7 Best International Payroll Services 2023

Papaya Global offers several services and solutions:

• Full-Service Payroll: $12 per employee monthly
  • Includes access to the payroll platform, embedded payments, employee portal, and partner network
• Employer of Record: Starts at $770 per employee monthly
  • Employee payroll + advisory services and compliance tools
• Contractor Management: Starts at $25 per employee monthly
  • Payroll + compliance and contractor management
• Global Expertise Services: Starts at $250 per employee monthly
  • Supplemental benefits plans and immigration support
• Payroll Platform License: Starts at $3 per employee monthly
  • Access to Papaya Global’s platform to consolidate and manage employee data (no payroll services)
• Payments-as-a-Service: Starts at $3 per employee monthly
  • Add-on services to facilitate ad hoc workforce payments (eg. national insurance and pension payments)
• Data and Insights Platform License: Starts at $150 per location monthly
  • Includes access to real-time headcount and payroll costs

• Money-back guarantee: Papaya Global is the only payroll provider in this guide that offers a 60-day money-back guarantee if you are unsatisfied with its performance.
• Robust payroll and tax filings: Papaya Global will help you stay compliant with labor laws, file tax forms, and process payments with agencies like the IRS and national insurance. Payroll payouts are made in the local currency and language and, if possible, through local bank transfers or direct deposits. Papaya Global’s acquisition of Azimo, a digital money transfer service, also enables it to offer fast cross-border payments (guaranteed payouts in 72 hours) to more than 150 countries.
• Solid HR tools: Papaya Global handles hiring, onboarding, employment compliance support, benefits, and HR reporting. Its state-of-the-art employee and document management system securely stores all staff information and forms. It even integrates with popular HRISes (SAP SuccessFactors and Workday), expense management tools (Expensify and SAP Concur), and ERP solutions (NetSuite). However, if you need robust integration options, consider Rippling, as it has a network of 500+ partner systems.
• Extensive immigration services: Unlike the other payroll services we reviewed, Papaya Global offers robust immigration services that include obtaining visas, residence permits, and work permits for expatriates and short-term assignments, as well as spouse and family permits. Remote may also have a strong immigrant program but is targeted at refugees, while Deel and Globalization Partner’s visa support solutions aren’t as extensive as Papaya Global.
• Accessible and expert support: It has 24/7 phone and email support, online training documentation, and set-up assistance. Papaya Global also has in-house experts on labor laws, compensation and benefits benchmarks, and compliance to help you when needed.

For multicountry payroll and hiring, Rippling offers the following services:

• Global payroll: $20 per employee monthly
• Global contractor payroll: $20 per worker monthly
• EoR services: $599 per employee monthly

*Note that the above pricing is based on a quote we received

• Automated payroll and tax filing: Rippling syncs hours worked, PTO, benefits deductions, and taxes and withholdings automatically to process payroll in 90 seconds. You can make payroll payments by check or direct deposit where available. It calculates hours worked and deductions and processes employee payments in the appropriate currency via international wire. Rippling also automatically files payroll taxes for your employees.
• Robust reporting: Rippling offers HR, payroll, and tax reporting. You can either use its extensive library of pre-built reports or configure your own payroll report. It even has Excel-like formulas that you can add to custom reports, allowing you to generate data showing calculations for tenure, fixed bonus amounts, and more.
• Time and task management: Unlike Multiplier, Remote, Deel, and Oyster, Rippling can automatically track your employees’ time in/out, location, and activities in real time. You can also change employees’ pay rates as they move from one job to another.
• Device and app management: With Rippling’s device and app management tools, employers can remotely manage and protect international employees’ devices. It can also help you set up and disable all of your employees’ business apps, like Google Workspace, Slack, and Microsoft 365. This is another unique feature for Rippling, which is not present with the other providers in this guide. Further, Rippling integrates with over 500 apps, so it’s extremely versatile. No other software on our list has this breadth of flexibility.
• Ease of setup and use: Large companies can deploy in weeks and small companies within an afternoon with Rippling. It has a user-friendly and intuitive interface. If you have questions about its features, you can contact its customer service reps via live chat, although one-on-one HR support is also available (but this is a paid option).

