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Payroll in spreadsheets, or in Sahora.
Spreadsheets are free and familiar. Here is what changes when the rates, the approval and the forms are built in, and what stays free.
Topic by topic
| Topic | In a spreadsheet | In Sahora |
|---|---|---|
| Contribution and tax tables | You look up new rates and type them in when they change. | Official tables kept dated and verified by a second person; each payroll uses the ones in force on its pay date. |
| Formulas | A formula can be overwritten or copied wrong without anyone noticing. | Every amount shows its formula and the rule behind it. |
| Approval | Anyone with the file can change it, before or after it's paid. | A second person approves. Approved payrolls are locked; corrections go through adjustments. |
| Attendance | Copied in from the time clock by hand. | Biometric device files imported with a check first, or clock-in from the employee's phone on paid plans. |
| Payslips | Made and sent one by one. | Password-protected payslips in the employee portal, in English or Filipino. |
| BIR forms and agency reports | Prepared separately, by hand, from the payroll file. | BIR Forms 1601-C, 2316 and 1604-C, the alphalist and the SSS, PhilHealth and Pag-IBIG reports from the same payroll. You or your accountant file them. |
| Who changed what | Hard to tell. | An activity log of every change. |
| Cost | Free, plus your time. | Free for up to 5 employees, then one published price per employee, VAT included. |
Typical alternatives
The usual ways of running payroll, described in general, not any particular provider.
| Option | What it costs | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Spreadsheets | Free, plus your time | Manual and easy to get wrong. Rates are typed in by hand, and there is no approval step before anyone is paid. |
| Outsourced bookkeeper | A monthly fee | Payroll done for you, usually without a system you can open yourself or an employee portal. |
| Enterprise payroll software | Often by quote, after a demo | A full system, often with minimum licences or a contract before you can start. |
| Sahora | Free for up to 5 employees, then one published price per employee, VAT included | Time logs to payslips to BIR forms in one place, approval by a second person, an employee portal, and our team when you need help. |
Moving off spreadsheets?
Bring your employee list and this year's pay so far from Excel. Free for up to 5 employees; our team can set it up for you.