We've lived the pain of broken payroll. So we built the software we always wished existed.
— Philip Johnson, Founder & CEO, Kore Payroll
Kore Payroll was born out of frustration. In 2022, our founder was running a 35-person services company in Manchester. Every month, payroll day was a stressful exercise in spreadsheet management, manual HMRC submissions, and chasing approval from a director who was always travelling.
The existing software was either designed for big enterprises with dedicated payroll specialists, or basic tools that couldn't handle anything more complex than salaried staff on a monthly cycle.
After spending three years building payroll platforms for enterprise clients, the team behind Kore decided it was time to bring the same level of sophistication to the businesses that needed it most — growing SMEs who deserve enterprise-grade payroll without the enterprise-grade price tag or complexity.
Today, Kore Payroll processes payroll for over 400 UK businesses — from sole traders with a single employee to multi-site enterprises with hundreds of staff across different legal entities. We're HMRC-recognised, UK-hosted, and obsessed with making every pay run effortless.
Every feature we build has to make payroll simpler, not more complex. If it adds friction without clear value, it doesn't ship. We obsess over making the most complicated payroll tasks feel effortless.
Your employees depend on their wages being right, and HMRC expects perfection. We treat UK payroll legislation with the respect it deserves — staying ahead of every change, never cutting corners.
When you have a problem, you talk to a real person who understands payroll. Our support team knows HMRC legislation, not just our software. We're rated 4.9/5 by our customers for a reason.
We're built for businesses on the move. As you add employees, entities, and complexity, Kore scales with you. Our customers' success is our success — we mean that literally.
Frustrated with the state of UK SME payroll software, our founder begins research into the problem. 120+ SME owners and finance managers interviewed about their payroll pain points.
Company founded in Manchester. Core engineering team assembled from alumni of major UK fintech and payroll software companies. HMRC developer registration secured.
Kore Payroll soft-launches to 25 early-access customers. First HMRC RTI submission processed in January 2024. HMRC recognition status achieved in March 2024.
Kore Payroll opens to all UK businesses. 400+ customers onboarded within the first six months. Employee self-service portal, multi-entity payroll, and full audit trail shipped. Series A fundraise underway.
We're a team of payroll specialists, engineers, and customer success experts united by a single mission: make payroll brilliant for UK SMEs.
Founder & CEO
CTO
Head of Compliance
Head of Customer Success
We're growing fast and we're always looking for exceptional people who care deeply about solving real problems for UK businesses.
See open roles →"Kore Payroll is quietly becoming the go-to choice for UK SMEs who want proper payroll software without a bureau price tag."
Read more →"The employee self-service portal alone is worth switching for. Employees getting their own payslips without calling HR? Revolutionary."
Read more →"Kore's approach to compliance automation sets a new standard. Real-time RTI submissions and automatic pension enrolment give SME owners peace of mind they've never had before."
Read more →Press enquiries: press@korepayroll.co.uk
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