Employes
Employes is a Dutch SaaS provider of payroll and HR software for small and medium-sized businesses in the Netherlands, offering self-service salary processing with built-in Dutch tax compliance and 35+ collective labor agreements via a subscription-based platform.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersAmsterdam, Netherlands
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Employes does
Employes is a Dutch SaaS provider of payroll administration and HR software, operated by Shine Employes B.V. (KvK 64254615) and headquartered in Amsterdam. The platform enables small and medium-sized Dutch employers (2-100+ employees) to process payroll directly without specialist knowledge, with built-in compliance for Dutch tax legislation and more than 35 collective labor agreements (CAOs), automatic submission of wage tax filings to the Belastingdienst, automatic minimum-wage enforcement, and pension provider integration via UPA. The customer base spans approximately 5,000 active employers up to 8,000 companies trusting the platform, and includes recognizable Dutch brands such as Scribbr, Intratuin, New York Pizza, IXXI, Insify, Hubo, and IJscuypje.
The technology stack is a cloud-native SaaS built on AWS (data centers in Frankfurt and Ireland) and fronted by a public REST API (v4) with OpenAPI 3.0.1 specification, JWT bearer authentication, and a 5 req/s rate limit. The product suite comprises ten modules: Salarisadministratie (core payroll), HR, Mobiele app/ESS, Verlof & verzuim, Declaraties, Documentbeheer, Urenregistratie, Taken & workflows, Rapportages, and Koppelingen (integrations). The platform connects natively to eight Dutch accounting systems (Moneybird, Exact, Twinfield, e-Boekhouden.nl, Yuki, Reeleezee, Informer, Snelstart), six time tracking and planning tools (Dyflexis, Shiftbase, Werktijden.nl, Keeping, Booq, Dish), and pension and insurance providers. GDPR/AVG compliance is maintained with EU-only data processing and TLS 1.2+ transport security.
Revenue is generated through a base monthly subscription of €16.50 plus per-employee fees for payroll filings, with an annual billing option that may carry discounts. Go-to-market is primarily product-led growth with self-serve signup, supported by a free migration/onboarding service, content marketing, comparison pages against Dutch competitors (Nmbrs, Loket, Loon, AFAS, Exact, Jortt), Trustpilot presence, and a partner program targeting accountants. The company is privately held with no disclosed external funding and operates exclusively in the Netherlands.
Employes firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Employes
- Legal name
- Shine Employes B.V.
- Website
- https://employes.nl
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Employes is a Dutch SaaS provider of payroll and HR software for small and medium-sized businesses in the Netherlands, offering self-service salary processing with built-in Dutch tax compliance and 35+ collective labor agreements via a subscription-based platform.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Employes industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Payroll & HR Software
- NAICS
- Payroll Services (541214), Accounting, Tax Preparation, Bookkeeping, and Payroll Services (54121)
- SIC
- Services-Computer Programming Services (7371)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Payroll Software & Payroll-as-a-Service (SaaS) (BPACAIAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Human Capital Management (HCM) & Payroll Platforms (HDAEAEAJ), Workforce Benefits Administration (Enrollment & Deductions) (BPACAIAF), Onboarding, Offboarding & Employee Lifecycle Administration (BPACAHAL)
Keywords
Where Employes is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Amsterdam
- HQ country
- Netherlands
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Employes business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Operations
Revenue model
- Subscription - Monthly: Monthly subscription fee for platform access and payroll administration capabilities.
- Subscription - Annual: Annual subscription option with discounted pricing compared to monthly billing. Auto-renewal unless cancelled one month before expiry.
- Per employee fee: Additional charge per employee for whom payroll filings (loonaangifte) are submitted, including nil declarations. Combined with base subscription fee.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Standard subscription at €16.50 per month |
| Subscription | Annual | Annual subscription option |
| Subscription | Annual | Comparison pricing - €415 per year equivalent |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels9 records
Employes product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Employes provides an online payroll administration (salarisadministratie) and HR software platform for Dutch small and medium-sized businesses (2-100+ employees). The core offering enables entrepreneurs and HR managers to run payroll directly online without specialized payroll knowledge, with automatic calculation of Dutch wage taxes and social contributions, automatic submission to the Belastingdienst, built-in support for 35+ collective labor agreements (CAOs), and integrated modules for HR, leave, expenses, documents, time tracking, and reporting.
