LivePay

What LivePay does

LivePay is a managed payroll bureau service operated by Central Computer Management Ltd, a privately held UK company founded in 1980 by Keith Johnson and headquartered in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire. The company provides fully managed payroll processing to UK businesses ranging from single-employee SMEs to organisations with up to 3,000 employees, managing over 300 payrolls across the UK, Jersey, Guernsey, Isle of Man, and Eire. All payroll processing is delivered by CIPP-qualified personnel using proprietary cloud-based software that has been developed and maintained in-house for over 40 years, originally under the LPAY brand before being rebranded to LivePay in 2011.

The core product suite includes the LivePay Managed Payroll Service covering RTI submissions, BACS payments, pension auto-enrolment, and tax year-end processing, complemented by a Manager Portal, an Employee Self-Service Portal for payslips and P60s, an API endpoint, and CSV file transfer capabilities. The company operates as a BACS Approved Bureau since 1994 and holds CIPP Payroll Assurance Scheme accreditation (since October 2022) and HMRC recognised software status. Integration partnerships exist with Breathe HR, SMI Staffcare, and Caxton payment platform.

The business model is a subscription-based managed service priced at a per-employee monthly fee starting from £3.95, supplemented by one-time setup fees and additional charges for pension file uploads and P11D processing. Go-to-market is sales-led via direct website demo requests and phone-based sales, targeting UK businesses of all sizes on 36-month standard contracts. The company employs 11-50 staff under family ownership, with leadership succession completed in November 2022 when Marc Johnson assumed the Managing Director role from founder Keith Johnson.

Name

LivePay

Legal name

Central Computer Management Ltd

Website

https://livepay.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

LivePay operates a fully managed UK payroll bureau service, processing over 300 payrolls for businesses ranging from 1 to 3,000 employees using proprietary cloud-based software developed in-house since 1980, serving clients across the UK, Jersey, Guernsey, Isle of Man, and Eire.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Payroll Services

NAICS

Payroll Services (541214)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAAAHAA

Managed Payroll Services (Full-Service Payroll Outsourcing)

Business & Public Services/Administrative & Support Services (BPO, Call Centers, Back Office)/Payroll Processing & Timekeeping Administration

SECONDARYBPACAIAB

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

Business & Public Services/HR, Staffing & Recruitment Services/Payroll Services & Workforce Administration

SECONDARYBPACAHAC

Global Payroll & Multi-Country Payroll Management

Business & Public Services/HR, Staffing & Recruitment Services/Employer of Record (EOR) & Global Employment / PEO Services

Keywords

• Managed payroll services
• Payroll bureau
• Payroll processing
• Pension auto-enrolment
• BACS payment processing

Headquarters

HQ city

Mansfield

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Managed Payroll Processing: All-inclusive per-employee pricing for payroll processing including new starters, leavers, SSP, SMP, holiday pay, deductions, BACS payments, RTI submissions, tax year end processing, and pension auto-enrolment file preparation.
2. Setup Fee: One-time fixed price setup fee for initial implementation and parallel payroll runs.
3. Additional Services: Additional charges for uploading pension files, P11Ds and Declaration of Compliance for The Pensions Regulator.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

LivePay provides a fully managed payroll bureau service that processes payroll end-to-end for UK and Crown Dependencies businesses, including new starters, leavers, SSP, SMP, holiday pay, deductions, BACS payments, RTI submissions to HMRC, pension auto-enrolment, tax year-end processing, and online payslip/P60 access. The service is delivered through proprietary cloud-based software developed and maintained in-house by Central Computer Management Ltd, with separate secure portals for managers and employees and API/CSV integration to external HR and workforce management systems.