Deel offers the following plans:

• Contractors: Pricing starts at $49 per worker monthly
  • Deel offers three contractor plans; higher tiers include contractor misclassification protection services and access to HR support
• EoR Employees: Full EoR service costs $599 per employee monthly
• Direct Employees: Start for free (via Deel HR)
  • Ideal for companies that onboard and pay employees hired through their own local entities
• Deel HR: Free for companies with up to 200 employees
  • This is Deel’s HR solution for managing your workforce, from direct-hire employees to international workers

Discounts for VC-backed startups with less than $10 million in funding are also available. Note, however, that the discount only applies to the client’s first year with Deel.

• Multiple payroll payment options: Deel is the only payroll provider on our list that can pay employees and contractors in many different ways. Apart from bank transfers, your workers can receive salary payouts via Binance and Coinbase (as cryptocurrency), as well as through digital payment processors like Wise and Payoneer.
• Contractor payment card: With Deel, you can provide contract workers with a contractor card they can use to receive payroll and pay for personal purchases. It has virtual and physical versions—although the physical card doesn’t support ATM withdrawals. Note that the other providers on our list don’t offer a contractor payroll card.
• Dedicated customer success manager: Aside from 24/7 in-app support and compliance assistance, Deel provides a dedicated representative to help with system setup and serve as your point person whenever you have queries about your account. Note, however, that the dedicated rep is only available to large businesses.
• Contractor misclassification protection: Subscribing to Deel’s higher plans provides you access to contractor misclassification protection, wherein Deel will cover costs of up to $25,000 in case there’s a misclassification issue. The amount covers all legal fees and tax penalties, as well as third-party indemnity costs. Apart from Oyster, none of the global payroll providers in this guide offer similar coverage.

Remote has four plans:

• Contractor Management: $29 per contractor monthly
  • Includes contractor payroll tools
• Employer of Record: Starts at $699 per employee monthly ($599 per employee monthly if billed annually)
  • Includes automated employee payments, hiring and legal compliance management, employee benefits, invention and IP rights protection, and access to local HR/legal experts
• Global Payroll: Call for quote
  • Includes payroll services, invention and IP rights protection, and legal compliance management
• Remote Enterprise: Call for quote
  • Includes all of its solutions plus dedicated support, customized reporting, and free consultations with its in-house HR and legal experts

Discounted pricing for qualified startups and social purpose organizations, including refugee-hiring are also available.

• Discounts for startups: Qualifying pre-seed, seed, and Series A businesses can get this and the following perks:
  • 15% off its EoR service on all full-time hires for the first 12 months (available for annual plans only)
  • 15% off its contractor management services for the first 12 months
• Discounts for social purpose organizations: Qualifying nonprofits, charities, trusts, social enterprises, and benefits corporations get this. Its other special perks and discounts include:
  • 15% off its EoR service on all full-time hires for the first 12 months (available for annual plans only)
  • 15% off its contractor management services for the first 12 months
  • Co-marketing opportunities
• Special plan for hiring refugees: Remote will act as a free EoR for your refugee talent (up to 10 employees only). You can activate this when hiring a refugee who has the legal right to work in any country where Remote has an entity.