Product overview
Employes is an online payroll administration and HR software platform designed for Dutch SMBs (2–100+ employees). The core product, Salarisadministratie, provides direct online payroll processing without specialized knowledge, supporting all employment types and CAO compliance. This core is extended by a suite of integrated modules: HR (personnel administration, roles, notifications), Mobiele app/ESS (employee self-service on mobile), Verlof & verzuim (leave and absence), Declaraties (expense claims), Documentbeheer (contracts and digital signing), Urenregistratie (time tracking), Taken & workflows (task automation and self-onboarding), Rapportages (reporting), and Koppelingen (integrations with accounting, time tracking, and planning tools). An open Public API (v4) enables programmatic access for developers building custom integrations.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Salarisadministratie Core payroll administration module enabling direct online salary processing without specialized payroll knowledge. Supports all employment types (permanent, hourly, interns, DGA), automatic tax filing to Belastingdienst, unlimited payslip generation, minimum wage enforcement, CAO support (35+ CAOs), WBSO, pension integrations, wage regulations, premium hours, smart payment batches, company car calculation, reservations, and annual statements.
- HR module Central HR module covering departments, job functions, document management, employee self-service, role-based access (Employer, Manager, Employee, Accountant), notifications, notes, contract templates, birthdays and anniversaries, custom fields, personnel dossiers, and task workflows.
- Mobiele app (ESS) Employee Self-Service mobile application available on iOS and Android, allowing employees to view contracts, payslips, and annual statements; submit expense claims; log working hours; request leave; and register sick days and view holidays and birthdays.
- Verlof & verzuim Leave and absence management module supporting vacation tracking, automatic holiday handling, unpaid leave, sick leave registration, and automatic processing of statutory versus extra-statutory leave.
- Declaraties Expense claims module allowing employees to log travel expenses with automatic distance calculation, submit receipts with attachments, and for employers to process reclaimable VAT.
- Documentbeheer Document management module for generating, editing, and digitally signing employment contracts and documents. Includes contract templates, a document editor, tags for data population, and automatic reminders.
- Urenregistratie Time registration module enabling hourly workers to log hours. Supports time tracking integrated directly into payroll processing.
- Taken & workflows Task management and workflow automation module. Allows creation of task lists and templates to define and automate HR processes, including self-onboarding workflows for new employees.
- Rapportages Reporting module providing payment summaries, payroll overviews, journal entries (optionally split by department), hours reports (including sick hours and worked hours), FTE reports, employer costs, gross-net breakdowns, and vacation hours tracking.
- Public API (v4) REST API (v4) enabling developers to programmatically add employees, synchronize HR data, and automate payroll by importing hours worked and wage components. Base URL connect.employes.nl/v4, Bearer token auth, 5 req/s rate limit, OpenAPI OAS 3.0.1 specification available.
- Koppelingen (Integrations) Integrations module connecting Employes with external tools including accounting software (Moneybird, Exact, Twinfield, e-Boekhouden.nl, Yuki, Reeleezee, Informer, Snelstart), time registration and planning tools (Werktijden.nl, Keeping, Dyflexis, Booq, Dish, Shiftbase), pension providers, iCal calendar sync, Treams performance management, and a.s.r. absence insurance.
Quantifiable outcome
- Significant cost reduction compared to traditional payroll providers (WoodWatch reported paying factor 1.7-1.8 with previous provider)
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Employes
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments10 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Employes technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration19 records
Feature7 records
Employes partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
13 partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- MoneybirdcoreAccounting software integration allowing export of journal entries directly to Moneybird for bookkeeping purposes.
- ExactcoreAccounting software integration for export of financial data and journal entries to Exact accounting platform.
- TwinfieldcoreAccounting software integration for Twinfield cloud accounting platform.
- e-Boekhouden.nlcoreIntegration with e-Boekhouden.nl for journal entry exports.
- YukicoreIntegration with Yuki accounting software for automated bookkeeping.
- ReeleezeecoreIntegration with Reeleezee accounting platform for financial data exchange.
- InformercoreIntegration with Informer reporting and analytics platform.
- SnelstartcoreIntegration with Snelstart accounting software.
