Employer of Record pricing UK 2026: Deel vs Remote vs Oyster vs Playroll

Dollar prices are converted at HMRC's exchange rate for October 2026, 1.3456 US dollars to the pound, and rounded to the nearest pound. Oyster and Playroll also show prices in pounds; that column is their own figure, not our conversion. Oyster's page also says annual discounts are available. These are published starting prices, checked on 22 October 2026; for the price of your own hire, ask the provider.

We are not VAT registered, so no VAT is added and the price shown is the total. A DPNI costs £157 a month. HMRC's manual PAYE20100 lists "A foreign employer who has no address in the United Kingdom from which earnings are paid" among the cases a DPNI is for. When someone works in the UK for an employer based in the EU and UK National Insurance is due, it is due on both sides, the employee's and the employer's, so the scheme is an NI-only scheme in the employer's name and not a DPNI or DCNI. A company with no UK presence doesn't have to run UK PAYE, but it can choose to run it in its own name. We will ask HMRC for the scheme that fits your facts, and they may suggest a different one once they have the full facts.

Salary, pension and any National Insurance are left out. Figures are indicative, not a quote. We will ask HMRC for the scheme that fits your facts, and they may suggest a different one once they have the full facts.

The two prices buy different things

An Employer of Record becomes the legal employer of the worker. On our route you stay the employer and we run the UK payroll for you. So the right choice depends first on whether you want to be the employer, and only then on the fee. If you would rather someone else were the employer, our guide to when an Employer of Record is the right answer sets out the cases where it fits. If you are already with one and want to move, see switching from an EOR to your own payroll.

Published prices change, so check the date beside each figure.

Employer of Record pricing: common questions

How much does an Employer of Record cost in the UK in 2026?

On their own pricing pages, read 22 October 2026, Deel and Remote both start at $599 per employee per month, Oyster shows USD 699 per employee per month, and Playroll starts at $399. At HMRC's October 2026 rate of 1.3456 dollars to the pound, that is about £445, £445, £519 and £297.

What does running UK payroll with Onshore cost instead?

A DPNI costs £157 a month. A DCNI costs £157 a month. An NI-only scheme costs £157 a month for one employee, and £150 a month plus £7 per payslip for two or more. Setup on those is £750, or £500 if you go ahead within two weeks of your quote. A UK PAYE scheme in the company's own name starts at £225 a month plus £8 per payslip, and setting it up costs £350. No VAT is added. We will ask HMRC for the scheme that fits your facts, and they may suggest a different one once they have the full facts.

Is Onshore Partners an Employer of Record?

No. An Employer of Record becomes the legal employer of the worker. We run UK payroll for overseas employers, and you stay the employer.

Which exchange rate do you use for dollar prices?

HMRC's published rate for October 2026, which is 1.3456 US dollars to the pound. We divide the dollar price by 1.3456 and round to the nearest pound.

Read next

• Employer of Record cost vs your own payroll, with an interactive comparison.
• When an Employer of Record is the right answer, the cases where it fits.
• Switch from an EOR to your own UK payroll, how the move works.
• Setting up a direct payment scheme, the steps and our timeline estimate.
• Employer of Record UK: the complete guide, every EOR guide in one place.