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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
P

Patricia MowbrayVerified reviewer

Head of Finance, Wexcombe Logistics

LinkedIn verified
Logistics & Supply Chain51-200 employeesUnited KingdomUsed: 2+ years
5.0
Reviewed on 30 October 2025

Brought payroll in house and saved a fortune

We were paying a bureau a small fortune to run payroll for eighty drivers and office staff. Bringing it in house on Sage 50 Payroll paid for itself inside the first year and gave us far more control and visibility.

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

The saving against a bureau was substantial and immediate. Full control and same day visibility of payroll costs. Departmental reporting for our depots. Handles driver variable hours once set up.

Cons

Getting variable hours in for a large driver workforce is more manual than I would like. The initial setup and learning took a determined few weeks.

Was this helpful? · 14
K

Karen M.

Accounts Manager, Farndale Retail

Accounting11-50 employeesIrelandUsed: 6-12 months
2.0
Reviewed on 17 October 2025

Wrong fit for our remote team

For a straightforward twenty person payroll this is far more than we need, and the learning curve cost us more time than the depth ever saved.

Ease of use
1.0
Customer service
3.0
Value for money
2.0
Functionality
2.0
Pros

Handles complex payroll well.

Cons

More system than our payroll required.

Was this helpful? · 21
S

Sana L.Verified reviewer

HR and Payroll Manager, Elmswell

LinkedIn verified
Financial Services11-50 employeesUnited KingdomUsed: 6-12 months
1.0
Reviewed on 4 September 2025

Not the right tool for us

The payroll engine was fine but everything around it, remote access, the dated interface, year end support waits, made the year harder than it needed to be, and leaving took longer than expected.

Ease of use
1.0
Customer service
1.0
Value for money
1.0
Functionality
1.0
Pros

Compliance and RTI were reliable.

Cons

The desktop model fought our remote team constantly.

Was this helpful? · 18
F

Fatima S.Verified reviewer

Company Accountant, Whitby

LinkedIn verified
Accounting51-200 employeesUnited KingdomUsed: 2+ years
5.0
Reviewed on 3 September 2025

RTI and pensions handled faultlessly

Auto enrolment assessment across a constantly changing workforce is genuinely bulletproof, which for a business with high turnover is the single most valuable thing it does.

Ease of use
4.0
Value for money
5.0
Functionality
5.0
Pros

The Sage 50 Accounts link removes manual payroll journals entirely.

Cons

Entering variable hours for a large workforce is manual.

Was this helpful? · 12
G

Gordon C.

Company Accountant

Automotive2-10 employeesIrelandUsed: 2+ years
4.0
Reviewed on 2 September 2025

Dependable if unglamorous

It does everything a serious in house payroll needs and does it accurately. Marked down only for the learning curve and the desktop nature, both of which are the price of the depth.

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

Statutory payments are always correct.

Cons

Some reports need finishing in a spreadsheet.

Was this helpful? · 12
N

Nigel T.

Bookkeeper, Calder Care

Construction11-50 employeesUnited KingdomUsed: 2+ years
5.0
Reviewed on 22 August 2025

RTI and pensions handled faultlessly

The Sage 50 Accounts integration was the deciding factor, payroll journals post straight into the accounts correctly coded without anyone rekeying a thing.

Ease of use
5.0
Customer service
5.0
Functionality
5.0
Pros

The saving against a bureau was substantial.

Cons

Backups and updates are your responsibility.

Was this helpful? · 10
F

Fatima C.Verified reviewer

Practice Manager, Swaledale Logistics

LinkedIn verified
Hospitality11-50 employeesIrelandUsed: 1-2 years
5.0
Reviewed on 13 August 2025

Proper payroll software for professionals

Once you know the keyboard flow you can run a pay run faster than any cloud product would allow, and the compliance has been faultless for years across everything we pay.

Functionality
5.0
Pros

Pension files upload to Nest without editing.

Cons

Backups and updates are your responsibility.

Was this helpful? · 28
M

Marion M.

Payroll and Accounts Manager, Wetherall Engineering

Wholesale2-10 employeesUnited KingdomUsed: 2+ years
5.0
Reviewed on 6 August 2025

Control and visibility we never had

Once you know the keyboard flow you can run a pay run faster than any cloud product would allow, and the compliance has been faultless for years across everything we pay.

Ease of use
5.0
Customer service
4.0
Functionality
5.0
Pros

Copes with multiple pay frequencies and complex elements.

Cons

Not for a novice, this rewards experience.

Was this helpful? · 16
T

Tracey MicklethwaiteVerified reviewer

Company Accountant, Whitby Logistics

LinkedIn verified
Retail201-500 employeesIrelandUsed: 2+ years
4.0
Reviewed on 21 May 2025

Strong compliance, dated interface

The compliance and reporting are genuinely strong. The interface shows its heritage and support is slower at year end, which is why four rather than five, but the payroll itself is faultless.

Ease of use
3.0
Customer service
4.0
Functionality
4.0
Pros

Handles complex pay elements and frequencies.

Cons

Desktop nature makes remote working less seamless.

Was this helpful? · 14
I

Imran Threlfall

Director, Foxton Retail

Retail201-500 employeesIrelandUsed: 1-2 years
1.0
Reviewed on 12 May 2025

Cannot recommend for a remote team

The payroll engine was fine but everything around it, remote access, the dated interface, year end support waits, made the year harder than it needed to be, and leaving took longer than expected.

Ease of use
1.0
Customer service
1.0
Value for money
1.0
Functionality
1.0
Pros

One support engineer was genuinely excellent.

Cons

Support was slow on the issues that mattered.

Was this helpful? · 28