Zoho Payroll in Kerala
Kerala payroll has its own rhythm: professional tax twice a year, welfare funds, and owners who approve salaries from abroad.
We set up Zoho Payroll for Kerala businesses across all 14 districts from our office in Angadippuram, Malappuram. On top of the national rules — PF with the ₹25,000 wage ceiling, ESI, TDS — a Kerala payroll has to deduct professional tax on Kerala's half-yearly slabs, handle the welfare fund that applies to your business, and usually replace a salary sheet kept alongside Tally. The product is covered on our Zoho Payroll page; this page is about the Kerala specifics.
Last reviewed — prices, plan details and other figures on this page were checked then.
Kerala professional tax on salaries
Kerala deducts professional tax for each half-year rather than each month, based on the salary earned in that half-year. Zoho Payroll calculates it by state once each employee's work location is set, so we configure the Kerala slabs and the half-yearly deduction during setup.
| Half-yearly gross salary | Tax for the half-year |
|---|---|
| Below ₹12,000 | Nil |
| ₹12,000 – ₹17,999 | ₹320 |
| ₹18,000 – ₹29,999 | ₹450 |
| ₹30,000 – ₹44,999 | ₹600 |
| ₹45,000 – ₹99,999 | ₹750 |
| ₹1,00,000 – ₹1,24,999 | ₹1,000 |
| ₹1,25,000 and above | ₹1,250 |
Standard half-yearly slabs as published in Zoho's Kerala payroll guide, checked October 2026. Payment is due by 31 August for April–September and by the end of February for October–March. Professional tax is paid to the local body where the business is located, and some corporations publish their own tables, so we confirm the slab with your corporation, municipality or panchayat before the first deduction.
What else a Kerala payroll setup has to handle
Welfare funds
Kerala has more than one workers' welfare fund, including the Labour Welfare Fund and a separate fund for shops and commercial establishments, each with its own contribution and due dates. Which one applies depends on how your business is registered. We confirm the fund and its current rate with you before switching it on in Zoho Payroll.
Branches in several districts
Branches in different local bodies can mean professional tax paid to more than one corporation or municipality. Each branch is set up as a work location, so deductions and reports split by where people actually work.
Owners who approve from abroad
Where the owner signs off salaries from the UAE or Saudi Arabia, pay runs can wait for approval before release. Approvals start at the Professional plan; owners review the pay run summary without calling the accountant.
Tally and the salary sheet
Many Kerala businesses keep accounts in Tally and salaries in a spreadsheet beside it. We move payroll to Zoho Payroll with year-to-date figures intact, and, if accounts move too, post payroll journals to Zoho Books.
Festival advances and bonus
Onam advances recovered over the following months and statutory bonus for eligible staff are set up as loans and bonus components rather than tracked by hand. Both start at the Standard plan.
Attendance from every branch
Loss-of-pay comes from Zoho People, where biometric devices at each branch feed one attendance record. Our Zoho People in Kerala page covers that side.
What Zoho Payroll costs for a Kerala business
Zoho's India list prices apply in Kerala. Businesses with up to 10 employees can use the Free plan; Onam advances and loans need Standard, and approvals before release need Professional.
| Plan | Per org / month | Employees | What it adds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | ₹0 | Up to 10 employees | Payroll run, payslips, EPF, ESI, PT, LWF and income-tax compliance, TDS worksheet, LOP, salary revisions and arrears, self-service portal, Zoho People and Zoho Books integration. |
| Standard | ₹1,000 | 25 included, then ₹40 each | Adds salary templates, loans and advances, custom salary components, Form 130 with digital signature, Form 138 and TDS challan recording, statutory bonus, roles and audit trail. |
| Professional | ₹3,000 | 50 included, then ₹60 each | Adds bonus and off-cycle pay runs, pay-run and revision approvals, formula-based salary components, salary hold and custom roles. |
| Premium | ₹4,000 | 50 included, then ₹80 each | Adds Zoho Payroll's own leave and attendance, advanced approvals, workflow rules, custom functions and webhooks, custom modules. |
Zoho India list price per organisation per month, billed annually, as of October 2026, excluding GST. Monthly billing costs more (₹1,250 / ₹3,750 / ₹5,000). Branches of one legal entity share a licence; separate legal entities need separate ones.
