Force HRM vs Excel
Excel is free and familiar. Here's what it actually costs once your team grows.
What Excel really costs
- Hours every month re-entering data, checking formulas, and reconciling totals by hand — time that scales with headcount, not with skill.
- Formula errors are silent. A broken cell reference doesn't announce itself; it just pays someone the wrong amount.
- Statutory rates change (NSSF steps every February, Finance Act changes most years) — someone has to notice and update every formula, every time.
- No audit trail. If a number is wrong, tracing why is a forensic exercise, not a lookup.
When Excel is genuinely fine
- Under 5 employees with a single owner-operator who has the time and appetite to maintain it personally.
- No statutory complexity yet — a very early-stage business with straightforward, uniform pay.
The crossover point
- Once you're juggling more than a handful of employees, mixed pay structures, or you've had even one close call with a filing deadline, the hours spent on Excel payroll cost more than payroll software would — and a free trial costs nothing to try.