• Perfect for hiring contractors: Remote’s contractor management solution lets you onboard contractors locally, pay them in their currency with zero exchange fees, manage their employment documents, and get 1099s for US contractors. The contractor platform works seamlessly with the employee payroll platform, so you don’t have to switch between the two.
• Highly informative website: Remote is not stingy with its information. The website contains a wealth of information about different country regulations and running HR; even if you don’t go with Remote, it’s worth exploring. The websites of other providers on our list may also have similar features, such as Papaya Global’s CountryPedia (which shows per-country payroll and employment details), but Remote’s is the most extensive.
• EoR capability: Let Remote act as your employer abroad. It will onboard, pay, and manage contractors and employees. It provides HR support from local experts, as it has legal entities in every country it serves. Aside from offering competitive benefits, it tracks stock option plans and ensures your intellectual property and invention rights are protected. And while Papaya Global, Oyster, and Globalization Partners can help manage refugee hiring, Remote offers this service for free (for up to 10 employees).
• Multicountry payroll, one invoice: You can view and approve payroll for all of your employees on a single platform. Once payroll is approved, you can send employees’ salary payouts in their local currency with just one click. Further, Remote supports over 100 currencies in 178 nations—and it does not charge interchange fees. It handles your local taxes and ensures you stay compliant with local regulations.

With Oyster, you can choose from three plans:

• Contractor: Starts at $29 per contractor monthly
  • Includes hiring, payroll, onboarding, invoicing, and expense management tools
• Employee: Starts at $599 per employee monthly (pricing varies, depending on country)
  • Includes EoR services, payroll, compliance support, and IP protection
• Scale: Custom-priced
  • Includes custom global compliance assistance and access to a dedicated hiring success team

It offers discounts for qualified nonprofit organizations and B Corp businesses. Hiring refugees in countries where Oyster has direct entities is also free (up to 10 refugee hires per company only).

• Affordable contractor payroll solution: One of Oyster’s standout features is its reasonably-priced contractor payroll package, which is less expensive than most of the providers in this guide. Oyster’s monthly starter pricing is $29 per worker—lower than Multiplier ($40 per worker monthly). However, it isn’t as affordable as Rippling and Papaya Global’s contractor management solutions, which only cost $20 and $25 per worker monthly, respectively.
• Solid customer support: Oyster prides itself on the type of support it provides to customers. It assigns dedicated customer success managers to new clients and offers access to a team of experts to ensure that you remain compliant with country regulations and labor laws. For those planning to recruit several employees in one go, Oyster will even offer the services of a dedicated hiring success manager to help business owners find and hire candidates that best fit their requirements.
• Access to global HR and employment tools: Oyster’s online platform and website are filled with free-to-use tools to help you navigate global hiring and manage a distributed workforce. Aside from an online calculator that shows your total employment cost, it has a “benefits adviser” tool that provides you with a list of statutory and best-in-class benefits plans that local benefits advisers recommend. It even has an employee misclassification risk analyzer, which is helpful if you are unsure whether to hire a worker as an employee or a contractor.

Multiplier has two pricing plans:

• Hire Employees: Starts at $300 per employee monthly
  • Includes instant employment contracts, multi-country and multi-currency payroll, online onboarding, benefits and insurance administration, expense and leave management, and employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) management tools
• Pay Freelancers: $40 per worker monthly
  • Includes instant contracts, multi-currency and crypto payments, and benefits administration tools

Add-on Plans

• Run Global Payroll: Starts at $20 per employee monthly
  • Includes multi-country payroll, benefits and ESOP administration, expense management, and multi-currency payments
• Provide Employee Insurance: Starts at $20 per employee monthly
  • Lets you offer locally competitive insurance plans; also comes with benefits administration tools
  • Dependent coverage is available but with additional fees

• Cryptocurrency contractor payments: Similar to Deel, Globalization Partners, and Remote, Multiplier can handle crypto payments if your workers chose this currency.
• Instant employment contracts: Multiplier claims that it can quickly generate online employment contracts that are multilingual and regionally compliant. You simply have to provide the new hire’s basic information (such as full name, email address, job title, and compensation details), and its system will create an online contract for you. You can also upload your own contract format into its platform or have the Multiplier team create a custom one for you.
• Laptop and IT asset management: Managing company-assigned laptops and IT accessories can be challenging, especially for companies with a distributed global workforce. Multiplier can help take the stress away from handling all that with its onboarding solution that lets you issue laptops directly from its platform. This is similar to Rippling and Deel’s device management tools that enable you to provide IT assets to overseas employees.

