A custom HR and payroll system makes sense when ready-made HR software doesn't fit your shifts, allowances, branches or approval chain, or when per-employee fees outgrow the cost of owning the system. Q Studio builds focused HR and payroll systems (employee records, attendance, leave, payroll, payslips and bank or WPS export files) from $1,500 in about 3 weeks, and multi-module systems from $3,000. Your accountant or HR adviser approves the payroll and end-of-service rules; we build them exactly as approved.
Many companies run HR on a spreadsheet, a WhatsApp group for leave requests, and one person who rebuilds payroll by hand every month. It works until there are 40 people across two branches, a few residence permits about to expire, and a salary file the bank rejects because one IBAN is wrong.
We build custom HR and payroll systems for that stage. This page covers what such a system includes, when ready-made HR software is the better buy, how payroll files and end-of-service work in practice, and what it costs.
What an HR and payroll system covers
| Module | What it does day to day |
|---|---|
| Employee records | One profile per person: job, branch, manager, contract, salary structure, bank details, emergency contact |
| Documents and expiry alerts | Residence permits, visas, passports, contracts, licenses and medical cards, with alerts 30, 60 or 90 days before expiry |
| Attendance | Check-in from a phone with location, or import from fingerprint and face devices; late, early-leave and overtime reports |
| Shifts | Fixed, rotating and split shifts, rest days, and different rules per branch |
| Leave and approvals | Requests from the phone, balances that update themselves, approval by the manager then HR |
| Payroll | Basic salary, allowances (housing, transport, others you define), overtime, deductions, advances and unpaid leave |
| Payslips | Monthly payslips in English or Arabic, visible to each employee in their own account |
| Exports | Bank salary files, wage protection files where they apply, and Excel for your accountant |
Employees get self-service too: their own payslips, balances and letter requests. Many companies start with records, documents and leave, then add payroll once the data is clean.
Ready-made HR software, custom, or both
Plainly: for many companies, a ready-made HR and payroll product is the right answer. Cloud HR systems built for the Gulf and Egypt already handle local payroll files and Arabic. If your structure is simple, start this month on a monthly plan.
A custom system tends to pay off when:
- Your pay rules are unusual. Commission tied to sales targets, per-trip pay for drivers, piece rates in a workshop, or different allowance rules per project.
- Attendance is tied to operations. Technicians checking in at client sites, staff rotating between branches, or shifts that depend on bookings.
- Approvals follow your org chart, not the software's. Three-step approvals for some departments, one step for others.
- HR has to talk to your other systems, such as payroll costs flowing into accounting.
- Per-employee fees keep growing. With hundreds of staff, a yearly subscription can exceed the cost of owning the system. Compare three years, not one.
The hybrid is often the sensible middle: keep a ready-made payroll engine that already produces compliant files, and have us build what it lacks, such as a mobile attendance app for field staff, a custom approvals flow, or a dashboard that combines HR data with your operations. This works when the product offers an API or reliable imports.
Payroll files: bank transfers and wage protection
Paying salaries is not only a calculation. Across the Gulf, private-sector salaries are monitored through wage protection systems, and the file format matters as much as the numbers.
- Saudi Arabia: salaries are reported under the Wage Protection System through the Mudad platform, run with the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development, and files have to be uploaded on schedule each month.
- UAE: wages are paid through the Wage Protection System using a Salary Information File (SIF) checked by the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation and the Central Bank.
- Qatar, Oman and Kuwait run their own wage protection systems through local banks.
- Egypt: there is no Gulf-style wage protection file, but payroll still goes through your bank's salary file format, and social insurance contributions are calculated on an insurable wage whose minimum and maximum limits are revised each year.
What we build: the export in the exact format your bank or provider specifies, validated before download (missing IBANs, mismatched totals, missing IDs), with each month's file kept on record. We work from the current specification your bank provides, because formats change. Uploads to government platforms are done by your authorized staff.
End of service, overtime and deductions: who decides the rules
Gulf labor laws set end-of-service benefits by formula. In Saudi Arabia the headline rule is half a month's wage for each of the first five years and a full month for each year after; in the UAE it is 21 days of basic salary per year for the first five years and 30 days after that. But resignation versus termination, contract type, unpaid leave, caps and what counts as "wage" all change the result.
