The Gulf region is booming. Businesses are expanding, teams are growing, and the regulatory landscape is evolving rapidly. Opportunity is everywhere, but so is complexity. Managing payroll across multiple countries, each with its own labour laws, social security systems, and compliance mandates, can be overwhelming.
Today, we’re thrilled to announce that Zoho Payroll is now live across all six GCC countries — UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, and Kuwait.
Businesses operating anywhere in the Gulf can now manage payroll, compliance, and employee experience from a single, unified platform — saving time, reducing errors, and enabling seamless regional growth.
Simplifying Payroll Across the Gulf
Zoho Payroll automates the entire payroll process, making it easier, faster, and more accurate — no matter which GCC country you operate in. After a simple one-time setup, the software handles everything from calculating gross salaries and deductions to determining net pay.
Key automation features include:
Accurate salary calculations: Automatically compute gross salaries and net pay for every employee.
Pension & social insurance calculations: Compute employee and employer contributions as per each GCC country’s statutory rules.
Flexible schedules: Adapt pay runs for weekends, public holidays, and special regional considerations like Ramadan.
Employee loans & deductions: Automatically deduct repayments and other recurring contributions.
WPS-ready outputs: Automatically generate compliant wage files where WPS is mandated
Leave & attendance integration: Link leave, overtime, and attendance directly to payroll for accurate payouts
Document management & expiry alerts: Track employee documents (visas, IDs, permits) with automated reminders so you never miss a renewal
Instant payslips: Generate and distribute payslips immediately after each pay run.
Migrating your existing payroll data is simple too. Zoho Payroll makes it easy to import employee records, historical salary data, and leave balances so you can get started without missing a beat.
All designed with the unique requirements of the Gulf region in mind, giving you confidence that your payroll is accurate and compliant every time.
Built-in compliance for every GCC country
Payroll in the GCC comes with a complex mix of pension systems, social insurance programs, and benefit rules — each varying by nationality and work location. Zoho Payroll brings all of this together with accurate, country-specific calculations for every employee.
We support the full spectrum of GCC statutory rules, including:
UAE: GPSSA and ADPF contributions, and DIFC’s DEWS retirement plan for expatriates
Saudi Arabia: GOSI contributions, including SANED unemployment insurance and occupational hazard coverage
Bahrain: SIO contributions, expatriate gratuity, and employment injury and unemployment rules
Oman: SPF contributions, including maternity, hazard, sick leave, and employment-related benefits
Kuwait: PIFSS pension calculations and related statutory categories for nationals
Qatar: GRSIA contributions for eligible Qatari nationals
Across all six countries, Zoho Payroll handles:
Pension and social insurance calculations for employees and employers
End-of-service benefits and gratuity for nationals and expatriates
Overtime, public holiday pay, and Ramadan adjustments
Prefilled Wage Protection System (WPS) files wherever required
All contributions are calculated accurately as per local laws. You can export these values for submission to the respective government authorities.
With Zoho Payroll, regional compliance is no longer an operational burden — it’s built into every pay run.
Integrations that bring your operations together
Zoho Payroll is more than payroll software; it’s part of a connected ecosystem. Businesses can integrate with:
Zoho People: to sync employee details, attendance, and leave policies for accurate payroll calculations.
Zoho Books: to automate journal entries and accounting for each payroll cycle.
Zoho Expense: to combine salary payments and reimbursements in one unified workflow.
This ensures all your HR, finance, and payroll operations talk to each other, eliminating manual work and potential errors.
Customizations to make Zoho Payroll your own
No two businesses are alike. Zoho Payroll provides customization options that allow companies to:
Set up flexible payroll schedules for different entities
Configure custom salary structures based on role, location, or contract type
Generate custom reports across departments, locations, and payroll cycles
Manage user access and permissions to sensitive payroll data
Whether you are a small business or a regional enterprise, Zoho Payroll adapts to your needs.
Modern self-service portals for your employees
Employees are at the heart of every organization. Zoho Payroll offers a mobile-friendly Employee Self-Service portal where teams can:
View payslips, benefits, and leave balances anytime
Receive reminders for expiring documents such as visas or IDs
Communicate with payroll and HR teams in real time
This reduces administrative overhead while giving employees control and transparency over their payroll information.
Actionable Insights for Smarter Decisions
Zoho Payroll generates comprehensive, real-time reports, including salary registers, gratuity liabilities, leave analytics, and overtime metrics. These insights allow businesses to make informed decisions, optimize workforce planning, and improve financial management.
Ready for Growth Across the GCC
With Zoho Payroll, running payroll for multiple GCC countries is no longer a challenge. Businesses can now focus on growth, innovation, and employee experience, while leaving payroll compliance, calculations, and reporting to us.
Ready to simplify payroll across the Gulf? Sign up for your free personalized demo now, and experience how Zoho Payroll can drive compliance, efficiency, and growth for your business today.
For more details on our regional capabilities, head over to our GCC payroll page.
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