Product overview

LivePay is a managed payroll bureau service built on proprietary software developed in-house by Central Computer Management Ltd since 1980, originally branded as LPAY and rebranded to LivePay in 2011. The core offering is the LivePay Managed Payroll Service, a fully managed, cloud-based payroll processing solution covering UK, Jersey, Guernsey, Isle of Man, and Eire payrolls. The product suite comprises the core payroll engine, the Manager Portal for client data entry and reporting, the Employee Self-Service Portal for payslip and P60 access, a Managed Auto Enrolment module for pension compliance, BACS payment processing as a BACS-approved bureau, and API/CSV file transfer capabilities for integrations with external HR and workforce management systems including Breathe HR, SMI Staffcare, and Caxton. All software is developed and owned by LivePay, hosted on the company's own servers, with over 99.9% uptime.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• LivePay Managed Payroll Service A fully managed payroll bureau service combining over 40 years of payroll experience with proprietary cloud-based software, providing end-to-end payroll processing including new starters, leavers, SSP, SMP, holiday pay, BACS payments, RTI submissions to HMRC, and tax year-end processing. Sold to UK businesses ranging from single-person companies through to organisations with up to 3,000 employees across the UK, Jersey, Guernsey, Isle of Man, and Eire.
• Managed Auto Enrolment A pension auto enrolment add-on module that automatically assesses every employee each pay period to determine their status (eligible, non-eligible, or entitled jobholder), enrols eligible employees, and prepares return files for upload to UK pension providers including NEST. Sold to UK employers seeking to outsource pension auto-enrolment compliance.
• BACS Payment Processing A BACS bureau service for processing Direct Debit, Bacs Direct Credit, and Faster Payment submissions on behalf of clients, including BACS file generation and preparation of payment files for direct upload to banks such as NatWest Bankline. Sold to UK employers needing compliant third-party payment submission with backup facilities via Caxton integration.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 300 payrolls managed for clients ranging from 1 to 3,000 employees
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Breathe HRcoreTechnology or IntegrationLivePay integrates with Breathe HR via API to extract employee data automatically each payroll cycle, eliminating duplicate data entry. Payslips can also be loaded directly into Breathe through their upload tool.
• SMI: StaffcarecoreTechnology or IntegrationLong-standing partnership providing workforce management solutions including HR, eRostering, Training Management, Sickness & Leave Management, and Expenses. Staff.Care interfaces directly with LivePay for seamless payroll processing.
• CaxtoncoreTechnology or IntegrationDirect integration with Caxton payment platform to streamline payroll payment process. LivePay generates payment files uploaded via Caxton API using Faster Payments network. Caxton also provides backup payment facilities for BACS payment cycle disruptions.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Xero (UK Payroll): Cloud accounting platform with UK payroll add-on targeting SMBs and accountants; competing for the same UK small business buyer but bundled into a broader accounting suite rather than a dedicated payroll bureau.
• Sage Payroll: Dominant UK payroll and accounting software vendor (Sage 50 Payroll, Sage Payroll) with extensive bureau partner network; broader portfolio but overlapping customer base and competitive overlap with LivePay's SMB segment.
• ADP UK: Global payroll and HCM giant with a strong UK managed payroll presence (ADP TotalSource, ADP Payroll); competes with LivePay for UK mid-market employers seeking outsourced payroll, with deeper product breadth.
• MHR (formerly MidlandHR): UK-based HR, payroll and people analytics software/bureau provider serving mid-market and enterprise clients; overlapping payroll bureau capability and UK geographic footprint, with a broader HR suite.

Direct peers

• Paycircle: Cloud-native UK payroll bureau for SMBs with modern UX and automation; competes with LivePay for the same UK SMB outsourced payroll customer base, though with a more recently built technology stack.
• Moorepay: UK payroll bureau and HR software provider (formerly part of NorthgateArinso) serving SMEs with managed payroll, HR and auto-enrolment — a closely comparable service offering and target market.
• IRIS Software Group: One of the UK's largest payroll and HR software/bureau providers, offering IRIS Payroll, managed payroll services and HRIS solutions to SMB and mid-market clients — a directly comparable offering to LivePay, though at significantly larger scale.
• Cintra HR & Payroll Services: UK-based HR and payroll bureau providing managed payroll services, auto-enrolment and HR support to UK employers — directly comparable full-service bureau model and geographic focus.
• QuestPay: UK-based managed payroll bureau focused on SMEs with per-employee pricing similar to LivePay, offering comparable outsourced payroll, auto-enrolment and RTI filing services.
• Dataplan Payroll: UK-based dedicated payroll bureau serving SMBs and mid-market employers with managed payroll processing and pension auto-enrolment — closely comparable size, geography and service model to LivePay.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/livepay1
• Facebookfacebook.com/ccmLivePay
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/central-computer-management-limitd

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 LivePay