Globalization Partners offers several product plans and services. You can get its full employment product suite or select the modules you need.

• G-P Meridian Core: Custom-priced
  • Includes online tools for hiring, paying, and managing employees
  • Comes with onboarding/offboarding tools, benefits, time and expense management, 24/7 help center access, and a dedicated support team
• G-P Meridian Prime: Custom-priced
  • Core + white glove services, employment contract customization, benefits analysis, flexible payments, access to legal and HR experts, and a dedicated customer success manager
• G-P Meridian Contractor: Starts at $49 per contractor monthly
  • Includes tools for hiring, managing, and paying international contractors

Add-on services and solutions are also available under its G-P Meridian Select option. However, pricing for these are not available on the provider’s website. You have to call Globalization Partners to request a quote.

• G-P Meridian Recruit
  • This solution grants you access to recruiting specialists to help you find qualified candidates in key locations globally
• Background checks
• Employment contract enforcement facilitation
• Visa support
• Equity payroll management
  • This feature simplifies management of taxable events related to equity-based compensation
• Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) support and transition services
  • Includes support to help reduce employee disengagement and improve retention during the transition phase

• Extensive HR tools: Globalization Partners provides complete localized HR, PEO, and EoR services and tax and legal support. Also, unlike Rippling’s HR tools, which serve both domestic and international hires, Globalization Partners offers these features solely for employees hired outside of the US. It even automatically generates employment contracts that comply with local labor laws.
• Automatic payroll services: It handles payroll, deductions, and taxes. It pays employees in local currencies and processes taxes according to each country’s schedule. Once Globalization Partners issues the payroll, it sends you the bill with all employee expenses included.
• Employee payments: It can pay employees through traditional direct deposits or manual checks. Globalization Partners also has flexible payment options, allowing you to fund your payroll either through bank transfer, Venmo, and cryptocurrency.
• Ease of use: Setup, hiring, onboarding, security, compliance, tax, training, and legal services are available. It also has customer support available 24/7 for your needs. However, unlike Deel, Papaya Global, and Oyster, it does not have a dedicated support representative. You have to upgrade to its highest tier to get a dedicated customer success manager.

A global payroll service helps you manage pay processing functions for all of your business locations across the world. It ensures that you pay international workers (either employees or contractors) correctly and on time, while keeping you compliant with country tax and labor laws. Its services also involve calculating the applicable wages and deductions, remitting payroll tax payments, generating and filing tax forms, and providing pay slips to employees.

In choosing the right payroll solution to handle your international pay processing needs, look at the size of your workforce, the location and number of countries where your business operates, and your budget. You should also consider the features you need (such as online onboarding, time tracking, employee benefits, and locally-compliant work contracts) and whether the provider offers the support services you want (like 24/7 assistance, dedicated support, and access to compliance experts).

Just as with finding and hiring workers in the US, you need to decide what types of employees to get for your business locations. Besides that, you will also need to consider the local employment laws of countries where you’re planning on hiring.

When it comes to paying distributed teams, it’s important to understand the method of payment, labor laws and tax regulations, and operational considerations you must comply with. This will prevent you from facing penalties and fines because of worker misclassification (e.g., you hired independent contractors, but if you direct their work, they are considered employees).

If you choose to hire international employees to manage day-to-day operations, you can control their work schedules, oversee how the work is completed, and even implement performance management measures.

On the other hand, when working with foreign independent contractors to complete specific projects, you are not legally allowed to direct how and when contract workers can do the job—they can set deadlines and define the output of the project. Note, however, that the definition of a contractor can vary in different countries. We recommend you consult with hiring and compliance experts to avoid potential worker misclassification issues.

For some of the pros and cons of employees vs contractors, click through the tabs below.