What SD Worx does

SD Worx is a Belgian-headquartered HR and payroll solutions provider founded in 1945 and headquartered in Antwerp, operating under the legal name SD Worx People Solutions NV. The company serves more than 95,000 organizations across 27 European countries and processes payroll for approximately 6 million employees, placing it among the global top five HR and payroll providers. It maintains 19 distinct payroll engines — one per country or market — to handle local labour-law and tax compliance, and operates an "airport model" that balances central strategic direction with local autonomy across markets.

The platform is cloud-based SaaS covering the full HR lifecycle: core payroll (for SMEs, large enterprises, and multinationals), workforce management and time & attendance, HR analytics, an HCM tool, the mysdworx employee self-service portal and mobile app (iOS/Android), reward and compensation management, HR legal and fiscal consulting, SAP SuccessFactors implementation and add-ons, and the SD Worx Compass talent management platform. Customers include SMEs, large organizations, multinationals, and accountants and bookkeepers, served through a combination of field sales, inside sales, self-serve digital channels, 33 Belgian branch offices, and dedicated staffing brands (SD Worx Jobs, SD Worx Professionals, Protime). The company holds ISO 27001, ISO 27701, ISAE 3402 Type II, and ISAE 3000 certifications, and is recognized by Gartner, NelsonHall, and Everest Group.

Revenue is generated primarily through subscription-based SaaS contracts (annual billing) bundled with professional services — payroll processing fees, HR consulting, legal and fiscal advisory, training via SD Worx Academy, and staffing/interim services. FY 2025 consolidated revenue was €1.307 billion (+10.7% YoY), with adjusted EBITDA of €271.2 million (+16.5%) and net profit of €101.4 million, the first time the company crossed €100 million in net profit. Growth has been driven principally by M&A: at least eight acquisitions since 2021 across the Nordics (Aditro), Ireland (Intelligo), Central and Eastern Europe (Romanian Software), Italy (F2A, Codeas, HR Service), and France (Socialea, Paie & RH Solutions). The company is privately held with no disclosed parent, PE, or VC backing, and is led by CEO Kobe Verdonck.

Name

SD Worx

Legal name

SD Worx People Solutions NV

Website

https://sdworx.be

Company type

Private

Founded year

1945

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

SD Worx is a Belgian-founded, privately held European HR and payroll SaaS provider serving more than 95,000 organizations across 27 countries. It operates 19 country-specific payroll engines, processes payroll for approximately 6 million employees, and reported €1.307 billion in FY 2025 revenue.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

HR and Payroll Software

NAICS

Payroll Services (541214), Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (51821), Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151), Human Resources Consulting Services (541612)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Computer Processing & Data Preparation (7374), Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)

akta.pro primary industry

Payroll Software & Payroll-as-a-Service (SaaS) (BPACAIAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Managed Payroll Services (Full-Service Payroll Outsourcing) (BPAAAHAA), Payroll Outsourcing & Pay Administration (Multi-country/Managed Payroll) (BPACAKAD), Global Payroll & Multi-Country Payroll Coordination (EOR/PEO Interface) (BPAAAHAE), Core HR & HRIS (BPACAPAA), Human Capital Management (HCM) & Payroll Platforms (HDAEAEAJ)

Keywords

• Payroll processing software
• Human capital management
• Workforce management solutions
• SAP SuccessFactors implementation
• HR and payroll outsourcing

Headquarters

HQ city

Antwerp

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices13 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Payroll Processing Services: Core payroll processing services for organisations of all sizes across Europe, handling salary calculation, compliance, and administration. Revenue is generated through service fees bundled with software and expertise.
2. HR Software Subscriptions (SaaS): Cloud-based HR and payroll software subscriptions sold to organisations, including workforce management, time & attendance, HCM tools, HR analytics, and SAP SuccessFactors solutions. Delivered as SaaS with annual or multi-year contracts.
3. Professional Services & Consulting: HR consultancy, legal and fiscal advisory services, talent management consulting, and legal audits (Legal Scan) provided by HR consultants and jurists. Offered alongside software as part of an integrated value proposition.
4. Staffing & Interim Solutions: SD Worx Jobs provides staffing solutions for employers seeking temporary staff through interim/temporary labour, HR project sourcing, permanent recruitment (werving & selectie), and executive search.
5. Academy & Training Services: SD Worx Academy offers training programmes on payroll, social law, and other HR domains, generating additional revenue alongside core HR services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

SD Worx provides cloud-based HR, payroll, and workforce management software and services across approximately 27 European countries, running 19 local payroll systems and processing payroll for around 6 million employees. Its portfolio spans SME payroll, professional enterprise payroll, international multi-country payroll, time and attendance, HR analytics, the mysdworx employee portal, reward management, HR legal and fiscal consulting, SAP SuccessFactors implementation, and the SD Worx Compass talent management platform.

