ADP, Workday, Deel, Rippling, SAP, UKG, Papaya Global, Multiplier and 22 other companies are currently leading the race for a position on the IEC Payroll 2027 Dynamic Map.
Last week, The IEC Group argued that payroll leadership is being redefined.
This week, we put names behind that argument.
IEC began the Payroll 2027: From Payroll Processing to Workforce Intelligence study with a research universe of approximately 100 payroll and workforce technology companies, all of which were directly approached as part of the initial research process.
Following the first phase of research, 30 companies have emerged as the current front-runners for just 25 positions on the final IEC Payroll 2027 Dynamic Map.
They are:The 30 Current IEC Payroll 2027 Front-Runners
ADP · activpayroll · BIPO · Borderless AI · CloudPay · Dayforce · Deel · EY · Gusto · Mercans · Multiplier · Neeyamo · Oracle · Oyster · Papaya Global · Paylocity · Playroll · Ramco Systems · Remote · Rippling · SAP · SD Worx · Sopra HR · Strada · TMF Group · UKG · Velocity Global · Vistra · Workday · Zalaris
But there is an important point: These are the front-runners. They are not the final 25.
The race remains open.
A company outside the current 30 can still challenge for a position on the IEC Dynamic Map if it can demonstrate that our current market view does not adequately reflect its payroll capabilities, technology transformation, AI development, customer momentum or progress toward Workforce Intelligence.
And a company currently among the 30 can still lose its place.
Nobody has qualified yet.
From 100 to 30 to 25
The research process is deliberately competitive.
100+ providers researched and directly approached
↓
30 current front-runners
↓
25 providers selected for the IEC Payroll 2027 Dynamic Map
↓
Four potential positions
- Workforce Intelligence Leaders
- Intelligence Innovators
- Scaled Payroll Platforms
- Payroll Platforms & Specialists
The final positioning will not be determined by company size, reputation or how frequently the term AI appears in marketing materials.
The evidence will determine it.
For the other 70: the door is still open
Being outside the current 30 does not mean that a provider has been eliminated.
It means IEC has not yet seen enough evidence to place that company among the front-runners.
That can change.
Providers should challenge our current assessment if something material has happened that is not sufficiently visible to the market.
Have you rebuilt your payroll architecture?
Have AI capabilities moved from roadmap to production?
Can your technology now predict payroll anomalies rather than simply report them?
Can you connect payroll with workforce, time, finance, payments and compliance data?
Can customers demonstrate measurable improvements in accuracy, cost control, risk identification or decision-making?
Has your customer base, payroll footprint or enterprise market position changed materially?
If so:
Show us what we are missing.
One of the most important questions in the Payroll 2027 research is therefore:
What has changed most materially in your payroll business, technology or market position during the last 12–24 months that IEC should not miss?
And the 30 should not become comfortable
Being named among the current front-runners is recognition.
It is not qualification.
ADP does not receive a leadership position because of scale.
Rippling does not receive one because it is newer.
Deel does not receive one because of growth.
Workday does not receive one because of broader HCM intelligence.
Papaya Global, Multiplier, CloudPay, UKG, SAP, Dayforce and every other company on the list will ultimately be assessed against the same principle:
Can the provider turn payroll and workforce data into trusted insight, predictive understanding and practical action?
That is what Payroll 2027 is designed to determine.
Only 25 will make the final map. And the field is still open.
Think IEC is missing something about your company? Prove it.
Participation in the study is free of charge. Interested providers can contact: pm@theiecgroup.com
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