Payroll · Managed

We run the cycle. You keep the sign-off.

Full MENA payroll cycle operated by us on the Global Kinect platform — a UK-registered specialist running pulls, calculations, locks, file generation, and reporting on your behalf. You approve before anything leaves and reject runs that don't pass your check.

Quick answer

Global Kinect operates your MENA payroll cycle on the platform. We pull data, run calculations, lock the run, generate statutory files, prepare the bank file, and push variance reports. You keep sign-off authority — approve runs before submission, reject runs that don't pass your check, retain audit veto on every line. Contracted with Global Kinect Ltd (Companies House 16852789), with production data on Oracle Cloud in Jeddah for Saudi clients. Optionally, we submit to authorities on your behalf where the operator framework permits.

Ownership split

We run. You keep.

Managed Payroll hands the operational work to us and keeps the authority with you. Both halves are deliberate.

We run
  • Data pull from your HRIS or input file on every cut-off
  • Statutory calculations across every country in scope
  • Lock-and-audit on every cycle before sign-off goes out
  • Statutory file generation and bank file preparation
  • Variance reporting flagged before sign-off, not after
  • Optional employee query handling — payslip, leave, comp
You keep
  • Sign-off authority — approve runs before they leave the platform
  • Audit veto — reject runs that don't pass your check
  • Configuration control — who handles employee queries, who sees what
  • Statutory submission strategy — direct or on-your-behalf where permitted
  • Contract relationship with us — termination, scope, scale, all yours
  • Visibility into every input, every calculation, every line item

Optional

Submission on your behalf, where the framework permits

Some markets allow an authorised third party to submit on your behalf. Where the framework permits and you opt in, we handle the submission step too — never the sign-off. You always approve before anything leaves.

  • Saudi Arabia — Mudad submission via authorised submitter framework
  • UAE — WPS file submission via the operator's bank channel
  • Egypt — social insurance schedule submission where authorised
  • Other markets — confirmed in scoping based on the operator framework

Compare

Managed Payroll, Bureau, or EOR

Managed sits in the middle: more of the cycle handed over than bureau, less commitment than EOR.

DimensionPayroll BureauManaged PayrollEOR
For whomOperators with their own entities who want calculations and engine, not a system changeOperators who want their full payroll cycle run on a connected platformOperators hiring people in countries where they don't have an entity
Best for scaleAny size — works at five employees and at five thousand-plus in a single countryBest for operators who want one connected workflow across payroll, HRIS, and EOR — not three separate handoffsPer-employee model — typically one to fifty employees per country before entity setup is the better economics
Who is the legal employer?You (your existing entity)You (your existing entity)Global Kinect's local entity
Who submits to the authorities?You — to GOSI, WPS, Mudad, GPSSA, SSC, and the restWe can, where the operator framework permits — otherwise youWe do — every authority, every cycle
Who sponsors the visa?Not applicable — your entity already doesYouWe do
Who manages employee queries?Your teamConfigurable — your team or oursOur team
Where data livesOracle Cloud, in-Kingdom for Saudi clientsOracle Cloud, in-Kingdom for Saudi clientsOracle Cloud, in-Kingdom for Saudi clients
Commitment shapeCalculation-only — light touchFull platform engagementFull employment relationship
What you submit to usMonthly diff in shared driveDiff or live edits in the platformHires, terminations, comp changes
What we returnPayroll pack: register, statutory schedules, WPS file, EOSB, varianceSame pack plus platform state, HRIS data, EOR cascadesSame pack plus contracts, visas, benefits

FAQ

Common questions about Managed Payroll

What does 'submission on your behalf' actually mean?

Where the operator framework permits a third party to submit on your behalf, we handle the submission step instead of you. Saudi Mudad supports authorised submitters; UAE WPS submission can flow through the operator's bank channel; Egypt social insurance submission is authorised in some configurations. We confirm what's available per market in scoping. You always retain veto.

Where is my payroll data hosted?

Oracle Cloud. In-Kingdom — Riyadh and Jeddah — for Saudi clients, aligned to Saudi PDPL. For other MENA clients the data sits in the regional Oracle estate and stays inside the GCC. Platform application database is Google Cloud SQL for Postgres; payroll data lives on the Oracle estate.

How does sign-off authority work in the platform?

Every cycle is locked before sign-off and visible line by line. You approve in the platform — runs cannot leave until your sign-off lands. You can reject a run and trigger a re-cut. Audit logs record every approval, rejection, and re-cut, with timestamps and approver identity.

Can I configure who handles employee queries?

Yes. Default is your team handles them through the platform's employee surfaces. We can take query handling on as a managed function, in which case payslip, leave balance, and benefits questions flow to our team via a configured queue. Either model preserves your sign-off and audit position.

How does Managed Payroll connect to HRIS and EOR?

If you also run HRIS or EOR with us, the same employee data flows through. New joiners from EOR appear in the next payroll cycle automatically. Comp changes in HRIS surface in the platform's variance report. No reconciliation between separate tools.

How do mid-cycle changes flow through the platform?

Joiners, leavers, salary changes, and one-off adjustments are entered in the platform (or pulled from HRIS) and surface in the variance report on the next cycle. The variance report flags anything material before sign-off so corrections happen before the run is locked, not after.

Hand over the cycle. Keep the sign-off.

Tell us the countries, the headcount, and what you'd like to keep in-house. We'll come back with a scoped proposal — typically within one business day.