Kenya buyer’s guide
The best payroll software in Kenya
If you run payroll in Kenya, the software's real job is to compute PAYE, SHIF and the Housing Levy and NSSF correctly every month, produce a compliant payslip, and keep records for KRA. For a small team you can start free with a payslip generator; as headcount and complexity grow, a dedicated payroll platform pays for itself. Here are the options that Kenyan businesses actually use, and how to pick.
Start here, free
Generate a compliant Kenyan payslip, free
PAYE, SHIF, Housing Levy and NSSF, computed on current KRA rules. No sign-up to try.
Open the free tool →How to choose
- Kenya statutory accuracy: does it apply the current PAYE bands, personal relief, SHIF, the Housing Levy and NSSF correctly, and as pre-tax deductions where the law requires.
- Payslip output: a clean, compliant payslip your staff and KRA will accept.
- Scale: a spreadsheet or generator is fine for a handful of staff; past ~10-20, you want automation, leave, and statutory filing support.
- Local support: a vendor that understands KRA changes and updates the rates when the Finance Act does.
- Integrations: does it connect to your accounting, bank or M-Pesa for disbursement.
The options, compared
LeadAfrik Payslip GeneratorOurs
FreeA free, Kenya-specific payslip generator with PAYE, SHIF, the Housing Levy and NSSF built in and kept current.
Best for: Small teams and one-off payslips, or checking another system's numbers.
🇰🇪 Rates are maintained against KRA changes; pairs with our free take-home / KRA tax calculator.
Open LeadAfrik Payslip Generator →Workpay
Paid, per-employee monthlyA Kenyan HR and payroll platform built for African statutory requirements, with leave, disbursement and compliance.
Best for: Growing SMEs that want full HR + payroll in one local product.
🇰🇪 Built in Kenya; handles PAYE, SHIF/NHIF and NSSF and local disbursement.
PaySpace
Paid, per-employee monthlyA pan-African cloud payroll platform covering many countries' tax rules from one system.
Best for: Businesses running payroll across several African countries.
🇰🇪 Multi-country statutory coverage including Kenya.
Sage (Payroll / Pastel)
Paid, tieredA long-established accounting and payroll vendor with strong presence in East and Southern Africa.
Best for: Established businesses that want a mature, widely-supported system.
🇰🇪 Common in Kenya with local partners and training.
Zoho Payroll
Affordable monthly, free tier on some Zoho appsPart of the affordable, well-integrated Zoho suite (Books, Invoice, People).
Best for: SMEs already using Zoho for accounting who want one connected stack.
🇰🇪 Check current Kenya availability of the payroll module; Books and Invoice are widely used locally.
Visit Zoho Payroll →Pricing shapes are indicative only and change often, always check the provider for the current figure. We list our own tools openly and never rank them above better-fitting alternatives.
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Questions people ask
What payroll deductions are mandatory in Kenya?
PAYE (income tax on the taxable pay after allowable pre-tax deductions), SHIF (health, which replaced NHIF), the Affordable Housing Levy, and NSSF (pension). SHIF, the Housing Levy and NSSF are deducted before PAYE is computed under the current rules, which is where many manual calculations go wrong.
Do I need paid software, or can I run payroll free?
For a small team you can run compliant payroll with a free payslip generator plus a take-home calculator. Paid payroll software earns its cost once you have enough staff that leave, disbursement, filing and record-keeping become a real monthly burden, typically past roughly ten to twenty employees.
Which payroll software is best for a small business in Kenya?
For a very small team, start free with a Kenya-specific payslip generator. As you grow, a local platform like Workpay or the Zoho/Sage ecosystems are common choices; pick the one whose Kenya statutory support and price fit your headcount.