BrightPay Review Ireland 2026 — Is It the Best Irish Payroll Software?

BrightPay is the payroll software of choice for thousands of Irish employers and accountancy practices. Built in Dublin by Thesaurus Software, it has won Payroll Software of the Year at the Irish Accountancy Awards multiple times — and for good reason. But is it still the best option in 2026, with auto-enrolment approaching and cloud payroll gaining ground?

This review covers everything Irish employers need to know before buying.

What Is BrightPay?

BrightPay is a desktop payroll application developed specifically for the Irish and UK markets. The Irish version handles the full set of Irish payroll obligations: PAYE Modernisation real-time reporting, PRSI calculations, USC deductions, and direct Revenue Online Service (ROS) submissions. It also generates SEPA XML payment files so you can pay employees in bulk through your Irish bank — AIB, Bank of Ireland, Permanent TSB, or Ulster Bank — without manual re-keying.

BrightPay Connect is a separate cloud add-on that extends the desktop software with:

• Cloud backup (so your payroll data is never lost if your PC dies)
• Employee self-service portal (payslips, P60s, leave requests via web or app)
• Bureau dashboard for accountants managing multiple employer clients

BrightPay Pricing 2026

BrightPay uses an annual licence model billed per tax year (January–December), priced in euro:

BrightPay Connect is priced per active employee per month (~€0.71 for 1 employee, ~€5.56 for 10, ~€39.77 for 100). It is billed monthly in arrears.

The free single-employee licence is genuinely full-featured — useful for sole traders who employ one person and want proper PAYE Modernisation without any cost.

Pricing is guaranteed in euro, so you will never face exchange rate surprises.

Key Features for Irish Employers

PAYE Modernisation

BrightPay handles the full PAYE Modernisation workflow automatically:

1. Pulls Revenue Payroll Notifications (RPNs) for each employee before every pay run
2. Applies the correct tax credits and rate bands
3. Submits the Payroll Submission Request (PSR) to Revenue on or before pay day
4. Supports Payroll Submission Corrections when errors need to be fixed

This is all built into the standard pay run — there is no separate ROS login required. For Irish employers, this is the most important feature in any payroll tool.

SEPA XML Payment Files

BrightPay generates SEPA XML payment files in the format accepted by all four major Irish banks:

• AIB
• Bank of Ireland
• Permanent TSB
• Ulster Bank

You upload the file to your bank’s online portal and all employee salaries are processed in one batch. For businesses paying more than three or four employees, this saves significant time each pay day.

Auto-Enrolment (My Future Fund)

Ireland’s auto-enrolment pension scheme — branded as My Future Fund — is rolling out from 2025. BrightPay has confirmed it will support auto-enrolment from day one. Eligible employees (aged 23–60, earning over €20,000 per year) will be automatically enrolled and BrightPay will handle the contribution calculations and submissions.

This is a significant differentiator. If your payroll software is not auto-enrolment ready, you will face a compliance gap when the scheme launches. Check with your provider before committing.

Enhanced Reporting Requirements (ERR)

Since January 2024, Irish employers must report certain non-taxable expenses and benefits to Revenue in real time — things like travel and subsistence allowances, remote working daily allowances, and certain employee benefits. BrightPay supports ERR as part of the payroll run.

Employee Self-Service (via BrightPay Connect)

With BrightPay Connect added, employees can:

• View and download their payslips from any device
• Download their P60 at year end
• Request leave and see their remaining allowances
• Update their personal and banking details

For employers, Connect includes a cloud backup that runs automatically after each pay run — critical for disaster recovery.