So we're clear about roles: we're software developers, not accountants or labor lawyers. Your accountant or HR adviser writes down the rules for end of service, overtime, deductions and social insurance. We build them exactly as written, test them against cases your adviser has already calculated by hand, and show every figure with its breakdown so it can be checked. When a rule changes, it's a settings change or a small update, not a rebuild.
Roles and privacy
Salaries and personal documents are the most sensitive data a company holds. We build:
- Role-based access: an employee sees their own record; a manager sees their team's attendance and leave but not salaries; HR sees records; only payroll staff see pay.
- An audit trail: who changed a salary, an allowance or a bank account, and when.
- Private document storage: a passport scan never sits behind a public link.
- Approval on sensitive changes: a new bank account or salary change can require a second person to confirm.
Data protection laws in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Egypt apply to employee data. If you're in Saudi Arabia, our guide to the Saudi PDPL for app owners is a good starting point.
How we build it
- Map your real process, exceptions included. How to write app requirements shows how to prepare.
- A working preview within 72 hours that HR can click through with sample employees.
- Import a sample of your data in week one, so gaps like missing IDs show up before launch.
- Run payroll in parallel. For one or two months the new system calculates payroll alongside your current method, and your accountant compares the two before you switch.
- Handover. Code, database and hosting in your name, with running notes.
You can try our HR work yourself: Dawawin HR is our own HR and payroll system for Egyptian companies, with a public demo. It covers hiring and onboarding, social insurance forms and their deadlines, contracts, attendance, leave approvals, payroll where every payslip line shows its rule and source, and a compliance view. A custom HR system for your company would be built the same way, around your own rules and country. HR is often one module of a wider system; see custom ERP development and custom CRM development.
Prices and timelines
We price in USD; local amounts are approximate.
| Scope | Starts at | Typical time |
|---|---|---|
| Clickable prototype of the main HR screens | $500 (about SAR 1,875 / AED 1,835) | About 5 days |
| Focused HR and payroll system: records, documents, attendance, leave, payroll, payslips, exports | $1,500 (about SAR 5,600 / AED 5,500 / EGP 75,000) | About 3 weeks |
| Multi-module: several branches, shifts, integrations with accounting or devices, more roles | $3,000 (about SAR 11,250 / AED 11,000 / EGP 150,000) | About 5–6 weeks |
| Mobile attendance app on both stores, on the same backend | $2,000 (about SAR 7,500 / AED 7,340) | 2–6 weeks |
Every project starts with a written scope and fixed price. Projects over $500 start with a 30% down payment, then 40% and 30% at milestones, each paid after you see it working. For a full breakdown of what drives the price of bigger systems, read how much an ERP costs.
When we're not the right fit
- A ready-made HR product already fits your rules. We'll tell you on the first call.
- You need payroll outsourcing, someone to run payroll and file returns every month. We build the system; we don't run your payroll.
- You need on-site consultants to run workshops in your office. We work remotely.
- You want every system replaced in one big launch. We build in phases on one database, so each part is proven before the next.
FAQ
Can the system read our fingerprint or face attendance devices?
Usually, yes, if the device or its software can export records or offers an API. We check your exact model before quoting. If it can't, mobile check-in with location is often simpler and cheaper.
Can employees check in from their phones?
Yes, from a phone browser or a mobile app, recording time and location, limited to a radius around a branch or site if you like. Location is captured only at check-in and check-out, never all day. Screens and payslips work in Arabic, English or both.
What happens when labor law or wage file formats change?
Rules such as rates, limits and allowance types are kept as settings where possible, so your team can update them. Format changes in bank or wage protection files are small updates, quoted upfront if outside the support window.
Who owns the employee data?
You do. The database, hosting and code are in your name from day one, and we sign an NDA before you share any details if you'd like.
How do I start?
Tell us how many employees and branches you have, how you track attendance today, and where payroll goes wrong. Within 24 hours you'll get a written scope and fixed price, free and with no obligation. The project planner helps you put the brief together.
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