Choosing well
Payroll bureau or accredited social secretariat?
Both handle your payroll and your social declarations. One thing sets them apart in law: who pays your contributions to the NSSO. Here is what it changes for you.
The difference, point by point
What the NSSO says about the two kinds of representative an employer can appoint for its social obligations.
| Point | Accredited social secretariat | Payroll bureau |
|---|---|---|
| Status | Accredited by the Minister of Social Affairs, under article 27 and following of the Act of 27 June 1969. | Non-accredited service provider, registered with the Crossroads Bank for Enterprises and with the NSSO. |
| Your NSSO contributions | It collects them and passes them on to the NSSO: the exclusive right its accreditation grants. | You pay them to the NSSO yourself. A non-accredited provider may not collect them. |
| Dimona, DmfA and other declarations | It files them for you, under a mandate registered with the NSSO. | It files them for you, under a mandate registered with the NSSO. |
| Your liability | You remain personally responsible for your obligations as an employer. | You remain personally responsible for your obligations as an employer. |
| Oversight | Subject to the NSSO quality barometer, and to the checks its accreditation imposes. | Subject to the NSSO quality barometer, and required to hold civil liability insurance. |
| Changing representative | The change takes effect on the first day of a quarter. | The change takes effect on the first day of a quarter. |
| The name “social secretariat” | It may use it. | It may not use it: it presents itself as a payroll bureau or service provider. |
What it changes in practice
How your contributions travel
With an accredited secretariat, your contributions go through it before reaching the NSSO. With a payroll bureau, you pay them straight to the NSSO, based on the amounts your bureau calculates and sends you.
The day-to-day work
Payroll, payslips, Dimona, DmfA, contracts: the NSSO lets both represent you for your declarations, under a mandate. The difference is not in the tasks, but in the payment.
Your liability does not move
The NSSO puts it plainly: the employer always remains personally responsible for its obligations. If the representative fails, the institutions turn to you, whichever model you chose.
Which one suits you?
There is no right choice in the absolute: both models are legal and overseen by the NSSO. There are preferences, and only you can weigh them.
An accredited social secretariat, if you…
- would rather a third party paid your contributions for you;
- want the oversight framework that comes with accreditation;
- care that your provider carries the name social secretariat.
A payroll bureau, if you…
- would rather pay your contributions to the NSSO yourself, with no intermediary;
- mainly want someone who knows your file and answers you;
- judge a provider by how it works rather than by its title.
Paycore is a payroll bureau: we calculate your payroll, produce your payslips and file your declarations, and you pay your contributions straight to the NSSO.
Frequently asked questions
What employers ask us when they compare the two models.
Is a payroll bureau legal?
Yes. The NSSO recognises two kinds of representative: accredited social secretariats and non-accredited service providers. A payroll bureau belongs to the second: it is registered with the NSSO, insured for civil liability and subject to the NSSO quality barometer.
Who pays the contributions to the NSSO with a payroll bureau?
You do, directly. A non-accredited provider may not collect contributions: your payroll bureau calculates the amounts due and sends them to you, and you pay them to the NSSO.
Can I move from an accredited social secretariat to a payroll bureau?
Yes. A change of representative takes effect on the first day of a quarter, and the new mandate is registered with the NSSO. Your current contract may set a notice period: check it before choosing the date.
Still unsure?
A first 30-minute meeting, free and without obligation, to look at your situation and tell you what suits you.