BrightPay Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Built specifically for Irish payroll — not a UK or US tool adapted for Ireland
• Excellent Revenue integration with full PAYE Modernisation support
• Auto-enrolment ready for My Future Fund
• SEPA XML for all four major Irish banks
• Affordable annual pricing in euro
• Free for single-employee businesses
• 60-day free trial
• Irish-based phone support (01 835 2074)
• Widely used by Irish accountants — your practice likely knows it

Cons:

• Desktop-only (BrightPay Connect adds cloud, but at extra cost)
• No built-in accounting features — you need a separate accounting package
• Annual licence model means you pay upfront each January
• The UI is functional but dated compared to cloud-native tools

BrightPay vs Alternatives

BrightPay vs Collsoft

Collsoft is the main alternative for Irish employers, particularly in construction. Collsoft has stronger RCT (Relevant Contracts Tax) handling and CSO statistical reporting, which is valuable for construction businesses and larger employers. BrightPay wins on SEPA compatibility (Ulster Bank support), auto-enrolment readiness, and the broader BrightPay Connect ecosystem. For most non-construction businesses, BrightPay is the better choice.

See our full BrightPay vs Collsoft comparison.

BrightPay vs Thesaurus Payroll Manager

Thesaurus Payroll Manager is made by the same Dublin company (Thesaurus Software) and handles all the same PAYE Modernisation basics at a lower price point. The key difference is ecosystem: BrightPay has BrightPay Connect for cloud features and a larger partner community. For micro-businesses on a tight budget, Thesaurus does the job; for growing businesses or those using an accountant, BrightPay is worth the extra.

See our full BrightPay vs Thesaurus comparison.

BrightPay vs Sage (with Payroll)

Sage Ireland includes payroll within its accounting suite, which appeals to businesses that want everything in one platform. The trade-off is cost — Sage is significantly more expensive if you only need payroll. BrightPay paired with Xero or Surf Accounts gives you better best-of-breed tools at lower total cost.

Who Should Use BrightPay?

BrightPay is the right choice if:

• You are an Irish employer with 1–100 employees
• You want Irish-built payroll with guaranteed PAYE Modernisation compliance
• You need SEPA XML for bulk payroll payments via an Irish bank
• Your accountant or payroll bureau already uses BrightPay (ask them before choosing)
• You want to be ready for auto-enrolment without having to switch tools

BrightPay may not be right if:

• You need fully cloud-native payroll without any desktop software
• You are a large construction company that needs deep RCT integration (consider Collsoft)
• You want accounting and payroll in a single platform (consider Sage)

Getting Started

BrightPay offers a 60-day free trial with no credit card required. The trial gives you full access to all features, so you can run a test payroll and submit a live PAYE Modernisation return before committing.

If you switch mid-year, BrightPay’s support team can help you migrate your existing employee records and YTD figures from your previous payroll software. The best time to switch is at the start of a new tax year (January) to avoid mid-year migration complexity.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does BrightPay cost in Ireland?

BrightPay pricing starts at €0 for a single-employee business and €229 per year (ex. VAT) for up to 10 employees. All licences are priced in euro. The BrightPay Connect cloud add-on is billed monthly per active employee.

Does BrightPay support PAYE Modernisation?

Yes. BrightPay was built for PAYE Modernisation from the ground up. It automatically pulls Revenue Payroll Notifications (RPNs) and submits Payroll Submission Requests (PSRs) to Revenue as part of every pay run.

Is BrightPay cloud-based?

The main BrightPay application is desktop software for Windows. BrightPay Connect is a separate cloud add-on that provides cloud backup, employee self-service, and a bureau dashboard. A fully cloud-native version has been in development — check brightpay.ie for current availability.

Does BrightPay support auto-enrolment?

Yes. BrightPay has confirmed support for Ireland’s My Future Fund auto-enrolment scheme. This is one of the reasons it remains the recommended choice as auto-enrolment rolls out from 2025–2026.

Can BrightPay generate SEPA payment files for Irish banks?

Yes. BrightPay generates SEPA XML payment files compatible with AIB, Bank of Ireland, Permanent TSB, and Ulster Bank. You upload the file to your bank’s online banking portal to process all employee payments in one batch.

Does BrightPay have an Irish phone support line?

Yes — 01 835 2074. Irish-based support is one of BrightPay’s strengths compared to US-based payroll platforms.