HR services
HR services in the UK, priced and compared
"HR support" is sold as at least eight different things, on completely different pricing bases: per employee per month, per consultant day, per payslip, per delegate, per hire. Comparing quotes without separating them is how employers end up paying retainer money for project work. Start with the service you actually need, then find the providers who genuinely deliver it.
- Service lines
- 8
- Providers researched
- 96
- Cities covered
- 10
How the eight HR services compare
| Service | How it is priced | Who it suits | Providers |
|---|---|---|---|
| HR Outsourcing | Per employee per month, on a fixed-fee contract with a minimum term. | Employers with no in-house HR who need everyday cover | 20 |
| HR Consultancy | Day rate, or a fixed fee scoped against a defined deliverable. | One-off projects: restructures, TUPE, pay reviews, investigations | 89 |
| Employment Law Support | Either hourly or fixed fee from a law firm, or a monthly retainer with tribunal insurance attached. | Dismissals, settlements and tribunal risk | 29 |
| Payroll | Per payslip per pay run, plus a monthly standing charge. | Regular pay runs, RTI filing and pension duties | 6 |
| HR Software | Subscription per employee per month, usually annual, often with an onboarding fee. | Records, holiday and absence in one system | 13 |
| Recruitment | Percentage of first-year salary on contingency, or a fixed fee per hire on flat-fee and embedded models. | Filling roles, from single hires to hiring spikes | 10 |
| Training & Development | Per delegate for open courses, or a day rate for in-house delivery. | Manager capability and compliance training | 15 |
| Health & Safety | Monthly retainer, often bundled with HR support, or per-visit and per-assessment fees. | Competent-person cover, assessments and site audits | 11 |
HR outsourcing or HR consultancy?
Buy outsourcing when
You have no HR function, or one person carrying too much, and people questions arrive every week. You are buying ongoing cover: contracts, a handbook, an advice line and casework, priced per employee per month on a minimum term. The value is in never having to decide alone whether a dismissal is safe.
HR outsourcing providersBuy consultancy when
Routine HR already works, but a one-off event carries real exposure: a restructure, a TUPE transfer, a pay and grading review, an independent investigation. You are buying senior judgement on a defined scope, by the day or as a fixed fee, and you should get a deliverable you own at the end.
HR consultancy providersTwo things sit outside both: employment law cover, which is either bundled with insurance or bought per matter from a solicitors' firm, and HR software, which stores records but gives no advice. Most employers of 10 to 250 staff end up with a retainer plus a system, and buy consultancy days only when something structural changes.
Every service in detail
HR Outsourcing
20 providersHR outsourcing means an external provider runs all or part of your people function on a retained contract. You get contracts and a handbook, an advice line, and casework support instead of employing an HR manager. Most UK contracts are fixed-fee, priced per employee per month, and sold on a multi-year term.
HR Outsourcing providers and pricingHR Consultancy
89 providersHR consultancy is project work bought by the day or by the piece: a restructure, a TUPE transfer, a pay and grading review, a culture or engagement programme, or an independent investigation. You are buying senior judgement on a defined problem, not ongoing cover.
HR Consultancy providers and pricingEmployment Law Support
29 providersEmployer-side employment law advice covers the legal side of managing people: dismissals, settlement agreements, discrimination risk, contract drafting and defending tribunal claims. It is sold either by a solicitors' firm on an hourly or fixed-fee basis, or bundled into an HR support contract with insurance behind it.
Employment Law Support providers and pricingPayroll
6 providersOutsourced payroll means a provider calculates pay, tax and deductions, files Real Time Information returns to HMRC, manages pension auto-enrolment and produces payslips on your schedule. Pricing is normally per payslip per period, with a standing charge on top.
Payroll providers and pricingHR Software
13 providersHR software, often called an HRIS or people system, holds your employee records, absence and holiday booking, documents and reporting in one place. It replaces spreadsheets and shared drives. It is a tool, not advice, and it does not tell you whether a dismissal is fair. This page is about choosing a supplier and what it costs; the feature-by-feature comparison method sits in our guide to shortlisting UK HR systems.
Recruitment
10 providersRecruitment support ranges from a contingency agency filling a vacancy to embedded or on-demand resourcing where a specialist runs hiring inside your business. What you pay for is candidate access and a managed process, not ongoing HR cover.
Training & Development
15 providersHR and management training covers the practical skills that stop people problems escalating: running a disciplinary or grievance, managing performance and absence, and meeting duties on harassment prevention and equality. It is bought per course, per delegate, or as a licensed e-learning library.
Health & Safety
11 providersHealth and safety support gives you competent-person advice, risk assessments, policy documentation and inspection support. Many UK providers sell it alongside HR because the two obligations overlap in practice, particularly on absence, stress and accident investigation.
HR services questions employers ask
- What are HR services?
- HR services is an umbrella term covering eight distinct things employers buy: outsourced HR, project consultancy, employer-side employment law, payroll, HR software, recruitment, training and health and safety. They are priced on completely different bases, from per employee per month to a consultant day rate, which is why comparing "HR support" quotes without breaking them down rarely works.
- What is the difference between HR outsourcing and HR consultancy?
- Outsourcing is ongoing cover, bought per employee per month on a fixed-fee contract with a minimum term: contracts, a handbook, an advice line and casework. Consultancy is project work bought by the day for a restructure, a TUPE transfer, a pay review or an investigation. If you need someone every week, buy the retainer. If you need senior judgement once, buy the days. 20 providers here offer outsourcing and many also sell consultancy.
- Do I need HR software or HR support?
- They solve different problems. Software holds records, holiday and absence and gives you an audit trail. Support tells you what to do when someone is off sick for the fourth month or a grievance names a manager. Software will not reduce your dismissal risk, and an advice line will not stop holiday requests arriving by email.
- How much do HR services cost for a small UK employer?
- Retained outsourced HR usually lands at £150-£600 a month for a small employer, consultancy at £500-£1,500 a day, payroll at a few pounds per payslip per run, and HR software at low single-figure pounds per employee per month. The biggest single variable across every quote is whether employment tribunal representation and insurance sit inside the fee.
- Is employment law advice separate from HR support?
- It can be either. 29 providers in this directory offer employer-side employment law, some as regulated solicitors' firms billing per matter, others bundled into an HR contract with legal expenses insurance behind it. The bundled route is cheaper and predictable; check the insurance excess and what voids cover before you rely on it.
- What should I check in an HR contract before signing?
- Minimum term and notice period, whether it auto-renews, whether you get a named adviser or a shared line, whether tribunal representation is included or insured, whether documents are drafted for you or handed over as templates, and who owns your contracts and handbook if you leave. Three to five year terms are common in the UK fixed-fee market and are negotiable before signature, not after.
- How many providers does this directory cover?
- 96 researched providers across 10 UK cities and 8 service lines. Every listing is compiled from primary sources; featured partner placements are labelled, and editorial ranking positions cannot be bought.
Next step
Once you know which service you need, the shortlists are organised by city so you can see who actually operates near you.
Browse HR companies by city