Global expansion brings opportunity but also complexity, especially when it comes to payroll. Managing compensation, tax compliance, and employee benefits across multiple countries is no small feat. From navigating local labor laws to converting currencies and generating compliant payslips, businesses need reliable solutions that go beyond basic payroll processing.
That's where global payroll solutions come in. These services centralize and simplify international payroll, allowing companies to pay teams accurately, stay compliant, and scale with confidence.
What are Global Payroll Solutions?
Global payroll services and technologies help companies manage employee compensation across multiple countries. Global payroll service providers handle everything from salary payments and tax withholdings to benefits administration and compliance with local labor laws, ensuring employees are paid accurately, on time, and in accordance with each country's regulations.
Core Features of Global Payroll Services
Payroll processing for international employees in local currencies
Tax compliance with each country’s labor, tax, and social security laws
Benefits administration (health insurance, pensions, etc.)
Currency exchange and bank transfer management
Payslip generation in local languages and formats
Employee self-service portals
Integration with global HR or ERP systems
Centralized reporting and analytics
Types of Global Payroll Services
In-house Payroll Software: Businesses use internal teams and software platforms to manage payroll in each country. This requires significant legal and tax knowledge.
International Payroll Providers / Outsourcing Companies: Third-party companies that manage the entire payroll process on behalf of your business.
Employer of Record (EOR) Services: EORs like Atlas HXM hire employees on your behalf in countries where you don’t have an entity. They handle payroll, benefits, taxes, and compliance, making global hiring faster and simpler.
The Difference Between Global Payroll and EOR Services
International payroll services manage the calculation, distribution, and reporting of employee wages across multiple countries. They ensure employees are paid accurately and comply with local tax laws, but they do not legally employ the workers.
EOR is a service that legally employs workers on your behalf in foreign countries. The EOR becomes the official employer and handles payroll, taxes, compliance, benefits, and HR functions.
Global Payroll
You remain the legal employer
Requires you to have a local legal entity in each country where you want to pay employees.
Slower setup due to local registrations and compliance needs.
Generally slower and more expensive
You bear all compliance risks and responsibilities, including local tax laws, labor regulations, and reporting obligations
EOR
The EOR is the legal Employer of Record
No entity needed — the EOR has local entities and hires employees on your behalf
Faster global hiring because the infrastructure is already in place
Up to 85% savings and up to 90% faster
Risk and compliance are owned by the EOR partner, reducing your liability and administrative burden
EOR services like Atlas HXM go further by also handling benefits administration, employment contracts, work permits or visas (in many cases), and local HR compliance.
How to Choose the Best Global Payroll Provider
When comparing global payroll outsourcing companies, look for these must-haves:
Full International Coverage: Ensure your international payroll service provider supports all the countries you plan to hire in. Partial coverage means more vendors, more costs, and more risk. It often leads to disjointed service and poor support when problems arise.
Compliance coverage: A top international payroll service should keep you current on local tax changes, labor laws, and reporting requirements.
HR Integration: Look for providers that integrate with your human resource information system (HRIS) or enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems. This reduces manual entry and syncs employee data across platforms.
Employee Experience: Choose solutions with self-service portals so your team can independently access payslips, tax forms, and updates.
Expert Support: The best global payroll providers pair technology with real human expertise, especially for complex locations.
Global Payroll vs. EOR Services: What You Should Know
When expanding across borders, managing payroll and compliance quickly becomes complex. Many companies turn to global payroll services for help, but not all services are created equal. Some platforms offer payroll-only solutions, while others, like EOR providers, offer integrated services beyond just paying employees.
Here's a breakdown of leading payroll platforms and EOR solutions.
EOR Providers with Integrated Payroll
These providers act as the legal employer on your behalf and include payroll as part of a fully managed solution covering compliance, onboarding, and workforce support.
Atlas HXM
Atlas HXM is a global Employer of Record (EOR) provider with direct entity ownership in 160+ countries, enabling every client to work with a dedicated account manager who delivers a personalized service across all markets. Its integrated EOR service covers payroll, compliance, and legal employment. This allows clients to have greater control, faster onboarding, and higher accuracy compared to partner-dependent models.
Atlas ensures data security, local legal expertise, and consistency across regions, making it the ideal partner for companies prioritizing scalability, reliability, and compliance. With direct entity ownership, expert guidance, and integrated payroll solutions, Atlas sets the standard for modern global employment services.
