PaidHR

PaidHR, operated by Pade HCM Technology Limited, is a Lagos, Nigeria-based human resources and payroll technology company serving small and medium-sized enterprises and startups. Its platform combines HR administration and payroll processing with embedded financial services, covering the employee lifecycle from recruitment and onboarding through payroll, benefits and offboarding. Modules include an applicant tracking system, employee information and document management, asset assignment, self-guided onboarding workflows, request management with configurable policies, custom notifications, a custom report builder, and performance management.

Payroll capabilities include a payroll API that lets other platforms run PaidHR's payroll engine, split payroll disbursement across multiple accounts, and custom payroll schedules. Cross-border payroll supports 49 currencies so employers can pay staff in local currencies. Statutory compliance features automate payroll tax filing, employee pension remittance, and NHF and NSITF contributions with Nigerian government agencies, and the company states its platform supports Nigerian tax law changes effective 1 January 2026. On the employee side, PaidHR offers benefits configuration, a rewards programme, earned wage access allowing employees to draw up to 50% of earned salary at no interest and no employer cost, and multi-currency wallets for receiving payments and saving in local currency and USD. Its consumer mobile app adds payslip access, requests, performance, payroll-backed loans from ₦100,000 (61 days to 12 months, maximum APR 60%), a loan marketplace, airtime and data purchases, bill payments and FX transactions. A white-label offering lets consultants and agencies launch their own payroll businesses on PaidHR's infrastructure.

Founding story

PaidHR was founded in Nigeria in 2020 by Seye Bandele (co-founder and CEO) and Lekan Omotosho (co-founder and CTO) to address the shortage of intuitive, affordable HR and payroll systems tailored to African businesses. The founders' stated aim was HR management built for the African context, including currency volatility, local compliance requirements and employee access to financial services.

Business model

PaidHR sells a subscription-style software platform for HR and payroll operations to businesses, with additional distribution through a payroll API and a customisable white-label product for consultants and agencies that want to run their own payroll businesses. Employee-facing financial services — earned wage access, payroll-backed loans, a loan marketplace, multi-currency wallets, airtime/data, bill payments and FX — are layered on top of payroll data, in part via partnerships with financial service providers.

Revenue derives from its HR and payroll platform sold to employers, complemented by embedded financial products distributed to employees; earned wage access is offered at 0% interest with no employer cost, while payroll-backed loans carry interest up to a stated maximum 60% APR.

Traction

By June 2025 the company reported more than 250 businesses using the platform across Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa and more than 20,000 employees onboarded. It processed over ₦11.4 billion in salaries in 2023 and more than $18 million (₦29 billion) in salaries in 2024. Its employee mobile app lists more than 5,000 downloads on Google Play.

Latest developments

In June 2025 PaidHR closed a $1.8 million seed round led by Accion Venture Lab with participation from existing investors Zrosk, Chui Ventures and Zedcrest Capital, to be used for product development, customer success expansion and broader African market presence. The company has since introduced a new performance management module, promoted a white-label payroll offering with early access requests, and states platform support for Nigerian tax law changes effective 1 January 2026.