For UK Payroll Bureaus
Gemba as a payout layer for UK payroll bureaus.
If you already have a payroll engine — Brightpay, IRIS, Moneysoft, your own build — and you're looking at client segregation, international contractor payouts, or bulk BACS/SEPA runs, this is the page for you. Gemba is a payout and account layer, not a replacement for your calculation or RTI filing.
∞
virtual IBANs per bureau
3
rails: BACS · SEPA · SWIFT
0.70%
FX spread for payouts
FCA
authorised · FRN 804853
§ 01 — The actual problems
What we hear from UK bureaus, specifically
Three problems come up on almost every call with payroll-bureau founders and operations leads. Gemba addresses the first two cleanly. The third is better but not magic — more on that below.
Problem 01
Client fund segregation is messy
You either run forty actual bank accounts — administrative pain, KYC repeated forty times — or you pool funds and reconcile manually, with the risk of wrong-client payments and audit trail gaps. Neither is right. Gemba's virtual IBANs give each client a dedicated account identifier without opening a new account for each.
Problem 02
International contractors are awkward
A growing share of clients now have people in Dublin, Berlin, Madrid, Warsaw. You were quoted on UK-only payroll and end up absorbing Wise fees or passing 2–3% FX costs to your clients. From one Gemba account you can pay EU contractors via SEPA and global contractors via SWIFT at 0.70% FX spread.
Problem 03
BACS via your bank is slow and costly
BACS approved submitter fees, SUN rental, cut-off times that force everyone to finish by Wednesday lunchtime. Gemba operates under its own BACS SUN — you submit under their umbrella. Faster Payments runs are where the real time savings show up for smaller one-off payouts.
§ 02 — What the bureau setup looks like
A typical week in bureau operations on Gemba
Monday
Collect client funding via Direct Debit
BACS Direct Debit initiated from each client's vIBAN. Funds clear by Wednesday (D+3). Each receipt tagged with client identifier in webhook.
Wednesday
Upload BACS pay file
Standard 18 file uploaded before 23:00. BACS Credit runs Friday. Faster Payments used for same-day top-ups and last-minute changes.
Wednesday–Thursday
International payouts
SEPA batch for EU contractors (D+1). SWIFT MT103 for rest-of-world. FX converted at point of upload — single GL line in Xero per client batch.
Friday
Reconcile and report
Webhook data auto-reconciles to your ledger. Per-client P&L visible. Bank feed to Xero or QuickBooks for final sign-off. Returns handled within the day.
§ 03 — Feature detail
Bureau infrastructure features
| Feature | Availability | Bureau-specific detail |
|---|---|---|
| Client Segregation | ||
Virtual IBANs per client GBP sort code + account · EUR IBAN |
✓ Unlimited | Each employer client gets a dedicated account identifier. Contributions and payroll funding arrive tagged with client reference. No per-IBAN charge. |
Inbound DD collection |
✓ BACS DD | Collect client payroll funding D+3 before pay day. Reduces risk — cleared funds held before BACS credit submission. |
Webhook per receipt |
✓ Real-time | Each inbound payment fires a webhook with vIBAN ID, client ref, amount, sender. Drives automated reconciliation in your system. |
| UK Payroll Payments | ||
BACS Credit (Standard 18) |
✓ D+2 | File upload to Gemba dashboard. Bureau operates under Gemba's BACS SUN — no need for your own SUN. Submission window closes 23:00 for next-day processing. |
Faster Payments |
✓ Instant | For emergency payouts, corrections, and contractor one-offs up to £1M. Available 24/7. Confirmation of Payee check supported. |
| International Payroll | ||
SEPA Credit Transfer |
✓ D+1 | pain.001 file or per-payment. All SEPA-zone countries. EU employees receive a domestic transfer — no international fees from receiving banks. |
SWIFT MT103 |
✓ 1–4 days | 150+ countries. gpi tracking per payment. OUR/SHA charge options. USD, GBP, EUR and local currency delivery. |
FX for international payouts |
✓ 0.70–0.90% | Convert at upload. Single FX GL line per client batch in Xero. Volume pricing available at £500k+/month throughput. |
Set up your bureau account with Gemba.
We guide payroll bureaus through onboarding. Typical setup: 5–10 working days including compliance review.
Planning client pay runs around bank holidays? The payment timing calculator counts BACS and SEPA working days on the correct calendar for each currency.