Why payroll software matters more in Nigeria this year
The Nigeria Tax Act 2025 took effect on 1 January 2026 and replaced the old personal income tax rules with new bands, a 0% band on the first ₦800,000 of chargeable income, and a rent relief in place of the consolidated relief allowance. Payroll software that has not been updated for 2026 will calculate PAYE incorrectly. Read Nigeria payroll basics for 2026 for the details.
Beyond PAYE, Nigerian employers deal with pension contributions to each employee’s Pension Fund Administrator, the National Housing Fund, NSITF, the Industrial Training Fund and remittances to the right state tax authority for each employee. A good system tracks all of these per employee and produces the schedules you need to remit them.
What to look for
- 2026 tax rules applied correctly, including rent relief and the new bands.
- Statutory schedules: PAYE by state, pension by PFA, NHF and others, ready for remittance.
- Payslips employees can view on their phones.
- Leave, records and documents in the same place as payroll, so changes flow through without re-keying.
- Bank payment files or integrations for paying salaries in bulk.
- Naira pricing you can predict as headcount grows.
The options
| Product | Published price | Payroll | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| SeamlessHR | Not published (Lite, Core, Advantage, Custom plans) | Included | Established platform used by larger Nigerian employers |
| Workpay | Not published; quoted in US dollars | Included | Covers many African countries |
| PaidHR | Not published; third-party figures of ₦600–₦3,000 per employee per month are unverified | Included | Standard plan aimed at 20–100 employees |
| KalHR | ₦20,000/month (1–10 employees), ₦70,000 (11–50), ₦180,000 (51+) | Included | First month free; 15% off annual |
| HRPayHub | ₦499–₦4,999 per user per month depending on plan | From the Gold plan | Also prices in pounds for UK payroll |
| RinHR | ₦1,500 per employee per month (minimum 5); payroll add-on +₦1,000 | Early access | 30-day free trial |
SeamlessHR
SeamlessHR is one of the best-known Nigerian HR and payroll platforms, with modules from core HR to performance and finance. It is sold through demos and quotes rather than published prices, which suits mid-sized and larger employers that want an implementation project.
Workpay
Workpay offers HR, payroll and outsourced payroll across many African countries. It is a reasonable fit if you employ people in several of them; prices are quoted.
PaidHR, KalHR and HRPayHub
These are aimed at small and growing businesses. KalHR publishes simple flat prices by headcount band with payroll included. HRPayHub publishes per-user prices in both naira and pounds and adds payroll from its Gold plan. PaidHR’s plans are quoted; figures circulating online could not be confirmed on its own site.
A note on Bento Africa
Bento Africa, previously a common choice, suspended operations in February 2025. If you are moving off it, export your employee and payroll history before choosing a replacement.
RinHR
RinHR provides employee records, leave, attendance, documents with e-signature and reporting, and calculates Nigerian payroll under the 2026 rules, including PAYE bands, rent relief, pension and NHF, with review schedules for remittance. Payroll is in early access: the calculations and schedules are there to review, but direct filing with state tax authorities and bank payment files are not yet included.
Choosing well
- Run a past month’s payroll in the trial and compare PAYE, pension and net pay line by line with what you actually paid.
- Check that each employee’s state of residence drives where their PAYE goes.
- Confirm the format of remittance schedules your PFA and state tax authority accept.
- Ask how salary payments are made: bank file, integration or manual transfer.
- Make sure you can export everything if you leave.