Complete guide to HR outsourcing costs in 2025 Get a complete breakdown of HR outsourcing costs, and find out how you can save money on payroll, recruitment, and people management this year. Written by Helena Young Updated on 25 October 2024 Our experts We are a team of writers, experimenters and researchers providing you with the best advice with zero bias or partiality. Written and reviewed by: Helena Young Lead Writer Startups.co.uk is reader supported – we may earn a commission from our recommendations, at no extra cost to you and without impacting our editorial impartiality. Human resources (HR) covers multiple functions and takes a lot of time, money, and stress to get right. Because of this, teams often choose to outsource HR. Budget options typically cost around £200 per month, while more bespoke packages can be as much as £800.HR outsourcing has grown in popularity in recent years due to ongoing economic volatility. Firms are looking for ways to reduce costs and improve efficiency. Outsourcing offers a cost-effective way to streamline processes and reduce admin overheads. Compare HR Service Costs For personalised help finding the right HR service at the right price, you can use our free and simple HR service cost comparison form to get a better idea of tailored costs for your business needs. In just one minute, we’ll be able to match you with HR service quotes that can give you the best value for money. In this guide, we’ll explain the main elements that affect the cost of a third-party HR provider, as well as the types of outsourcing available, such as audit or support HR. Read on for a detailed breakdown of what to look for in a provider, how much you should expect to pay, and the pros and cons of every option available. In this article, we cover: How much does it cost to outsource HR? What factors influence HR outsourcing costs? What should I get with HR outsourcing? Pay-as-you-go vs retained HR costs Alternative HR services to consider Can I just use HR software? HR outsourcing: expertise on tap Key takeaways from this article: HR outsourcing monthly costs range from £200-£800 depending on the level of support needed and type of service purchasedCharges are either a flat fee, based on the number of hours worked or the team size, or a percentage of employee income Your team size, industry, and existing overheads will influence how much you should spend on HR outsourcingAlternative HR services, such as an HR audit or HR software, might be more cost-effective for your business How much does it cost to outsource HR?Pricing for outsourcing human resources typically works in one of two ways: either as a fixed fee (around £20-£30 per month, per employee), or as a percentage of each employee’s monthly wage (approximately 2% to 10% of a worker’s monthly salary).However, I’ve never seen pricing lower than £160 a month, and you won’t necessarily save a lot of money if you are a sole trader or microbusiness. The exact cost depends on the level of support required, not your team size.Some providers charge flexibly by the project, day, or hour. Others offer monthly packages with a set number of hours, known as a retainer.For example, a small team of ten wanting two hours of support per month may pay £200 per month. But if they opt for a comprehensive package with 20 hours they could end up paying £2,000 per month. Other factors can also influence your bill. What factors influence HR outsourcing costs?Team size: often this is the main influencing factor when it comes to HR pricing, as the more staff you have, the greater your HR needsHR functions: a simple function like fixed-fee payroll, for example, will cost far less than bringing in an experienced employment lawyer to represent your small business at tribunalOverhead and operating costs: consultants need to factor in their own expenses like software, training, travel, and administrative costs, which can be further passed on to clientsIndustry: sector regulations and trends can impact costs. For example, tech firms often have a global workforce, which can complicate HR processes What should I get with HR outsourcing?When you outsource your HR functions, you can typically expect to receive the following services:1. Payroll and benefits administration: for fully-managed payroll, bosses should expect to pay between £10-20 per employee, per month. This includes everything involved in the monthly processing, plus year-end reporting and auto-enrolment into pension schemes.2. Training and development: according to LearnExperts, SMEs spend £1,121 per worker when training new staff. Outsourcing this is unlikely to save you money (it usually costs around 5% of the employee’s salary) but it will help to cut down workload for managers.3. Recruitment: includes assistance with job postings, candidate screening, and interviewing. For recruitment costs, agencies typically charge 15-20% of the vacant salary, so a role with a £30,000 salary could cost as much as £6,000. But a bad hire costs much more than this.4. Compliance management: ensures compliance with employment laws and regulations. Most HR providers will charge between £150 to £300 per hour for experienced HR professionals involved in grievance and disciplinary procedures.5. Other services include performance management and conflict handling (taking care of employee inquiries or disputes). These will typically be considered premium add-ons, and costs will depend on the amount of project hours required. Pay-as-you-go vs retained HR costsIf you can’t decide whether or not to outsource HR long-term, a good option is to purchase a pay-as-you-go plan, rather than invest in a costly retainer.Retained consultancy = you’ll be charged a minimum service fee per month, so you’ll want to make use of a base level of HR supportPay-as-you-go = you’ll be charged a set amount based on what services you require, and how long forPay-as-you-go can be invaluable if you have an unusual project you need specific help with. Below, we’ve weighed up the pros and cons of retained and pay-as-you-go payment plans: Retained HR Consultancy Pros: Paying a fixed fee each month makes it easier to plan and manage spending Having a dedicated HR consultant