Accountants, Curious About Payroll Pricing? 5 Secrets To Shout About and Win More Clients

Picture this: You’re chatting with a client about payroll. They ask what you’d charge to take it off their hands, and you nervously blurt out a round number. They pause, frown, and say they’ll “think about it.” Ouch.

Now flip the script. Instead, you frame your price in a way that makes it feel like a no-brainer. Suddenly, they’re nodding along, thinking, “That’s actually really good value.”

That’s the magic of psychological pricing - not trickery, but smart positioning. Subtle tweaks to how you present your payroll fees can make all the difference in whether clients see you as a cost or as a clear win.

Let’s dig into five tactics you can apply to payroll pricing.

1. Price Anchoring

What it is: Humans love a comparison. If you start by showing a high-priced option, every other option suddenly looks more affordable.

Payroll example: Offer three payroll packages.

• Premium Payroll: everything done-for-you, HR support, compliance checks, staff cost forecasting.

• Standard Payroll: the core service, accurate payroll with reporting.

• Basic Payroll: essentials only.

  
  

By leading with Premium, your Standard service feels like a smart middle-ground. Without that anchor, Standard might look expensive.

👉 Best for: Practices with tiered payroll packages.

2. Charm Pricing

What it is: The old £99 instead of £100 trick. That “.99” feels like a deal because of the “left-digit bias.”

Payroll example: Instead of quoting “£200 per month,” make it £199 per month. It’s only a quid’s difference, but clients subconsciously file it under “cheaper.”

👉 Best for: When you want payroll to feel affordable, especially for smaller businesses who are very cost-conscious.

3. Odd vs. Even Pricing

What it is: Odd numbers (ending in 3, 5, 7, 9) scream “deal.” Even numbers (like £500) scream “premium.”

Payroll example:

• Use £297/month for a “deal” positioning (great for startups).

• Use £500/month for a “premium” positioning (great for established practices who want high-touch service).

  
  

Both are the same service in theory, but the perception shifts massively depending on the ending digit.

👉 Best for: Tailoring your service to your client type. Odd for bargain-hunters, even for prestige clients.

4. Decoy Pricing

What it is: Throw in a deliberately less attractive option to push people toward your preferred package.

Payroll example:

• Basic Payroll: £125/month

• Standard Payroll: £225/month

• Premium Payroll: £225/month (includes HR support + forecasting)

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No one in their right mind picks Standard, because Premium is the same price with more features. The “decoy” makes Premium feel like a steal.

👉 Best for: Steering clients toward the option you actually want them to choose.

5. Center Stage Effect

What it is: People gravitate to the middle option. Place your “sweet spot” service in the centre, and watch clients pick it without even thinking.

Payroll example:

• Basic Payroll

• Standard Payroll (Most Popular!)

• Premium Payroll

  
  

By labelling Standard as “most popular” and plonking it in the middle, most clients will go straight for it.

👉 Best for: Practices that want to keep things simple and sell one core service consistently.

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Why This Works in Payroll

Payroll is a grudge purchase. Clients don’t wake up excited to pay for it - they want peace of mind, accuracy, and compliance. Psychological pricing helps you frame your fees so that:

• Clients see value, not just cost.

• You guide them toward the option that suits you both.

• You avoid that awkward “too expensive” pushback.

  
  

And the best part? These tactics don’t cost a penny to implement. Just a tweak to how you present numbers.

💡 Takeaway: Stop underselling payroll. Use smart pricing psychology, and you’ll not only win more clients, you’ll also position payroll as the high-value, expert service it really is.

Want to talk about how to supercharge your practice? Reach out for a Coffee with Austin Here