ZGAST - Personalservice für Sozialeinrichtungen

What ZGAST - Personalservice für Sozialeinrichtungen does

ZGAST - Personalservice für Sozialeinrichtungen is a German personal services organization headquartered in Karlsruhe, founded in 1971 and operating under the umbrella of the Evangelische Landeskirche in Baden (Evangelical Church in Baden). It provides outsourced payroll processing, organizational consulting, travel expense management, and cloud-based HR software (the KIDICAP platform) to more than 800 independent employers, primarily church institutions, social welfare organizations (Sozialeinrichtungen), and municipal bodies across Germany, with a concentration in Baden-Württemberg. The company processes 48,000 personnel cases per month and more than €1 billion in annual gross payroll, supporting complex tariff systems including TVöD, TV-L, AVR Diakonie, and Bundesbesoldung, with a stated 93% customer satisfaction rate.

The KIDICAP platform, developed in partnership with GIP (Gemeinschaft für integrierte Personnelsoftware) and hosted by KRZ-SWD (Kirchliches Rechenzentrum Südwestdeutschland), is the technological core. It is a modular cloud HR suite comprising KIDICAP.Absenz (absence management), KIDICAP.Personalakte (digital personnel files), KIDICAP.Postfach (secure document exchange), KIDICAP.Travel (travel expense management), KIDICAP.Vorlagen (template automation), KIDICAP.Leitstand (analytics), the Personal Office entry-level bundle, and the PPay KIDICAP payroll portal. The stack supports approximately 2.2 million payroll calculations per month and integrates with complementary partners BITE GmbH (applicant management) and ISGUS (time tracking). Compliance is anchored in GDPR, DSG-EKD, TDDDG, and GDPdU/GoBS standards, with Sepire Datenschutz serving as external Data Protection Officer.

Commercially, ZGAST runs on recurring service and software subscription fees for payroll outsourcing and KIDICAP licensing, supplemented by professional-services revenue from organizational consulting. Pricing is quote-based and tailored per client; there are no public price tiers. Distribution is direct B2B sales-led with a dedicated personal account manager per client, complemented by self-service access to the KIDICAP cloud platform. The organization operates with a remarkably lean team of five employees, indicating heavy reliance on the GIP/KIDICAP platform and partner infrastructure for scalable delivery rather than internal headcount.

Name

ZGAST - Personalservice für Sozialeinrichtungen

Legal name

ZGAST-Personalservice für Sozialeinrichtungen

Website

https://zgast.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1971

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

ZGAST is a Karlsruhe-based personal services organization under the Evangelical Church in Baden, providing outsourced payroll, HR consulting, travel expense management, and the KIDICAP cloud HR software platform to 800+ church, social welfare, and municipal employers across Germany.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

HR Outsourcing & HR Management Software for the Church/Social/Municipal Sector

NAICS

Payroll Services (541214)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Employer of Record (EOR) & Global Payroll (FSAMAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Human Capital Management (HCM) & Payroll Platforms (HDAEAEAJ)

Keywords

• Payroll processing services
• HR outsourcing
• Travel expense management
• Cloud HR software
• Organizational consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Karlsruhe

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Payroll Processing Services: Complete outsourcing of payroll and salary administration for social institutions. Clients receive automated, norm-controlled payroll processing with dedicated personal experts. The service includes comprehensive payroll calculations, legal compliance verification, and automated delivery of payslips via online portal or mail.
2. Organizational Consulting: On-site consulting services to analyze and optimize HR workflows, payroll processes, and technical equipment. Includes needs analysis, process optimization recommendations, and implementation support.
3. KIDICAP Software Licensing: Cloud-based HR software subscription model including various modules (Absenz, Travel, Postfach, Personalakte, Vorlagen, Leitstand, Personal Office) accessible via the KIDICAP platform.
4. Travel Expense Processing: Specialized travel expense reimbursement services including digital travel request processing, expense calculation, and compliance verification for church and social institutions.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

ZGAST provides outsourced payroll processing, HR management software (KIDICAP cloud platform), organizational consulting, and travel expense management services exclusively for church, social, and municipal institutions in Germany. The offering bundles a dedicated personal expert, automated norm-controlled payroll, sector-specific tariff compliance (TVöD, TV-L, AVR Diakonie, Bundesbesoldung), and digital HR modules (absence, personnel files, document exchange, travel, analytics) into a single integrated solution.

Product overview

ZGAST offers a unified platform-plus-modules architecture centered on the KIDICAP cloud-based HR software system, designed specifically for church, social, and municipal organizations. The core KIDICAP platform is complemented by individual specialized modules including KIDICAP.Absenz (absence management), KIDICAP.Personalakte (digital personnel files), KIDICAP.Postfach (secure document exchange), KIDICAP.Travel (travel management), KIDICAP.Vorlagen (template automation), and KIDICAP.Leitstand (HR analytics dashboard). Personal Office serves as an entry-level module bundling payroll, finance, notifications, qualification, and organization functions. The product portfolio is delivered through both software-as-a-service and outsourced service models, including full payroll processing (Lohn- und Gehaltsabrechnung), organizational consulting, and travel expense management. The system integrates approximately 2.2 million payroll runs monthly and processes over 45,000 personnel cases per month for over 800 independent employers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• KIDICAP: Comprehensive HR software platform for payroll, absence management, document handling, and travel expense processing for church, social, and municipal organizations.
• KIDICAP.Absenz
• KIDICAP.Leitstand
• KIDICAP.Personalakte
• KIDICAP.Postfach
• KIDICAP.Travel
• KIDICAP.Vorlagen
• Personal Office