Our EOR payroll solution is fully integrated, backed by expert-led support, and designed to handle complex global employment seamlessly.
Velocity Global
Velocity Global offers EOR services with fast onboarding, integrated payroll, and broad international reach. However, they rely on partner networks for local service delivery, which can impact consistency and control. This can lead to fragmented compliance, reduced visibility, and less robust service in regulated regions.
Where Velocity relies on intermediaries, Atlas provides end-to-end ownership for more profound local expertise and compliance assurance.
Papaya Global
Papaya Global is a tech-driven platform offering global payroll and EOR services. While innovative, the platform relies on third-party partners in many regions, which can lead to limited control, inconsistent service quality, and delays in compliance handling. This model may be less suited for companies that require high-touch support or deep in-country expertise.
While Papaya leans on partner networks, Atlas owns its entities, offering greater control, consistency, and compliance clarity.
Global Payroll Providers
These platforms manage international payroll processing but require you to have a registered legal entity in each country where you employ workers.
ADP GlobalView Payroll
ADP GlobalView is a payroll platform designed for large enterprises with established global entities. It offers complex, highly customizable payroll infrastructure, but its long setup timelines, significant IT requirements, and limited flexibility make it less suitable for agile or fast-growing businesses.
Safeguard Global
Safeguard Global is a payroll and workforce management provider that supports businesses with existing international entities. Its payroll services are delivered through a network of third-party partners in many countries, which can lead to slower service, reduced transparency, and inconsistent employee experiences. This reliance on intermediaries may also complicate compliance and communication across regions.
What Sets Atlas HXM Apart
Here's why many businesses consider Atlas a top choice for Employer of Record services:
Direct EOR Infrastructure: Atlas acts as a direct EOR with no third-party partners, giving companies more control, transparency, faster response times, and stronger data security.
Integrated Payroll within a Global EOR Platform: Atlas’ EOR Payroll services support localized tax calculations, multi-currency payments, and built-in compliance, making international payroll accurate and efficient.
Full Compliance Ownership: We assume full responsibility for legal, tax, and labor compliance, protecting businesses from worker misclassification, tax errors, and data breaches.
Global Reach with Local Expertise: Operating in 160+ countries, Atlas offers local onboarding, benefits setup, and in-country legal expertise, ensuring smooth expansion worldwide.
Comprehensive HR Support: Beyond payroll, Atlas provides visa assistance, benefits management, time-off tracking, and talent mobility, delivering a full workforce solution.
Secure, Scalable Technology: Atlas is GDPR-compliant, encrypted, and built for enterprise-grade HR integrations, ideal for managing international teams securely at scale.
What to Watch for in 2025
As the demand for global hiring increases, so do expectations. Businesses are no longer looking for basic tools; they want strategic, long-term partners who can scale with them, ensure compliance, and deliver real returns on investments (ROI).
Companies expect seamless onboarding, localized payroll expertise, and responsive service across time zones. Providers that can't meet these demands will quickly fall behind in a market that now values precision, speed, and accountability.
Here's what to look for in your global payroll this year:
AI-Driven Compliance: Real-time alerts and tax updates ensure you're never caught off-guard by regulation changes.
Complete Transparency: Upfront pricing and transparent Service Level Agreements (SLAs) help you plan better and avoid surprise fees.
Deeper HR Integration: The best solutions integrate with your HR systems, including benefits, performance management, time tracking, and recruitment tools, creating a unified view of your global workforce.
In-House Expertise: Providers that own their infrastructure and operate local entities offer faster onboarding, tighter compliance, and more reliable support.
Your 2025 Global Payroll Checklist
Make sure your provider checks these boxes:
Operates in all your target countries
Offers real-time reporting & analytics
Offers integrated EOR services
Ensures international payroll compliance
Backed by strong customer reviews and case studies
Supports both full-time employees and contractors
Integrates with your existing HR tech stack
Explore how Atlas simplifies global HR management and checks all these boxes to unify your team and operations.
Discover Global Payroll with Atlas’ EOR Services
Navigating payroll across borders doesn't have to be a mess of spreadsheets, risk, and legal headaches. With the right payroll solutions, your business can move faster, stay compliant, and give your team the pay experience they deserve, wherever they are.
At Atlas HXM, we offer a complete solution: direct entity ownership, expert-led support, and a single platform for everything from payroll and benefits to international payroll compliance and reporting. Whether you're onboarding your first international employee or scaling across five new markets, we're here to help.
Contact Atlas today to see how we can simplify your global expansion.