From salary sheet to the first Kerala pay run
- 1
Salary and compliance review
Salary structures checked against the labour codes and the ₹25,000 EPF ceiling; Kerala professional tax and welfare fund confirmed.
- 2
Locations and structures
Each branch set up as a work location, with salary templates, statutory settings and approvals configured.
- 3
Migration
Employees, year-to-date figures, declarations and open advances loaded from your salary sheet or Tally.
- 4
Parallel pay run
One month run alongside your current method and reconciled before employees see a Zoho payslip.
Zoho Payroll projects we have delivered
Published case studies, with client names and what was built.
- SWA DiamondsZoho People & Zoho PayrollMulti-store jewellery retailer, 215+ employees. Biometric attendance across stores, mobile check-in with GPS for field staff, department-wise shifts, loss-of-pay calculated from attendance, state-wise statutory compliance, and a custom Deluge function that expires unused compensatory leave automatically.
- Diya and Thomas CompanyZoho People & Zoho PayrollManual attendance, leave and salary calculation replaced with one system: employee records migrated into Zoho People, shift schedules and leave policies configured, salary structures built in Zoho Payroll, and a self-service portal for leave, attendance and payslips.
Zoho Payroll in Kerala — common questions
How is professional tax deducted in Kerala?
For each half-year, April to September and October to March, based on salary in that half-year. The standard slabs run from nil up to ₹1,250 a half-year, within the ₹2,500 annual cap. It is paid to the local body where the business is located, by 31 August and the end of February. We confirm your local body's slab before the first deduction.
Does Zoho Payroll handle Kerala professional tax?
Yes. Zoho Payroll calculates professional tax by state on every plan, including Free. Each employee's work location decides which state's rules apply, so we set work locations and the Kerala slabs during setup.
Which labour welfare fund applies to our business?
It depends on how the business is registered: Kerala has a Labour Welfare Fund and separate welfare funds for particular sectors, including shops and commercial establishments, with different contributions and due dates. We confirm which applies and its current rate before configuring it.
We run salaries in Excel and accounts in Tally. Can we move to Zoho Payroll mid-year?
Yes. Year-to-date earnings, TDS, PF, ESI and professional tax are loaded so the rest of the year calculates correctly. Accounts can stay in Tally, or move to Zoho Books so payroll journals post automatically.
How much does Zoho Payroll cost in Kerala?
Zoho's India prices apply: free for up to 10 employees, then ₹1,000 to ₹4,000 per organisation per month billed annually, with 25 or 50 employees included and ₹40 to ₹80 for each extra employee, excluding GST (October 2026). Our implementation fee is separate and one-off.
Related pages
- Zoho PayrollThe product: what it covers, plans and how we implement it.
- Zoho People in KeralaAttendance and leave for Kerala businesses — the payroll input.
- Statutory compliancePF, ESI, professional tax, LWF and TDS across India.
- Payroll migrationMoving from a salary sheet or Tally without breaking year-to-date tax.
- Zoho Books in KeralaAccounts and payroll journals for Kerala businesses.
- Zoho Partner in KeralaEvery Zoho app we implement in Kerala, across all 14 districts.
Talk to us about Zoho Payroll in Kerala
Tell us how many employees you pay, which districts your branches are in, and how payroll runs today. We will confirm your professional tax and welfare fund position and how long the switch takes.
- Kerala professional tax set per branch and local body
- The right welfare fund confirmed before it is switched on
- Year-to-date figures loaded on a mid-year switch
- A parallel pay run before employees see a Zoho payslip
Tech Geum is a Zoho Authorized Partner based in Angadippuram, Malappuram, serving businesses across Kerala and the GCC.