Products and services

• KIDICAP Cloud HR Management Platform Comprehensive cloud-based HR management software platform designed for church, social, and municipal organizations. Unites multiple HR applications including payroll, absence management, travel management, personnel files, and reporting under a single system, hosted by KRZ-SWD and processing approximately 2.2 million payroll runs per month through the GIP partnership.
• Lohn- und Gehaltsabrechnung (Payroll Processing Service) Outsourced payroll processing service with over 50 years of experience. Provides complete salary calculation, norm compliance verification, automated delivery via the PPay KIDICAP online portal or mail, and a dedicated payroll expert assigned to each client. Handles multiple tariff systems including TVöD, TV-L, AVR Diakonie, and Bundesbesoldung for church, social, and municipal employers.
• Personal Office (HR Workspace) Central HR workspace unifying multiple applications (K.Entgelt, K.Finanzen, K.Meldungen, K.Qualifikation, K.Organisation) under a single cloud-based interface, specifically designed for church, social, and municipal organizations. Includes mask designer, position/staffing plan management, applicant management, training management, process optimizer, and self-services.
• Organisationsberatung (Organizational Consulting) On-site consulting service for digital transformation in HR. Includes holistic needs analysis and advice on workflow optimization, payroll process improvement, and technical equipment for church, social, and municipal organizations.
• Reisekostenabrechnung (Travel Expense Processing) Outsourced travel expense reimbursement service for church and social institutions. Provides digital travel request processing, expense calculation, compliance verification, downloadable forms for business travel claims, Bahncard applications, and booking authorization for Deutsche Bahn portal.

Quantifiable outcome

• 93% customer satisfaction rate
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 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

Integration2 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• GIP (Gemeinschaft für integrierte Personnelsoftware)coreTechnology or IntegrationStrategic partnership for the KIDICAP payroll and HR management system. GIP provides the core Abrechnungssystem (payroll calculation system) that processes approximately 2.2 million payroll calculations per month. ZGAST operates as an operator/partner using the KIDICAP platform developed in collaboration with GIP.
• KRZ-SWD (Kirchliches Rechenzentrum Südwestdeutschland)coreTechnology or IntegrationHosting partner providing technical infrastructure and ensuring application availability. Manages the cloud infrastructure for KIDICAP applications and provides system reliability and data security in cooperation with church data protection requirements.
• Sepire DatenschutzminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerData protection consulting partner providing external Data Protection Officer (DSB) services and advisory support on all data protection matters. Ensures ZGAST's compliance with DSG-EKD and GDPR requirements.
• Evangelische Landeskirche in BadencoreOthersParent organization and primary customer. ZGAST is a service organization of the Evangelische Landeskirche in Baden providing HR services to the church and its affiliated social institutions.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• ADP: Global payroll and HR services giant with established German operations. Comparable to ZGAST in the payroll services space but operates at vastly greater scale and serves enterprise customers, representing a long-term competitive benchmark and threat.
• SD Worx: Large European payroll and HR services provider operating across multiple countries with deep enterprise focus. Comparable to ZGAST as a payroll/HR outsourcer but at much greater scale and geographic breadth, providing a strategic benchmark for what scaled payroll services can look like.
• Sage: Global accounting, HR, and payroll software vendor with significant German SMB presence. Comparable to ZGAST in the payroll/HCM software category, though operating as a broad incumbent rather than a vertical specialist.

Direct peers

• DATEV: Germany's dominant cooperative for tax advisors and SMBs, providing payroll, HR, and accounting software plus outsourced payroll services. Closest analog to ZGAST in terms of German B2B payroll services delivery and recurring revenue model, though serving a much broader market.
• HRworks: German cloud-based HR and payroll platform for SMBs, offering time tracking, absence, and payroll modules. Closely comparable to ZGAST in product architecture (modular cloud HR/payroll) and target customer size in the German market.
• Haufe Group: Major German provider of HR, payroll, tax, and compliance software plus related services. Comparable to ZGAST as a vertically-focused German payroll/HR vendor targeting SMB and mid-market employers with regulatory-heavy compliance needs.
• ATOSS Software: German workforce management and HR software vendor offering time tracking, scheduling, and personnel planning solutions. Comparable to ZGAST in delivering modular HR software to German organizations, particularly relevant given ZGAST's KIDICAP.Absenz and time-management integrations.
• Personio: Venture-backed German cloud HR and payroll platform targeting SMB and mid-market employers. Comparable to ZGAST in delivering HR/payroll software to German organizations but serving a broader commercial market rather than the church/social niche.
• LucaNet: German vendor of financial planning, consolidation, and HR/payroll software, including payroll-related solutions for German mid-market and regulated organizations. Comparable to ZGAST in combining payroll with adjacent finance/analytics modules for the German market.
• Bitmarck: German IT services provider specifically serving statutory health insurance and social-sector organizations with operational and payroll-adjacent platforms. Comparable to ZGAST in vertical specialization on the German social/welfare sector and in providing IT-driven back-office services to mission-driven organizations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/zgast-personalservice-f%C3%BCr-sozialeinrichtungen

Compliance4 records

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 ZGAST - Personalservice für Sozialeinrichtungen