The cost savings and benefits of ADP Global Payroll in 2026
Findings from the Forrester Total Economic Impact™ study commissioned by ADP
See the measurable cost savings and business benefits from implementing ADP Global Payroll
161%
ROI (over 3 years)
$10.7M
NPV (net present value )
over 3 years
Payback
in just 7 months
The value of ADP Global Payroll for clients
According to ‘The Total Economic Impact™ Of ADP Global Payroll’, a commissioned study published by Forrester Consulting in January 2026, a composite organisation representative of interviewed customers with experience using ADP Global Payroll achieved an ROI of 161% based on six quantifiable benefits. These include significant cost savings from better regulatory compliance as well as a reduction in payroll errors and lower labour costs. Besides these financial benefits, qualitative advantages included improved operational resilience and global governance, along with a better experience for both employees and internal teams requiring support.
The 6 quantified benefits of choosing ADP Global Payroll
Three-year, risk-adjusted present value (PV) quantified benefits for the composite organisation on Managed Service include:
- More efficient payroll process
-
$1.1 million*
- Cost savings from fewer payroll errors
-
$3.1 million
- Cost savings from better regulatory compliance
-
$6.4 million
- Save on payroll labour costs
-
$2.3 million
- Save on full-time IT support costs
-
$1.5 million
- Cost savings from decommissioning legacy system(s)
-
$2.2 million
“One of the major drivers behind our business case for ADP Global Payroll was the recurring payroll compliance issues stemming from outdated or unclear processes that weren’t configured to meet local regulatory requirements across markets. We were incurring significant penalties and interest costs. We saved hundreds of thousands of dollars globally by addressing these issues with ADP.”
— Senior Director, Global Payroll, manufacturing, home appliances
“[Having a] global reach was a key reason why we chose ADP. They already had a presence in many markets and could deliver services at scale. That gives us leverage for economies of scale and ensures consistency in employee experience worldwide.”
— Payroll Process Excellence Director, IT
What challenges did companies typically face before
implementing ADP Global Payroll ?
No two countries ran payroll the same way
Each country managed payroll locally, often with its own systems, processes and vendors. Sometimes finance departments owned payroll; sometimes it was HR, and in other firms, payroll staff reported into the operations function. Without a standardised approach, companies were left dealing with inconsistent practices and limited visibility.
High costs and inefficient operations
Maintaining multiple local vendors and in-country resources significantly increased expenses and limited potential economies of scale. The need for payroll staff and vendor support in every country resulted in compounded inefficiencies, admin overheads and high operating costs.
Limitations from legacy systems
Some businesses were using outdated payroll systems, which limited flexibility and automation. These legacy platforms created operational bottlenecks and meant companies struggled to simplify processes or implement global standards effectively.
Unreliable data and unintegrated technology
Without integrated HRIS and payroll systems, teams were wasting time double-keying information. They couldn’t trust the data across their regions, which left them with inaccurate analytics and made it difficult to consolidate information at a global level.
“We were coming from a situation where payroll was handled differently across markets: some through third-party vendors, some internally, and there were no consistencies or guidelines. It came to a point that when we were trying to obtain some type of reporting, there was no consistency in the data we were getting.”
– Payroll Process Excellence Director, IT
“Out of the 32 markets where we operated, only about 13 shared a common payroll provider. In the end, we were managing nearly 29 different payroll and time vendors across the organisation. There was a lack of integration, which led to inconsistent reporting and analytics.”
– Head of Global Reward and People Operations, retail beauty
Methodology
Forrester interviewed four decision-makers at companies using ADP Global Payroll to obtain data about
- costs,
- benefits,
- flexibility
- and risks.
They then designed a composite organisation based on the characteristics of these four organisations.
Given the increasing sophistication of ROI analyses related to IT investments, Forrester’s TEI methodology provides a complete picture of the total economic impact of purchase decisions.
To see Forrester’s full findings about the impact that ADP Global Payroll can have on an organisation, download your copy of the study.
*Payroll process efficiency gain for small countries on Managed Service is $1.1 million, and for large markets is $750k. Download the report for full details.
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