Choose Workmax if
Shift-based employers that need rota, location-backed time, approvals and payroll as one connected operating flow.
See how care plans, verified visits, and payroll connect in Workmax. Book a Care Demo
Payroll & workforce comparison
Workmax vs Sage Payroll
Sage is a family of products, not one package. This page keeps the comparison to Sage Payroll for smaller UK organisations and shows where plan packaging changes the answer.
Exact scope
This comparison covers Sage Payroll for UK organisations with up to 150 employees. It does not represent Sage 50 Payroll or Sage People Payroll.
Balanced verdict
Sage Payroll is a recognisable payroll choice for smaller UK organisations, with packaging that varies by plan. Workmax is the clearer fit when operational scheduling and verified time must flow into payroll without constructing a broader Sage stack.
Choose Sage Payroll if
UK businesses that want Sage's payroll product and are comfortable selecting the plan that contains their required workforce tools.
Category-by-category evidence
Capability is not the same as packaging.
Every claim separates what the product can do from whether it is included, plan-dependent, an add-on or delivered through another product.
Buying decision
Workmax
Sage Payroll
UK payroll and HMRC submissions
Workmax
Available in WorkmaxNative HMRC-recognised payroll with calculations, payslips, FPS/EPS submissions and year-end records.
Sage Payroll
Native
Payroll and HMRC submissions are native to the named Sage Payroll plans.
Plan/module: Sage Payroll Essentials, Standard or Premium
Sage official payroll overviewWhy this status?
Sage presents Sage Payroll as UK payroll software with HMRC submissions.
Rotas and shift management
Workmax
Available in WorkmaxVisual rotas, shift patterns, coverage controls and employee notifications are included through the Scheduling module.
Sage Payroll
Selected plans
Scheduling availability depends on the selected Sage Payroll plan.
Plan/module: Sage Payroll Premium
Scope: Not included in every Sage Payroll plan
Sage official payroll overviewWhy this status?
Sage's plan comparison places workforce scheduling capabilities in specified higher packaging.
Time capture and manager approval
Workmax
Available in WorkmaxMobile clock-in, location evidence, timesheets and manager approval feed approved hours into payroll.
Sage Payroll
Selected plans
Time functionality is plan-dependent; confirm the exact clocking, approval and payroll hand-off workflow.
Plan/module: Sage Payroll Standard or Premium
Scope: Feature depth varies by plan
Sage official payroll overviewWhy this status?
Sage's payroll plan comparison packages time-related workforce features by plan.
HR and employee records
Workmax
Available in WorkmaxEmployee records, onboarding, documents, right-to-work evidence, expiry alerts and self-service are available in Workmax HR.
Sage Payroll
Selected plans
HR functionality varies by plan and should not be inferred from Sage 50 Payroll or Sage People.
Plan/module: Named Sage Payroll plan
Scope: Exact HR capability depends on plan
Sage official payroll overviewWhy this status?
Sage's current overview distinguishes HR capabilities by Sage Payroll plan.
Expenses and mileage
Workmax
Available in WorkmaxEmployees submit expenses and mileage for approval, with approved reimbursements connected to payroll.
Sage Payroll
Not verified
Not verified for the exact product scope. Ask the supplier to confirm employee expense and mileage approval within Sage Payroll in writing.
Scope: No reliable current official evidence found for this edition
Sage official payroll overviewWhy this status?
The reviewed official source does not provide enough current evidence to verify employee expense and mileage approval within Sage Payroll.
Accounting and external integrations
Workmax
Available in WorkmaxPayroll journals and integration routes connect Workmax workforce data with the organisation's finance workflow.
Sage Payroll
Via integration
Sage ecosystem connections are available; confirm which accounting product and subscription are required.
Plan/module: Named Sage Payroll and accounting products
Scope: May require a separate Sage product
Sage official payroll overviewWhy this status?
Sage positions payroll alongside its business software ecosystem.
Care and EVV availability
Workmax
Available in WorkmaxCare providers can add care plans, visit briefs, EVV, care tasks, alerts and payroll-ready visit evidence.
Sage Payroll
Not verified
Not verified for the exact product scope. Ask the supplier to confirm care planning and EVV in Sage Payroll in writing.
Scope: No reliable current official evidence found for this edition
Sage official payroll overviewWhy this status?
The reviewed official source does not provide enough current evidence to verify care planning and EVV in Sage Payroll.
Setup, migration and support
Workmax
Available in WorkmaxUK support, employee import, mid-year payroll migration and parallel-run guidance are available without a setup fee for standard migrations.
Sage Payroll
Selected plans
Support is available, with service level and migration help varying by plan.
Plan/module: Named Sage Payroll plan
Scope: Support level varies by plan
Sage official payroll overviewWhy this status?
Sage documents support and migration propositions on the payroll product page.
The connected workflow
Follow the work, not the feature count.
01
Publish rota
02
Employee works shift
03
Capture time and location evidence
04
Manager approves hours
05
Move approved hours into payroll
06
Submit payroll to HMRC
Who is cheaper?
Compare the whole workflow.
Choose your team size and workflow. We declare a cheaper provider only when both monthly totals are complete, current, VAT-exclusive and genuinely like-for-like.
Review Workmax pricingA cheaper provider cannot be verified from public pricing.
Payroll only for 30 people. Known charges are shown, but missing costs prevent a like-for-like winner.
Workmax
£85.00/month
Exact monthly price, excluding VAT.
- Platform
- Payroll
Sage Payroll
Contact supplier
Named Sage Payroll plan
Missing from the public total
- Normal non-promotional plan price
- Any higher plan or separate HR product required
Sage may show promotional and normal pricing together. Compare the normal price for the exact Sage Payroll plan, employee allowance, billing term, VAT and any separate products required.
Supplier quote required · pricing checked 2026-07-13
Migration considerations
Move the audit trail, not just the names.
Map employees, year-to-date values, pension settings, HMRC credentials and historical reports. Confirm which Sage plan owns any rota, time or HR data before deciding what must be exported.
Discuss your migrationEvidence and methodology
What each label means
Via integration
Delivered through separate third-party software or an export.
Native
Included directly in the named product or plan.
Not offered
Current official evidence explicitly states it is unavailable.
Not verified
No reliable current official evidence was found.
Paid add-on
Requires another paid module or subscription.
Selected plans
Included only in a specified plan or configuration.
We compare public UK product information and currently released Workmax functionality. Pricing and packaging can change. Claims were last verified on 13 July 2026 and are reviewed quarterly or sooner when a monitored source changes.
Workmax is HMRC recognised: check the current GOV.UK list. Competitor trademarks belong to their owners; no affiliation or endorsement is implied.
Product-specific questions
Questions buyers ask
Which Sage product is compared here?
Sage Payroll for UK organisations with up to 150 employees. Sage 50 Payroll and Sage People Payroll are excluded.
Does every Sage Payroll plan include scheduling?
No. Sage packages workforce capabilities differently by plan, so every claim on this page names the relevant plan or asks the buyer to verify it.
See the whole workflow with your own pay rules.
Bring a rota, time-approval or care-visit scenario. We’ll show what is native, what is configurable and what your monthly Workmax price includes.
Book a tailored demo
