Certino

What Certino does

Certino is a UK-based software company that provides a cloud-based expatriate tax and shadow payroll calculation platform. Founded in 2017 by Richard McBride, who brought more than 25 years of experience leading global mobility and employment tax programmes, the company targets the operational gap in calculating payroll-ready tax outcomes for internationally mobile employees, including assignees, business travellers, project workers, remote workers, and commuters.

The Certino platform is purpose-built for expatriate tax, hypothetical tax, gross-ups, and shadow payroll calculations, and is positioned as a calculation layer that sits upstream of existing payroll and tax delivery systems. It is accessed via a secure web application or enterprise-grade API, consumes standardised CSV or JSON inputs, and applies maintained country-specific tax logic (covering PAYE, federal and state tax, and home/host social security) to produce consistent, payroll-ready outputs. The platform holds ISO 27001, AICPA SOC 2 Type 2, and GDPR certifications, and integrates with BI tools such as Tableau and Power BI. Recent product extensions include a dedicated web application for gross-ups and shadow payroll launched in November 2023.

The company operates a partner-led enterprise SaaS model, selling directly to tax advisors, payroll providers, and global mobility management firms, as well as to in-house global mobility and payroll teams. Pricing is quote-based on multi-year contracts, with Certino stating it charges a single flat rate positioned at roughly half the global average price for shadow payroll calculations. Revenue is generated through platform subscriptions and structured professional services, including onboarding, activation support, and ongoing technical support. International operations are supported via an affiliated US entity (Certino LL.C) and a branch in the United Arab Emirates.

Name

Certino

Legal name

Certino Limited

Website

https://www.certino.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Certino provides a cloud-based expatriate tax and shadow payroll calculation platform serving tax advisors, payroll providers, and global mobility teams. It uses country-specific tax engines to produce payroll-ready outputs via web application or enterprise-grade API.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Expatriate Tax and Shadow Payroll Software

NAICS

Payroll Services (541214)

SIC

Services-Computer Processing & Data Preparation (7374)

akta.pro primary industry

Payroll Tax Filing, Compliance & Regulatory Reporting (BPAAAHAB)

Keywords

• Expatriate tax software
• Shadow payroll platform
• Global mobility tax
• Payroll calculation engine
• International tax compliance

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. SaaS Platform Subscription: Cloud-based platform subscription for expatriate tax and shadow payroll calculations. Accessed via web application or API. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed.
2. Professional Services: Structured onboarding support, ongoing activation support, and technical support services to complement partner-led delivery. Access to support portal, reference documentation, and technical documentation included.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Certino provides a cloud-based Shadow Payroll Platform that performs accurate, payroll-ready expatriate tax, hypothetical tax, gross-up and shadow payroll calculations across multiple countries. The platform is accessed via a secure web application or enterprise-grade API, consumes standardised CSV or JSON inputs, and delivers consistent calculations to tax advisors, payroll providers, mobility teams and in-house global mobility functions. It is designed to sit upstream of existing payroll and tax delivery, not to replace them.

Product overview

Certino offers a single unified cloud-based platform called the Shadow Payroll Platform, which serves as the calculation layer for expatriate tax and shadow payroll. The platform is accessed via a secure web application or enterprise-grade API, and produces consistent, payroll-ready expatriate tax and shadow payroll calculations across countries, policies, and providers. It handles hypothetical tax, gross-ups (partial or full), PAYE, federal and state tax support, and home and host social security calculations. The platform integrates with existing payroll and tax providers, supplying outputs that integrate cleanly into existing payroll and tax delivery models without replacing them.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Shadow Payroll Platform Cloud-based platform that produces accurate, payroll-ready expatriate tax and shadow payroll calculations across multiple countries for tax advisors, payroll providers, mobility teams and in-house global mobility functions. Sits upstream of payroll and tax delivery, consuming standardised CSV or JSON inputs and outputting consistent, payroll-ready results.

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 20% savings in international employee tax costs
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• TopiacoreTechnology or Integration · 16 June 2026Certino and Topia partnered to deliver connected global compensation workflows. This partnership enables seamless integration between Certino's shadow payroll calculation engine and Topia's global mobility platform, providing clients with end-to-end global compensation workflow automation.
• Global Expat PaycoreTechnology or Integration · 31 January 2023Global Expat Pay partnered with Certino to provide highly accurate shadow payroll calculations to its clients. The integration of Certino's tax engine enables Global Expat Pay to analyse clients' data and make fast, accurate shadow payroll calculations for remote flexible workers or employees on international assignments. The combined 'White glove / Tech' service comprises high quality consultancy and pioneering technology, enabling companies to digitize their expatriate payroll processes.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Topia: Topia is a global mobility management platform offering assignment management, compensation, and compliance workflows. It is a direct peer to Certino in the global mobility technology stack, now also a Certino integration partner (June 2026), competing for the same enterprise global mobility budget.
• Global Expat Pay: Global Expat Pay provides expatriate payroll services for remote and internationally assigned workers, and is a Certino technology/integration partner (announced Jan 2023). It targets the same expatriate payroll buyer with a consultancy-plus-tech model, overlapping significantly with Certino.
• Cintra HR & Payroll Services: Cintra delivers multi-country payroll and HR services with technology-enabled expatriate payroll processing. It is a direct peer serving the same multinational expatriate payroll buyer with overlapping shadow payroll capabilities.
• GoGlobal: GoGlobal provides global Employer of Record and expatriate payroll services for companies hiring internationally. It is a direct peer competing for the same mid-market and enterprise buyers seeking cross-border payroll and shadow payroll capability.

Broad incumbents

• Vialto Partners: Vialto is the Big 4 spinoff (PwC) focused on global mobility tax, immigration and payroll services. It is a broad incumbent that delivers shadow payroll services to multinationals and was named as a Certino event partner, serving overlapping buyer needs with a services-led model.
• EY Global Mobility Services: EY's Global Mobility practice delivers expatriate tax, immigration and shadow payroll services to multinational clients. As one of the largest global mobility advisory firms, it competes for the same buyer budget as Certino, primarily via services but increasingly with technology-enabled delivery.
• PwC Global Mobility: PwC's People & Organisation / Global Mobility practice provides expatriate tax and shadow payroll advisory at scale. It is a broad incumbent that historically dominated this market prior to Vialto's separation and continues to compete for multinational enterprise mandates.
• ADP: ADP is the largest global payroll and HR services provider, offering multinational payroll, expatriate administration and tax filing. It is a broad incumbent whose reach into multinational payroll makes it a strategic competitor or potential acquirer for Certino's narrower calculation layer.
• Workday: Workday provides enterprise cloud HCM and payroll, increasingly with global payroll partners for multinational coverage. As a broad incumbent HR/payroll platform, it competes for the same enterprise buyer wallet and represents a potential integration or acquisition path for Certino.

Regional players

• SD Worx: SD Worx is a leading European payroll and HR services provider with multi-country payroll capabilities. It is a regional incumbent serving largely European multinational employers and overlaps with Certino's expatriate payroll use cases across EMEA.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/certino
• Xx.com/shadowpayroll

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Certino