International Payroll
Streamlined payroll and reporting processes across all your locations with a single, easy-to-use service built on PwC’s global network of experts.
Mastering payroll, wherever you’re located
Keeping your people motivated includes getting payroll right. With a small to medium-sized employee population that’s globally mobile, this poses a unique set of challenges – especially if you’re managing everything from a single location. You need international payroll services standardised enough to run efficiently around the world, but sufficiently nuanced to deal with local complexity. And everything has to be easy to use so your employees and HR staff get the payroll services they need, quickly and reliably.
PwC’s International Payroll gives you a big company reach with a small company feel. We do this by combining the best tools available with the expertise of the world’s leading payroll network – all via an easy-to-use international payroll portal.
Working cross border
If you have someone on your local payroll and this person is neither resident nor active in Switzerland, you must not consider Swiss social security nor Swiss withholding taxes (exemptions possible). It is recommended that you also check any consequences for your company acting abroad e.g. registration, permanent establishment, employer obligations etc.
Do you know the challenges of the correct social security system of the relevant country to be applied when your staff work at home or any risk of a permanent establishment of your company in the relevant country? And that the calculation of taxes at source change in your payroll?
If not let us exchange about how you can track and implement it.
Do you know how many days and in which country your staff on your payroll travel? How do you track any work permit, tax, social security or labour law consequences?
And if you get to know that staff from affiliated companies work in Switzerland? Is it your or the other company’s duty to comply with the regulations? Contact us in case of any doubt.
Do you lend staff within CH or from/to abroad? Are you aware of the restrictions in the different countries? Do you need a license for staff lending in Switzerland even though this is not the company’s main activity? And do you know that the staff exchange within the company group might be classified as staff lending as well?
If someone hears international payroll the classical expatriates come into his mind. The correct planning and individual agreement between the company and the expatriate are important to avoid later surprises. Where is the residency of your employee and his family? Which elements are paid where and have to be considered how in which payroll (home/host?)
You might have split contracts for some individuals within your company group. The reasons for this can be very different – mostly they are set up due to legal restrictions.
Is the physical percentage in the contract corresponding with the physical presence and activity? How are you tracking this? And how are you handling social security for these cases?
What we can do for you
We’re there to help you coordinate your local payrolls and make sure you can handle the entire range of payroll, tax and compliance issues associated with an international workforce, including – but not limited to – the following:
Globally managed payroll services
We’re the provider to choose if you want consistency in terms of processes, legal compliance and transparent HR costs. Our Global Payroll Portal (GPP) solution, coupled with strong local payroll solutions and the network to address additional issues if necessary, is a real asset that will pay dividends for you.
Social security coordination
We coordinate any processing of social security liability in the relevant countries by handling shadow payroll and bringing the right information to the relevant teams in the countries involved.
Expat payroll
We coordinate and manage expatriate payroll to ensure international compliance and reduce employment tax risks. Together with our other services around expatriates, this gives you a reliable partner across the board, from strategy to execution.
Payroll health check
We analyse your risks and optimisation opportunities, both locally and internationally. Our payroll health check covers local employees as well as cross-border and project workers/business travellers and international assignments – plus other issues important from an employer compliance point of view.
Shadow payroll
Shadow payroll is often used to manage expatriate payroll compliance. Our services can go much further to cover project workers, business travellers and potential issues relating to tax and social security liability in different countries. Our support ranges from implementing or providing outsourcing services to advising on matters such as immigration, permanent establishment risk and employment law.
Staff lending
What are the relevant factors to ensure compliance when lending staff abroad? Our specialist teams help you minimise exposure wherever possible in the relevant countries.
Manage International Payroll - Harness the combined forces of the industry leader
The power, simplicity and reliability of our International Payroll solution come from a combination of the three key elements below. Rounding off the package is state-of-the-art data analytics and reporting functionality. You have instant, 24/7 access to all standard payroll reports, as well as any bespoke reports you require. You’ll be able to examine consistency and compliance on a regional or global scale, and will have valuable data at your fingertips to support business decision-making.
The Global Payroll Portal (GPP), a technology platform providing a consistent employer and employee experience, workflow, case and performance management functionality, and a central repository of payroll know-how. The GPP can easily incorporate other HR systems and is certified for Workday integration to also enable international payroll.
A centralised project management and coordination team serving as a single point of contact and making sure deliverables and timelines are achieved.
In-house, in-country payroll teams (not subcontractors!) in over 150 countries (the world’s leading payroll network).
We work with our employment tax, global mobility, legal and HR colleagues to provide compliance-centric, technology-driven managed payroll services. Clients and their employees can count on high quality and a consistent payroll experience, regardless of their location in the world.
Reasons for choosing PwC
- Experience
We’ve led the international payroll industry for over 25 years, providing full managed services for organisations across the globe, including some of the world’s leading companies
- Expertise
We don’t just process information − we analyse and challenge it to make sure things are working in your interests
- Simplicity
We give you international payroll coverage with a single point of contact
- Network
We’re a payroll processor and payroll tax advisor rolled into one – and work closely with PwC’s global network of HR, compliance, tax and global mobility experts
- Technology
We use the best tools and technology available
- Updates
We keep you updated on the latest developments every year
