Best payroll software in Sri Lanka (2026)
Payroll software in Sri Lanka earns its keep on four things: the EPF C-Form and ETF return in the format the funds accept, APIT under the current Inland Revenue tables including Table 2 for lump sums, a salary file your bank uploads without editing, and overtime and no-pay computed from attendance rather than typed in. This ranking weighs those first and HR features second.
8 systems checked 2026-09-16. Ranking criteria are in the editorial policy.
The ranking
- 1.OODOX HR & Payroll — Companies with shift work, overnight rosters and complex overtime rules that need attendance to flow straight into payroll.
- 2.PeoplesHR — Large Sri Lankan employers, banks and groups that want a mature local implementation partner.
- 3.MiHCM — Organisations of 100 to 20,000 employees that want a full HCM suite and already run on Microsoft 365.
- 4.Humanised — Small businesses and accountants that want simple monthly payroll with Xero or QuickBooks sync.
- 5.Gallery HR — Mid-sized companies that want performance management alongside payroll.
- 6.TeamCey — Budget-conscious small businesses willing to pilot a newer product.
- 7.Better HR — Teams under 100 that want a mobile-first HR app at a predictable per-head price.
- 8.LiveUHris — Small and mid-sized firms that lead with biometric attendance.
Cost at four company sizes
50 employees
| Vendor | Pricing model | Est. monthly cost, 50 employees | Per employee |
|---|---|---|---|
| OODOX | Flat tiers | LKR 25,000 | LKR 500 |
| PeoplesHR | Quote only | Quote | — |
| MiHCM | Quote only | Quote | — |
| Humanised | Flat tiers | LKR 25,000 | LKR 500 |
| Gallery HR | Quote only | Quote | — |
| TeamCey | Per employee | LKR 10,000 | LKR 200 |
| Better HR | Per employee | LKR 19,950 | LKR 399 |
| LiveUHris | Quote only | Quote | — |
Estimates use each vendor's published price list and exclude implementation fees and taxes. Quote-only vendors do not publish prices.
150 employees
| Vendor | Pricing model | Est. monthly cost, 150 employees | Per employee |
|---|---|---|---|
| OODOX | Flat tiers | LKR 75,000 | LKR 500 |
| PeoplesHR | Quote only | Quote | — |
| MiHCM | Quote only | Quote | — |
| Humanised | Flat tiers | Quote | — |
| Gallery HR | Quote only | Quote | — |
| TeamCey | Per employee | LKR 30,000 | LKR 200 |
| Better HR | Per employee | LKR 59,850 | LKR 399 |
| LiveUHris | Quote only | Quote | — |
Estimates use each vendor's published price list and exclude implementation fees and taxes. Quote-only vendors do not publish prices.
Other sizes: 20, 50, 70, 100, 150, 200, 300, 400, 500, 1000 employees.
1. OODOX HR & Payroll
Mid-market
- Best for
- Companies with shift work, overnight rosters and complex overtime rules that need attendance to flow straight into payroll.
- Price from
- LKR 10,000 a month for up to 10 employees
- Size range
- 5 to 10000 employees
- EPF/ETF/APIT
- Native
Attendance-to-payroll HR system for Sri Lankan companies from 5 to 10,000 employees.
For
- Publishes SME pricing rather than quote-only
- Handles overnight shifts, roster patterns and layered OT rules natively
- Multi-entity payroll and matrix approvals for groups
- Part of the Simplebooks accounting ecosystem
- Payroll and CRM data reachable by Claude, ChatGPT and custom AI agents through published MCP tools
- Emergency Readiness module: WhatsApp EMERGENCY/SOS alerts to tagged first responders, HR and managers, with an immutable incident log and a branch-level readiness dashboard
Against
- Smaller independent review footprint than MiHCM or PeoplesHR
- Enterprise pricing above 50 employees is by quote
- Sinhala payslip support not published on the site
2. PeoplesHR
Enterprise
- Best for
- Large Sri Lankan employers, banks and groups that want a mature local implementation partner.
- Price from
- Quote only
- Size range
- 200 to 20,000+ employees
- EPF/ETF/APIT
- Native
Long-established enterprise HRIS with a large Sri Lankan customer base.
For
- Largest independent review base of any Sri Lankan HR vendor (79 reviews on G2)
- Named references at 600 to several thousand employees
- Mature local support and implementation teams
Against
- No published pricing
- Some reviewers mention performance and feature limitations
- Oversized for companies under 200 employees
3. MiHCM
Enterprise
- Best for
- Organisations of 100 to 20,000 employees that want a full HCM suite and already run on Microsoft 365.
- Price from
- Quote only
- Size range
- 100 to 20,000+ employees
- EPF/ETF/APIT
- Native
Enterprise HCM platform with Sri Lankan payroll, built on the Microsoft stack.
For
- Proven at scale, including deployments of several thousand employees
- Multi-country payroll for groups with staff outside Sri Lanka
- Broad HCM scope: talent, performance, analytics
Against
- No published pricing
- Capterra rating of 3.8 with customer service scoring lower than ease of use
- Heavier implementation than SME tools
4. Humanised
SME
- Best for
- Small businesses and accountants that want simple monthly payroll with Xero or QuickBooks sync.
