When does a spreadsheet stop being enough?

Usually when the team grows past a handful of people or when statutory rules start to bite: state-wise Professional Tax slabs, ESI wage ceilings, TDS projections that change mid-year, arrears and full-and-final settlements. At that point most of the time goes into checking the sheet rather than running payroll.

Can INDPayroll import my existing spreadsheet?

Yes. You can add employees by CSV import or manual entry, so the salary data you already keep in Excel or Google Sheets does not need to be retyped. INDPayroll then calculates PF, ESI, TDS and Professional Tax automatically each month.

What do I lose by moving off spreadsheets?

Total freedom over layout. A spreadsheet can be shaped any way you like, while a payroll platform follows a fixed structure for salary components and statutory rules. In exchange, the calculations are automated and kept current, and you get payslips, an employee portal and a record of who changed what.

Is a spreadsheet cheaper than INDPayroll?

A spreadsheet has no licence cost of its own, but it is not free: the cost is the hours spent calculating, checking and filing each month, and the risk of a missed or wrong deduction. INDPayroll is free for up to 10 employees, then ₹52 or ₹75 per employee per month on annual billing, so a very small team may not pay anything at all.

Spreadsheets

INDPayroll vs Spreadsheets: Free to start, until the monthly cost shows up in hours.

Excel and Google Sheets are where most small Indian businesses begin payroll: no licence fee, total flexibility, and a layout you control. The catch is that every PF, ESI, TDS and Professional Tax figure, and every challan, is calculated and checked by hand.

INDPayroll automates that work for Indian SMEs and CA firms and is free for up to 10 employees. Here's how the two approaches actually compare.

		Spreadsheets
Cost	₹0 (up to 10 employees)	No licence fee, but your time
PF/ESI/TDS/PT calculation	Automatic, kept current	Your own formulas, updated by hand
Statutory filings	Challan and return files generated	Prepared manually
Audit trail	Role-based access and records	Depends on who edits the file
Layout flexibility	Fixed salary structure	Anything you can build
	Start free	Typical manual payroll set-up

Who Spreadsheets Are For

A spreadsheet fits a very small team, often a founder paying a handful of people, with simple salaries, one state, and someone who is comfortable with formulas and reconciling the numbers every month.
It also suits businesses with unusual pay structures that no standard payroll product models well, where the freedom to build any layout matters more than automation.

Who INDPayroll Is For

INDPayroll fits Indian SMEs and CA/accounting firms that have outgrown the sheet - automated PF, ESI, TDS and Professional Tax calculations, digital payslips, and an employee self-service portal for tax documents.
For a team where payroll errors cost penalties and hours, automation plus a free tier for up to 10 employees is the reason to move. You can bring your existing data in by CSV import.

The Real Difference

A spreadsheet has no licence cost, and for a handful of employees that can be enough. The cost shows up elsewhere: every month someone updates rates, checks formulas, calculates PF, ESI, TDS and Professional Tax, and prepares the filings, with no built-in safeguard if a figure is wrong.

INDPayroll does that calculation for you, free up to 10 employees and ₹52-75 per employee per month beyond that. The data you already keep in Excel or Google Sheets can come across by CSV import.

Ready to move off the spreadsheet? Check INDPayroll's pricing - Free for 1-10 employees, then ₹52-75/employee/month.

INDPayroll pricing as listed on this site. Spreadsheet comparisons describe typical manual payroll set-ups and will vary with how each business builds its own files.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. Nothing in Indian law requires payroll software. What the law requires is correct and timely PF, ESI, TDS and Professional Tax deductions and filings, and accurate records. A spreadsheet can produce all of that, but every formula, rate change and challan then depends on whoever maintains the sheet.

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