With the majority of businesses having fewer than 10 employees, UK software company 12pay is orientating a free version of its payroll software to small businesses.

According to data from the Office for National Statistics, 88.7% of enterprises in the UK operate with 10 or fewer employees. Specialist payroll software company 12pay.co.uk has identified this as a gap in the market, finding that small businesses often can’t afford bespoke or high-end software packages designed to deal with large numbers of employees.

To this end, the company developed a payroll software platform perfectly suited to small and medium sized businesses, with the entry-level “Express” edition free to download on the internet – thus reducing overheads for these smaller businesses.

The 12pay software makes dealing with the company payroll a very straightforward process that is easy to set up and maintain. Significant key features also allow businesses to cut down on expenditure; such as the ability to print out payslips on blank A4 paper, as opposed to being obliged to buy stocks of software compatible printable payslips.

Even though the Express edition of 12pay is free, the software is fully accredited by the HM Revenue and Customs department and has been awarded the Payroll Standard.

Clients downloading the software are able to set up their employee and payroll details and print out payslips. A simple online upgrade to the Premium edition will open up extra functionality, including multiple payroll formats, the ability to action, process and print reports, as well as generating end of year reports to be submitted directly online to HMRC, a new move that has become obligatory from the 2009/2010 financial year.

12pay director Mr Tom McClelland commented: After identifying that the vast majority of UK PAYE registered businesses have fewer than 10 employees, we realised we could cut payroll software expenditure to zero by releasing our Express edition on the internet for free download. The confidence we have in our product means we know our satisfied clients will upgrade to the Premium edition, which is still a far less costly exercise than buying a bespoke or large capacity software that small businesses simply don’t need.”

As a 12pay user, Andrew Cunningham, owner of Right Guard Security commented: “For the first six years of trading we used Sage software and this year we switched to 12pay to save money. The wage slips are great and the software is easy to use.”

The Express edition of 12pay payroll software is available to download for free now from the 12pay.co.uk website.

For more information about payroll software from 12Pay Ltd please visit http://www.12pay.co.uk or telephone: 0118 9546817 for more information.

Notes for editors:

12pay.co.uk offers the Express edition of the payroll software “12 pay” for free through a simple online download procedure at http://www.12pay.co.uk/DownloadFreePayrollSoftware.aspx. Once downloaded, clients will be able to run payroll functions for free. For increased functionality or to continue to print payslips after the initial six-month period, clients will need to upgrade to the Premium edition. This paid for edition includes end of year reporting by internet facilities, which has become compulsory from the 2009/2010 financial year.

The Office for National Statistics report identifies the make up of British businesses: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/nugget.asp?id=1238

About 12pay.co.uk:

12pay has specialised in providing software solutions for small to medium size businesses since the mid 1980s, focusing in particular on the three versions of the 12pay payroll software Express, Premium and Bureau.

The company is dedicated to keeping up to date with all the latest news and changes regarding HMRC, income tax and National Insurance, with a company blog to keep clients informed and regular software updates. There is also a user forum on 12pay.co.uk to create an active community feel to facilitate user discussion and online assistance.

12pay.co.uk offers a real alternative to bespoke or expensive payroll software solutions and by providing the Express edition for free, the company is filling a gap in the payroll software market and is confident that client satisfaction will mean companies have the confidence in the product to upgrade to the paid for Premium edition.