who is familiar with your company culture, policies, and challenges leads to more effective solutions Having a trusted relationship with your HR consultant means you'll get priority support compared to pay-as-you-go clients Retained HR Consultancy Cons: Retained fees can initially be higher than pay-as-you-go for businesses with infrequent needs If you don't end up requiring much HR support, you might find the consultant is poor value-for-money Changing consultants midway through a contract can be inconvenient and affect the established relationship Which business is a retained model best suited for? If you have ongoing HR needs, want proactive support, and value continuity, consider a retainer. Pay-as-you-go HR Consultancy Pros: Only pay for the services you use; a budget-friendly option for businesses with occasional HR requirements You're not locked into a lengthy HR contract, so you can leave at any time for no fee You have complete control over project planning, including who you choose as your HR consultant Pay-as-you-go HR Consultancy Cons: Consultants will likely prioritise retained clients, so you might need to wait for support even during an emergency Consultants might regularly change, which could impact resolution or problem-solving during complex issues Project costs could skyrocket midway through the month, leaving you with a big consultancy bill Which business is a pay-as-you-go model best suited for? If your HR needs are sporadic, budget is tight, or you prefer project-based flexibility, opt for this model. Alternative HR services to considerHR outsourcing providers offer custom services that you can choose from. Here are three of the most common services for small businesses:1. HR auditsThese are useful if you have HR services in-house, but need to clarify where changes should be made, such as HR policies, documents, procedures and systems. You should expect to pay around £700-£1,000 for an HR audit. Generally speaking, that will include:Recruitment practicesEmployee development and disciplinaryHealth and safetyPayroll and benefits2. Specialist HR consultantsBusinesses can also benefit from the hire of a specialist HR consultant for managing their day-to-day people tasks or projects. Most of these will charge their own rates. Typically, you can expect to pay slightly less overall if you want your HR consultant on a retainer basis.Est. cost for a retained HR consultant: £60 /hour or £480 /dayEst. cost for a pay-as-you-go HR consultant: £80 /hour or £640 /dayOf course, you may sometimes need to hire an HR consultant for weeks or months at a time – the rates above can be expanded to cover longer periods of time, or you may even be able to negotiate a discount with your HR support team if that’s the case.3. HR support costsHR support is a way of outsourcing the day-to-day running of your HR function, without fully handing over responsibilities. Small businesses usually opt for HR support on a monthly fixed fee basis, making the cost of human resources easier to absorb.Some of the most common HR support services include support and advice during disciplinary and grievance procedures, redundancy, and recruitment, as well as health and safety, training and development, payroll, and benefits. Can I just use HR software?The choice between outsourced our in-house HR depends on the specific functions you’re after. Some – like employment law and payroll services – require specialist skills to get right, so outsourcing these makes sense.However, human resources does not generate revenue, so you’ll want to take care of it as cheaply as possible. The low-cost option is to DIY your human resource tasks with HR software, a digital solution designed to assist businesses with managing their people.Software licensing fees are cheaper than outsourcing (Rippling, one of our top HR platforms, costs just £7 per user, per month). Recent technological advancements, such as Artifical Intelligence, have also made systems easier for newbies to get to grips with.That said, without expert help you may find you’re spending more time on admin and making errors that are costly to fix. That’s where outsourcing HR may be preferrable. Expertise on tapManaging, paying, and upskilling employees is an overwhelming responsibility for new bosses. HR outsourcing will let you take back control of your time and business, but provider fees can be unclear. How do you know you’re getting a good deal?We’ve explained that outsourcing can cost as little as £20 per employee, per month. There are also lots of difference service types that you can pick and choose from to cater for the exact level of support you need.If you’ve read the above and feel ready to select the perfect fit for your HR needs, our free cost comparison tool can help you to find the best deal. And, if you’re still undecided, the below guides might help you to understand more about what HR outsourcing can give you:Best HR and payroll software for SMEsBest HR consulting firmsHow to become an HR managerHow to pay yourself as a business owner Compare the top HR providers now to find the best deal Have you used HR service providers before? Yes No It's free, and only takes a minute Startups.co.uk is reader-supported. If you make a purchase through the links on our site, we may earn a commission from the retailers of the products we have reviewed. This helps Startups.co.uk to provide free reviews for our readers. It has no additional cost to you, and never affects the editorial independence of our reviews. Share this post facebook twitter linkedin Written by: Helena Young Lead Writer Helena is Lead Writer at Startups. As resident people and premises expert, she's an authority on topics such as business energy, office and coworking spaces, and project management software. With a background in PR and marketing, Helena also manages the Startups 100 Index and is passionate about giving early-stage startups a platform to boost their brands. From interviewing Wetherspoon's boss Tim Martin to spotting data-led working from home trends, her insight has been featured by major trade publications including the ICAEW, and news outlets like the BBC, ITV News, Daily Express, and HuffPost UK.