- DyflexiscoreTime tracking and planning integration with Dyflexis workforce management system.
- ShiftbasecoreTime registration integration with Shiftbase scheduling and time tracking platform.
- Brand New DaycorePension provider integration for automatic pension declarations via UPA.
- Nationale NederlandencorePension provider integration for automatic pension submissions.
- ShinecoreParent company brand connection; Employes is part of the Shine ecosystem.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Employes competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Nmbrs: Direct Dutch payroll and HR SaaS competitor. Both target Dutch SMBs with cloud-based payroll administration and HR functionality, and Nmbrs is explicitly listed as a comparison target on Employes' site.
- Loket: Dutch online payroll provider targeting SMBs with a similar self-serve positioning. Direct competitor referenced on Employes' comparison pages.
- Jortt: Dutch PLG-style online bookkeeping and payroll SaaS for SMBs. Comparable self-serve, modern UX positioning targeting the same Dutch small-business customer base.
Broad incumbents
- AFAS Software: Largest Dutch HR and payroll software incumbent (AFAS Profit, AFAS Online). Serves the same Dutch SMB market with broader ERP-adjacent functionality and a much larger installed base and brand.
- Visma | Raet: Dutch HR and payroll SaaS provider (part of Nordic Visma group). Competes directly in Dutch payroll with both SMB and enterprise tiers, and is named on Employes' comparison pages.
- Exact Online: Dutch cloud accounting suite with bundled payroll and HR functionality. Competes as a broader back-office platform and is named in Employes' competitor comparisons.
- Deel: Global payroll, EOR and contractor management platform. While EOR-led and globally positioned, Deel increasingly competes with local payroll SaaS players as it expands its employer-of-record footprint.
- SD Worx: European HR and payroll services and software provider with significant Dutch presence (acquired Visma HR & Payroll). Operates as a broader incumbent across payroll outsourcing and HCM.
Emerging players
- Personio: European HR and payroll SaaS for SMBs. While currently focused on DACH and other markets, it represents a credible threat if Personio expands into the Netherlands and targets the same SMB segment.
- Gusto: US PLG payroll and HR platform for SMBs. Comparable in go-to-market (self-serve, modern UX) but US-focused; useful as a benchmark for the global PLG payroll thesis.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Employes social profiles
Digital presenceEmployes compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Employes financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Employes leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Employes funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Employes M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Employes
What does Employes do?
Employes provides an online payroll administration (salarisadministratie) and HR software platform for Dutch small and medium-sized businesses (2-100+ employees). The core offering enables entrepreneurs and HR managers to run payroll directly online without specialized payroll knowledge, with automatic calculation of Dutch wage taxes and social contributions, automatic submission to the Belastingdienst, built-in support for 35+ collective labor agreements (CAOs), and integrated modules for HR, leave, expenses, documents, time tracking, and reporting.
Is Employes a public or private company?
Employes is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Employes founded?
Employes was founded in 2016. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Employes based?
Employes is headquartered in Amsterdam, Netherlands, in the Europe region.
How does Employes make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Subscription - Monthly is the primary driver. The others are subscription - Annual and per employee fee.
Who are Employes's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Nmbrs, Loket and Jortt. Broad incumbents are AFAS Software, Visma | Raet, Exact Online, Deel and SD Worx. Emerging players are Personio and Gusto.
Does Employes have an API?
Yes. Employes offers a public REST API (v4) that enables developers to add employees, synchronize core-HR data, and automate payroll by importing hours worked and wage components. The API uses JSON for data transport, Bearer token authentication (tokens valid for 1 year), and is rate-limited to 5 requests per second. It supports pagination with per_page and page query parameters. No dedicated sandbox environment exists; a test company within the account is recommended for testing. OpenAPI spec (OAS 3.0.1) is available. Future endpoints planned include /time-off, /sick-leaves, /time-registration, and /expenses. Developer documentation is at developer.employes.nl/docs/getting-started.
What industry is Employes in?
Employes's product category is Payroll & HR Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPACAIAB, Payroll Software & Payroll-as-a-Service (SaaS), with a secondary code of HDAEAEAJ, Human Capital Management (HCM) & Payroll Platforms. Its NAICS code is 541214 and its SIC code is 7371.