simultaneously. You can run multiple payrolls with different frequencies within the same licence — useful if you have a mix of full-time salaried staff and casual hourly workers.
Making Tax Digital Compatibility
While Making Tax Digital (MTD) for Income Tax is primarily an accounting and income tax concern rather than payroll, BrightPay works seamlessly alongside MTD-compliant accounting software. It exports data in formats compatible with the major accounting platforms, and BrightPay Connect supports the kind of digital record-keeping that feeds into an MTD-ready workflow.
BrightPay Connect: Is the Cloud Add-On Worth It?
BrightPay’s desktop product is genuinely capable on its own, but the Connect add-on is worth a closer look if you want modern convenience.
What Connect adds:
- Employer cloud dashboard: Access your payroll data from anywhere via a browser
- Employee self-service portal: Staff can view payslips, request leave, and update personal details
- Automatic cloud backups: Your payroll data is backed up in real time, removing the risk of losing everything if your PC packs in
- HR document storage: Upload contracts, policies, and other HR documents
- Leave management: Track holiday, sick days, and other leave categories
The honest take: If you’re running payroll solo from one computer, you might not need Connect. However, if you have employees who regularly ask for their payslips, or if you want the peace of mind of cloud backups, Connect pays for itself in time saved and stress avoided. For most small businesses with staff, we’d recommend adding it.
Ease of Use: Is BrightPay Beginner-Friendly?
BrightPay is generally well-regarded for usability. The interface isn’t the sleekest-looking software on the market — it has a slightly utilitarian feel — but it’s logically laid out and doesn’t try to hide things in confusing menus.
Setting up a new employer takes about 20–30 minutes if you have your PAYE reference and employee details to hand. Running your first payroll after that is straightforward, with clear prompts at each stage.
The software also has an excellent library of help documentation and video tutorials, which is genuinely useful if you hit a snag. Support is available by phone and email, though the quality and speed can vary depending on the time of year (payroll software support at year-end is always busier).
One caveat: BrightPay Desktop is Windows only. If you’re working on a Mac, you’ll need to either run Windows via Boot Camp or Parallels, or rely exclusively on the web-based Connect portal. This is a genuine limitation worth flagging upfront.
BrightPay vs the Competition
BrightPay vs Xero Payroll
Xero Payroll is tightly integrated with Xero’s accounting platform, which is a big advantage if you’re already a Xero user. However, it’s priced per employee per month on top of your accounting subscription, which adds up quickly. BrightPay’s flat annual fee is usually cheaper for businesses with more than a handful of staff.
BrightPay vs QuickBooks Payroll
Similar story — QuickBooks Payroll is excellent if you’re in the QuickBooks ecosystem, but the per-employee monthly pricing model makes it pricier for growing teams. BrightPay wins on cost for most small businesses.
BrightPay vs Sage Payroll
Sage has strong brand recognition and excellent accountant support, but it’s significantly more expensive than BrightPay and can feel over-engineered for small businesses that don’t need enterprise-level features. BrightPay hits the sweet spot between capable and affordable.
BrightPay vs Free/Basic Options (HMRC Basic PAYE Tools)
HMRC offers free Basic PAYE Tools, which handles RTI submissions but very little else. It’s fine for the absolute bare minimum, but it doesn’t generate proper payslips, doesn’t handle auto enrolment properly, and provides minimal reporting. BrightPay at its entry price is worth every penny by comparison.
What We Like About BrightPay
- ✅ Transparent, flat annual pricing — no nasty per-employee monthly surprises
- ✅ HMRC-recognised for RTI submissions
- ✅ Excellent auto enrolment support with direct pension provider integration
- ✅ CIS support included (rare at this price point)
- ✅ Handles multiple pay frequencies simultaneously
- ✅ Free tier for sole traders paying themselves as a single director
- ✅ Strong help resources and documentation
What Could Be Better
- ❌ Desktop version is Windows only — Mac users need a workaround
- ❌ The interface feels dated compared to cloud-native competitors
- ❌ BrightPay Connect is an additional cost rather than included
- ❌ Support can be slow during busy periods like year-end
FAQ
Is BrightPay HMRC-approved? Yes. BrightPay is HMRC-recognised payroll software, meaning it has been tested for compatibility with HMRC’s systems. You can use it to submit RTI (Real Time Information) reports — including Full Payment Submissions and Employer Payment Summaries — directly to HMRC. This is a legal requirement for all UK PAYE employers.
Can I use BrightPay on a Mac? BrightPay Desktop is a Windows-only application. If you use a Mac, you have two options: run Windows on your Mac using software like Parallels or Boot Camp, or use the BrightPay Connect web portal, which is browser-based and works on any device. However, the full desktop software features are not available natively on macOS.
Does BrightPay handle auto enrolment? Yes, and it does so very well. BrightPay manages the full auto enrolment process, including assessing worker eligibility, calculating contributions, managing postponement, and submitting data to pension providers. It integrates directly with providers including NEST, The People’s Pension, Smart Pension, Welplan, and others.
Is BrightPay suitable for a sole trader with no employees? BrightPay offers a free licence for sole traders with a single-director payroll (paying themselves only). This makes it an accessible option for sole traders operating as limited companies who need to run a small salary through PAYE without spending money on software.
Conclusion: Should You Use BrightPay in 2026?
BrightPay earns its place at the top of our payroll software recommendations for UK small businesses, and having now reviewed it properly, it’s easy to see why.
The combination of flat annual pricing, HMRC recognition, solid auto enrolment support, and CIS functionality makes it genuinely hard to beat at this price point. It’s not the prettiest software and the Windows-only restriction is a real frustration for Mac users, but for Windows users running payroll for up to a few dozen employees, it’s one of the most cost-effective and reliable options available.
If you’re a small business owner who wants to handle payroll yourself without paying accountant fees or getting locked into expensive monthly subscriptions, BrightPay is our top recommendation. Add BrightPay Connect if you want cloud backups and employee self-service — it’s worth the small extra cost.
For sole traders on a tight budget, the free single-director licence means there’s genuinely no reason not to try it.
Best for: UK small businesses and sole traders running PAYE payroll who want capable, affordable, HMRC-compliant software without the complexity of enterprise tools.
Pricing and features correct at time of writing. Plans and capabilities are subject to change — always confirm current details on the provider’s website before purchasing.