Dataplan Payroll

What Dataplan Payroll does

Dataplan Payroll, operating commercially as 'Dataplan by IRIS', is a UK-based managed payroll bureau and pension administration provider that has been in operation for over 50 years. Since its 2021 acquisition by IRIS Software Group (IRIS Capital Limited, England, company number 06266887), Dataplan has been integrated into IRIS Payroll Services and now operates alongside complementary sub-brands Dataplan Education (schools and multi-academy trusts) and Dataplan Hospitality (hotels, pubs, venues and tourism operators with tronc scheme needs). The company sells fully outsourced payroll processing, PAYE and pension compliance, tax advice, P11D support, and tronc scheme management on a recurring monthly fee model under bespoke quote-based pricing tailored to organisation size and sector complexity.

The underlying technology stack centres on a managed payroll processing platform supported by two proprietary employee-facing portals: ePaysafe (employee payroll access) and ePayslips (digital payslip delivery). The platform is positioned for ease of implementation and operational continuity rather than algorithmic differentiation; there is no disclosed AI/ML capability. Dataplan is one bureau layer within the broader IRIS Software Group product suite, which also includes IRIS Cascade (cloud HR), Staffology Payroll, Troncmasters (hospitality tronc), and IRIS Paycheck Plus (managed payroll for Ireland), giving cross-sell into HR software customers and a route into international markets.

Go-to-market is sales-led with an inbound contact-form motion on the IRIS website, supplemented by inside sales and direct enterprise sales. Distribution relies on IRIS's marketing infrastructure — LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, X, blog, case studies, webinars, events and podcasts — and benefits from the parent's claimed 280,000+ organisational customer base. Dataplan is registered in England and Wales and headquartered at the IRIS campus in Slough (4th Floor, Heathrow Approach, 470 London Road, SL3 8QY).

Name

Dataplan Payroll

Legal name

Dataplan Payroll (operating as part of IRIS Capital Limited)

Website

https://dataplan.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1969

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Dataplan by IRIS is a UK-based managed payroll bureau and pension administration provider, serving businesses, schools and academy trusts, and hospitality operators with recurring outsourced payroll processing, PAYE/pension compliance, and tronc scheme management.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Payroll Outsourcing Services

NAICS

Payroll Services (541214), Accounting, Tax Preparation, Bookkeeping, and Payroll Services (5412)

SIC

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

Benefits Deductions & Payroll Integration Administration (BPAAAHAF), Payroll Data Management, Master Data & Employee Setup (BPAAAHAI)

Keywords

• Managed payroll services
• Payroll outsourcing
• Pension administration
• Education payroll services
• Hospitality tronc management

Headquarters

HQ city

Grimsby

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Managed Payroll Services: Fully managed, outsourced payroll processing services for businesses of all sizes, schools/trusts, and hospitality sectors. Revenue is generated through recurring service fees for payroll processing, pension management, tax advice, and compliance support.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Dataplan by IRIS provides fully managed, outsourced payroll processing and pension management services to UK businesses, schools/academy trusts, and hospitality operators. Services include payroll processing, PAYE compliance, P11Ds, pension administration, tax advice, and tronc scheme management, supported by the ePaysafe employee self-service portal.

Product overview

Dataplan Payroll, now part of IRIS Software Group since 2021, operates as a unified platform-plus-modules architecture under IRIS Payroll Services. The core offerings include Dataplan Payroll (UK payroll outsourcing and pension management) serving businesses of all sizes, IRIS Education Payroll Services (Dataplan Education rebranded) for schools and MATs, and Troncmasters for hospitality tronc scheme management. Additional services include IRIS Paycheck Plus for Irish payrolls and IRIS Cascade Payroll Services for existing Cascade customers. The portfolio includes complementary add-on modules such as ePaysafe and ePayslips for digital payslip management. These products work together to provide comprehensive coverage across UK business, education, and hospitality sectors, with services spanning payroll processing, pension management, tax advice, and compliance support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Dataplan Education: Specialist payroll, pension, and HR services for UK schools, single-academy trusts, and multi-academy trusts (MATs). Trusted by over 650 schools managing 45,000+ staff payments.
• Dataplan Hospitality

Products and services

• Dataplan Payroll (IRIS Payroll Services) UK-based payroll outsourcing and pension management solution offering fully managed payroll services for businesses of all sizes and sectors, including payroll processing, tax advice, pension management, and compliance support.
• IRIS Education Payroll Services (formerly Dataplan Education) Specialist education payroll service supporting UK schools, single-academy trusts, and multi-academy trusts (MATs) with fully managed payroll and pension services.
• IRIS Cascade Payroll Services Managed payroll services delivered to existing IRIS Cascade customers, providing integrated payroll processing within IRIS's all-in-one cloud HR system.
• Troncmasters by IRIS Specialist tronc scheme management solution for the hospitality sector, ensuring compliance with HMRC, allocating tips fairly, and managing National Insurance savings and transparent tip distribution.
• IRIS Paycheck Plus Managed payroll services for Irish payrolls, ensuring employees based in Ireland are paid accurately and on time with full compliance for Ireland-specific requirements.

Quantifiable outcome

• Time savings and smoother processes for customers
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• IRIS Software GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Dataplan was acquired by IRIS Software Group in 2021 and rebranded as Dataplan by IRIS. This acquisition strengthened IRIS Payroll Services with Dataplan's 50+ years of payroll expertise. Dataplan is now integrated as part of IRIS Payroll Services, unifying various payroll bureau operations acquired by IRIS.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• ADP: Global incumbent in payroll and HR services (including ADP Streamline in the UK); competes with Dataplan across all UK customer segments with a much broader product portfolio and international scale.
• Sage Group: UK-founded incumbent with Sage Payroll and Sage HR; broadly competes with Dataplan in UK SMB payroll and offers cloud-native automation that pressures traditional bureau economics.

Emerging players

• Frontier Software: Provider of HR and payroll solutions focused on complex and multi-country environments; overlaps with Dataplan in mid-market managed payroll, particularly for organisations with sophisticated payroll needs.
• PayFit: European cloud-native payroll SaaS expanding into the UK; targets SMB and mid-market with automated payroll, representing the SaaS-native threat to legacy bureaus like Dataplan for smaller customers.
• Pento: UK-based payroll automation startup targeting SMBs with fully automated payroll; represents the SaaS-native disruption to legacy UK payroll bureaus including Dataplan.

Direct peers

• MHR: UK-based provider of payroll and HR software and services (iTrent, People First); directly comparable to Dataplan in UK mid-market, public sector and education managed payroll and HR.
• Moorepay: UK payroll and HR services bureau (now part of the wider IRIS Software Group portfolio); historically a direct competitor in UK SMB and mid-market managed payroll and HR services alongside Dataplan.
• Zellis: Major UK-based payroll and HR software and services provider; directly competes with Dataplan and IRIS Payroll Services in managed payroll for mid-market and enterprise UK employers across multiple sectors.
• SD Worx: European payroll and HR services provider with significant UK presence; competes with Dataplan in outsourced payroll and HR administration for UK and multi-country employers, particularly mid-market and enterprise.
• Civica: UK software and services company with payroll and HR offerings focused on public sector and education; closely comparable to Dataplan Education in schools, academy trusts and local government payroll.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/dataplanpayroll
• Facebookfacebook.com/IRISSoftwareGroup
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dataplan-payroll-limited
• Instagraminstagram.com/irissoftwaregroup

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Dataplan Payroll