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Sage 50 Payroll

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Powerful desktop payroll for UK businesses that run their own pay runs in house

3.9Based on 95 reviews

Verified reviews for Sage 50 Payroll

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3.9

95 reviews

  • 5 ★
    40
  • 4 ★
    32
  • 3 ★
    6
  • 2 ★
    9
  • 1 ★
    8
Positive 76%Neutral 6%Negative 18%
Write a Review
A

Alan Gledhill

Company Accountant

Accounting2-10 employeesUnited KingdomUsed: 6-12 months
4.0
Reviewed on 16 January 2026

Strong compliance, dated interface

Weekly payroll runs reliably every week and RTI has never failed. The interface felt dated at first but you stop noticing once the workflow is second nature.

Ease of use
4.0
Customer service
4.0
Value for money
4.0
Functionality
4.0
Pros

Bureau friendly for multiple client payrolls.

Cons

Configuration takes thought up front.

Was this helpful? · 17
T

Trevor Ashby

Director, Ashby Electrical Contractors

Construction11-50 employeesUnited KingdomUsed: 1-2 years
3.0
Reviewed on 16 January 2026

Powerful, but heavier than a small firm really needs

We are twenty staff and honestly this is more payroll system than we need. It does everything correctly but the learning curve was steep for what is a fairly simple payroll, and I sometimes wonder if the cloud version would have suited us better.

Ease of use
2.0
Customer service
3.0
Value for money
3.0
Functionality
4.0
Pros

When you get it right, the numbers are always correct. RTI and pensions are handled properly. Reliable once set up.

Cons

Too much system for a straightforward small payroll. The learning curve took real time. For us the guided cloud product might have been the better fit.

Was this helpful? · 18

Sage Response— responded on 23 January 2026

Thank you Trevor. For a smaller, straightforward payroll our cloud Sage Payroll product may indeed suit better, and our team can talk you through the difference if it would help. Sage Customer Care

N

Nigel T.

Company Accountant, Foxton Ltd

Wholesale11-50 employeesUnited KingdomUsed: 2+ years
4.0
Reviewed on 16 January 2026

Would choose it again

It handles our shift workers and variable hours properly, which lighter tools struggled with. Support is fine, the reporting is detailed, the numbers are always right.

Ease of use
4.0
Customer service
4.0
Value for money
4.0
Functionality
4.0
Pros

Reliable pay run after pay run.

Cons

Pricing bands step up with headcount.

Was this helpful? · 0
A

Angela B.Verified reviewer

Payroll Administrator

LinkedIn verified
Wholesale201-500 employeesUnited KingdomUsed: 2+ years
5.0
Reviewed on 13 January 2026

Statutory payments always correct

Year end used to be a dreaded week and is now an afternoon, because the software walks you through the steps rather than leaving you to remember them all.

Ease of use
5.0
Customer service
5.0
Value for money
5.0
Functionality
5.0
Pros

Handles salary sacrifice and attachment of earnings properly.

Cons

There is a genuine learning curve for a new operator.

Was this helpful? · 22
I

Ian B.

Practice Manager

Mechanical or Industrial Engineering11-50 employeesIrelandUsed: 2+ years
4.0
Reviewed on 12 January 2026

Would choose it again

A dependable, powerful payroll tool that has simply become part of how we run. Nothing exciting about it, but everything works, which is what payroll should be.

Ease of use
4.0
Customer service
4.0
Functionality
4.0
Pros

Brought payroll in house from a costly bureau.

Cons

Configuration takes thought up front.

Was this helpful? · 26
G

Gethin Ainscough

Accounts Manager, Ridgeway Manufacturing

Manufacturing201-500 employeesUnited KingdomUsed: 2+ years
5.0
Reviewed on 3 January 2026

Trusted it for years without a hitch

Retail headcount swings hard with the seasons and the RTI and pension reassessment handle the constant starters and leavers better than anything else we tried.

Ease of use
5.0
Customer service
5.0
Value for money
5.0
Functionality
5.0
Pros

Departmental and cost centre analysis is detailed.

Cons

Nothing that would make us change.

Was this helpful? · 13
C

Carol J.

Payroll Manager, Alderley

Food Production11-50 employeesUnited KingdomUsed: 2+ years
4.0
Reviewed on 21 December 2025

Deep payroll, worth the effort

Brought payroll in house and it has paid off, both in cost and in control. A determined few weeks of setup and learning, and it has run reliably since.

Ease of use
3.0
Customer service
3.0
Value for money
5.0
Functionality
5.0
Pros

Reliable pay run after pay run.

Cons

Not the tool for a very small simple payroll.

Was this helpful? · 5
Y

Yvonne Castleford

Office Manager, Pinderfield Joinery

Building Materials11-50 employeesUnited KingdomUsed: 1-2 years
4.0
Reviewed on 14 December 2025

Does our weekly payroll reliably every single week

Joinery means weekly pay and varying hours, and this handles it without fuss once you have your setup right. Two years in it has never missed an RTI submission or got a calculation wrong.

Ease of use
4.0
Customer service
4.0
Value for money
4.0
Functionality
4.0
Pros

Weekly payroll is quick once established. RTI has never failed us. Pension side handled cleanly. Reliable week after week, which is what you want.

Cons

Weekly means you are in it every week obviously. Entering variable hours takes a bit of time. The interface felt dated at first though you get used to it.

Was this helpful? · 9
A

Angela PrenticeVerified reviewer

Finance Manager, Halewood Construction

LinkedIn verified
Construction51-200 employeesUnited KingdomUsed: 2+ years
4.0
Reviewed on 25 November 2025

The Sage 50 Accounts link is why we chose it

We already ran Sage 50 Accounts, so payroll journals posting straight into the accounts was the deciding factor. Wages, PAYE and pension liabilities appear correctly coded without anyone rekeying a thing.

Ease of use
4.0
Customer service
3.0
Value for money
4.0
Functionality
5.0
Pros

The accounts integration removes all the manual payroll journals and the errors they caused. Departmental analysis suits our site based cost tracking. RTI and pensions handled without drama for years.

Cons

Support in January and April is slower than I would like. New team members take a while to learn it properly, it rewards experience.

Was this helpful? · 17
M

Michael W.

Company Accountant

Accounting201-500 employeesUnited KingdomUsed: 1-2 years
5.0
Reviewed on 19 November 2025

Brought payroll in house and saved money

As a bureau running a dozen client payrolls, the speed and reliability are everything, and no client scenario in years has ever caught this product out.

Ease of use
4.0
Customer service
5.0
Value for money
5.0
Functionality
5.0
Pros

Bureau friendly for running several client payrolls.

Cons

The interface is dense until you learn it.

Was this helpful? · 3