- Price from
- LKR 10,000 a month for up to 15 employees
- Size range
- 5 to 5000 employees
- EPF/ETF/APIT
- Native
SME-focused HR and payroll SaaS with published pricing and accounting integrations.
For
- Clear published pricing for small teams
- Xero, QuickBooks and Zoho Books integrations
- Digital contracts and expense claims bundled
Against
- Limited independent reviews
- Enterprise tier is quote-only
- Less depth in complex shift and OT rules than mid-market systems
5. Gallery HR
Mid-market
- Best for
- Mid-sized companies that want performance management alongside payroll.
- Price from
- Quote only
- Size range
- 50 to 2000 employees
- EPF/ETF/APIT
- Native
Sri Lankan HRIS covering payroll, attendance, leave and performance for mid-sized companies.
For
- Meaningful Sri Lankan customer base (claims 200+ businesses)
- Performance module included
Against
- No published pricing
- Few independent reviews
- Integration list is thin
6. TeamCey
SME
- Best for
- Budget-conscious small businesses willing to pilot a newer product.
- Price from
- LKR 200 per employee a month
- Size range
- 5 to 300 employees
- EPF/ETF/APIT
- Native
Low-cost newcomer with EPF, ETF, APIT, bank files and biometric attendance.
For
- Lowest published per-employee price in the market
- Bank-ready salary files
Against
- Short track record
- No independent reviews yet
- Feature depth not documented
7. Better HR
SME
- Best for
- Teams under 100 that want a mobile-first HR app at a predictable per-head price.
- Price from
- LKR 399 per employee a month
- Size range
- 5 to 500 employees
- EPF/ETF/APIT
- Native
Per-employee priced HR app with Sri Lankan payroll, aimed at small and growing teams.
For
- Simple per-employee pricing
- Mobile-first attendance with location controls
- Fast to set up
Against
- App store reviews mention location-restriction and support issues
- Statutory report coverage not fully published
- Per-head pricing gets expensive past 150 employees
8. LiveUHris
SME
- Best for
- Small and mid-sized firms that lead with biometric attendance.
- Price from
- Quote only
- Size range
- 10 to 1000 employees
- EPF/ETF/APIT
- Native
SME HRIS with payroll, biometric attendance, rosters and employee self-service.
For
- Roster and biometric focus
- Employee self-service included
Against
- Small customer base (reports 850+ employees managed)
- No published pricing
- No independent reviews
Capability matrix
| Capability | OODOX | PeoplesHR | MiHCM | Humanised | Gallery HR | TeamCey | Better HR | LiveUHris |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EPF, ETF and APIT | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| T10, C-Form and statutory reports | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| Bank salary upload files | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Not published | Yes | Not published | Not published |
| Biometric device integration | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Shift and roster management | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Not published | Yes | Yes |
| Overtime and no-pay rules | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Not published | Yes | Yes |
| Leave management | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Employee mobile app | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Not published | Yes | Yes |
| Multi-entity payroll | Yes | Yes | Yes | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| Accounting integration | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| Performance management | Yes | Yes | Yes | Not published | Yes | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| Recruitment | Yes | Yes | Yes | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| Sinhala payslips | Not published | Not published | Not published | Yes | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| Claude / ChatGPT / custom AI agent integration | Yes | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| WhatsApp emergency SOS and first-responder alerting | Yes | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
How we ranked them
- Statutory output: C-Form, ETF return, T10 and APIT computation shown live on sample data.
- Tax table maintenance: who updates APIT tables when the IRD changes them, and how fast.
- Attendance integration: overtime, late deductions and no-pay flow from devices without manual entry.
- Bank files: formats for the major Sri Lankan banks without spreadsheet editing.
- Published pricing and independent evidence, as in the HR ranking.
- Audit trail and payroll approval before release.
Frequently asked questions
- Which payroll software handles EPF, ETF and APIT in Sri Lanka?
- OODOX, PeoplesHR, MiHCM, Humanised, Gallery HR, TeamCey, Better HR and LiveUHris all state native EPF, ETF and APIT support. OrangeHRM does not and is excluded from this list.
- What should I test in a payroll software demo?
- Bring one real month of data. Check the C-Form total against your last submission, the APIT on your three highest earners against the IRD table, one employee with overtime and one with no-pay, and the bank file opened as your bank would see it.
- How much does payroll software cost in Sri Lanka?
- Published prices run from LKR 200 per employee (TeamCey) and LKR 399 per employee (Better HR) to flat tiers of LKR 10,000 to 25,000 a month for up to 50 employees (OODOX, Humanised). Enterprise vendors quote, typically per employee per month plus implementation.
- Can I run payroll in a spreadsheet instead?
- Under about 15 employees, yes, if someone owns the APIT table updates and the C-Form format. Beyond that the error and surcharge risk usually costs more than the software.