Product overview

SD Worx is a unified HR and payroll platform offering integrated solutions across core HR functions. The product portfolio centers on Payroll (covering SME, enterprise, and international payroll across 19 European payroll systems) as the core offering, supplemented by Workforce Management tools (time tracking, scheduling, HR analytics, HCM, and the mysdworx employee portal), Reward management (compensation policy, mobility budgets, alternative compensation), HR expertise (legal/fiscal consulting, talent management), and SAP implementation services. Additional offerings include SD Worx Compass (talent management platform formerly huapii), Legal Audit services, SD Worx Academy training, and SD Worx Jobs staffing services. The company serves over 90,000 organizations across Europe, processing payroll for approximately 6 million employees.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SD Worx Academy: Training and education division offering courses on payroll, social law, and other HR domains for professional development.
• SD Worx Compass (formerly huapii)
• SD Worx Jobs
• SD Worx Professionals
• mysdworx
• SD Worx Compass

Products and services

• Payroll Core payroll processing solution covering salary calculation, local compliance and administration across 19 European payroll systems, available as SME payroll, professional enterprise payroll and international multi-country payroll for organisations of every size.
• Time & Administration (Workforce Management) Integrated workforce management solution covering time tracking, employee scheduling, HR administration, HR analytics, an HCM tool and the mysdworx employee self-service portal for SMEs and large organisations.
• Reward (Belonen) Reward management solution covering salary policy, total employee costs, alternative compensation, mobility budgets and transparent compliant pay for HR leaders seeking strategic compensation decision support.
• HR Expertise HR consulting services combining legal and fiscal advisory, talent management tooling and HR data insights to help organisations efficiently organise personnel matters.
• Legal Scan (Legal Audit) Social-legal compliance audit service that analyses whether organisations correctly apply HR and payroll regulations and highlights risk exposure and potential sanctions during social inspections.
• SAP Solutions SAP SuccessFactors implementation, HCM transformation, workforce management, payroll and cloud migration services delivered as an experienced SAP partner for organisations undergoing HR transformation.
• SD Worx Compass All-in-one talent management platform (formerly huapii) enabling organisations to develop talent through performance management, feedback, skills development and career planning.
• SD Worx Academy Training and education services offering courses on payroll, social law and other hard and soft HR domains for HR professionals, business owners and employers.
• SD Worx Jobs (Staffing) Staffing and recruitment services connecting job seekers with employers in administrative, logistics and industrial sectors, offering interim/temporary staffing, HR project sourcing, permanent placement and executive search.

Quantifiable outcome

• FY 2025 revenue of €1.307 billion (+10.7% YoY), EBITDA of €271.2 million (+16.5%), and net profit of €101.4 million for the first time
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• SAP (SuccessFactors)coreTechnology or IntegrationSD Worx is an experienced SAP partner that designs, implements, and manages ideal HR and payroll solutions for (growing) organisations using SAP SuccessFactors. The partnership covers SAP add-ons, HCM transformation, workforce management, payroll processing, and SAP cloud migration. SD Worx provides expert implementation and ongoing support for the full employee lifecycle within the SAP ecosystem.
• Team SD Worx-ProtimeminorOthersSD Worx sponsors Team SD Worx-Protime, the world's number one women's professional cycling team, as a brand visibility and employer branding initiative. The partnership is framed around shared values of talent, technology, teamwork, and performance — mirroring SD Worx's approach in HR and payroll.
• SD Worx AcademyminorOthersSD Worx Academy offers training programmes on payroll, social law, and other hard and soft HR domains, extending the company's service ecosystem. It represents an internal capability rather than a formal external partnership, but functions as a brand-extending educational offering.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Zalaris: Nordic-headquartered provider of HR and payroll outsourcing services with pan-European operations. Closely comparable to SD Worx in multi-country payroll managed services and is among the most direct European-headquartered competitors on cross-border payroll.
• Sage Group: UK-headquartered SMB accounting and payroll/HCM vendor with established presence across continental Europe (Sage HR, Sage Business Cloud Payroll). Directly comparable on SME payroll SaaS and overlapping customer segments with SD Worx's KMO franchise.
• ADP (Automatic Data Processing): The world's largest payroll and HR services provider with broad multi-country capabilities (including ADP Streamline for international payroll). Highly comparable as a full-service, multi-country payroll and HCM outsourcer competing for the same large-enterprise and international customer cohorts as SD Worx.
• Dayforce (formerly Ceridian): Global HCM and payroll SaaS provider with strong North American and growing European presence (UK, Ireland). Closely comparable as a mid-to-large enterprise HCM-plus-payroll SaaS platform with managed services; recently taken private, indicating market expectations for the segment.
• UKG (Ultimate Kronos Group): HCM, workforce management, and payroll provider formed from the merger of Ultimate Software and Kronos. Overlaps with SD Worx across workforce management, time and attendance, and payroll SaaS for mid-market and enterprise customers in North America and Europe.
• Paychex: Leading SMB-focused payroll and HCM provider in the US with a recurring SaaS-plus-services model. Comparable business model to SD Worx's SME payroll and outsourcing offerings, although primarily serving US SMBs.
• Alight Solutions (formerly NGA Human Resources / The Resource Group): Cloud-based HCM and payroll services platform with a deep European delivery footprint (UK, Germany, France, Netherlands). One of the closest direct competitors to SD Worx in managed multi-country payroll and HR outsourcing for large multinationals.

Emerging players

• Deel: AI-forward, multi-country payroll, EOR, and contractor payments platform rapidly scaling across Europe. Competes most directly with SD Worx's international payroll proposition for SMEs and tech-forward employers, though primarily via a software-led rather than services-led model.

Broad incumbents

• Workday: Enterprise cloud HCM, payroll, and financial management leader increasingly extending into Europe. Overlaps with SD Worx at the high end of the market, but Workday operates a broader enterprise platform rather than SD Worx's localized payroll-and-services model.
• SAP SuccessFactors: Enterprise HCM suite within SAP's portfolio, including Employee Central Payroll. Both a strategic partner of SD Worx (for managed payroll, add-ons, and cloud migration) and an indirect competitor as SAP extends native payroll coverage across more European jurisdictions.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sd-worx

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A5 records

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SD Worx