Answer extracted from the Inspiring Industry Podcast — listen to the full episode below.
How many payroll professionals work across the UK?
There are over 100,000 payroll professionals employed across the UK, yet only approximately 6,500 are formal members of the Chartered Institute of Payroll Professionals. This means the vast majority of payroll professionals operate independently or within small and micro-businesses without formal professional qualifications or institutional membership.
The scale of the payroll workforce
The 100,000-plus figure reflects the critical importance of payroll operations to the UK economy. As Jason Davenport explains in the Inspiring Industry Podcast, payroll professionals collected £378 billion in taxes during the 2022 tax year alone—a staggering contribution that underscores how essential this workforce truly is to government revenue and economic functioning.
The gap between the total workforce and formal CIPP membership reveals a structural reality: most payroll professionals operate outside formal professional bodies. While the Chartered Institute represents a growing community of qualified and accredited practitioners, the overwhelming majority work in organizations too small to require dedicated professional membership or operate in roles that don't demand formal credentialing.
"Payroll professionals should be celebrated every day. Is your payroll team trained and qualified and are they supported properly?"
Jason Davenport — CEO of the Chartered Institute of Payroll Professionals. Davenport spent 10 years in construction managing in-house payrolls before moving into business process outsourcing at CMG (later acquired by Logica, now CGI), where he rose to director. He gained international experience delivering payroll services across up to 127 countries, served as a board member of CIPP from 2012 to 2021, and joined as CEO to lead the profession forward. He also mentors SMEs through the UK government's Be the Business scheme.
The reality is that payroll capability spans across organizations of all sizes, from FTSE companies with dedicated departments to freelancers handling payroll for sole traders. This distributed model means the profession's influence reaches far deeper into the UK economy than formal membership numbers suggest, yet also means many practitioners lack access to structured professional development, standards, or industry recognition.
See also
What is the total value of taxes collected by payroll professionals in the UK annually?
Payroll professionals collected £378 billion in taxes during the 2022 tax year. This represents a significant contribution to the UK economy and government revenue.
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