Onfolk

We make it easy for growing teams to set up and run their payroll & HR (instead of a mess of spreadsheets, poorly integrated tools, and emails with accountants).

- 1 min to run payroll

- 2 mins to onboard new starters

- Hands-off pension & accounting integrations

- Centralised employee info, time-off, and reporting

Our team are software engineers who spent 4 years scaling Monzo from 400k to 6m customers. While at Monzo we repeatedly got paid incorrectly by their poor payroll providers. So we decided to build the product that they should have used from day 1.

We’ve gained certification as a payroll software from the UK government.

High-Level Overview

Onfolk is a UK-based payroll and HR platform often described as "Gusto for the UK," designed to simplify payroll, HR, and employee management for growing teams. It offers a unified solution that replaces cumbersome spreadsheets, disconnected tools, and manual processes with automated payroll runs, seamless onboarding, pension and accounting integrations, and centralized employee data management. Its key value lies in reducing administrative overhead and increasing accuracy, enabling businesses to run payroll in about one minute and onboard new employees in two minutes. Onfolk serves small to medium-sized businesses in the UK, addressing the complexity and inefficiency of traditional payroll and HR systems. The company has gained UK government certification as payroll software, reflecting its compliance and reliability. Founded by former Monzo engineers who experienced payroll frustrations firsthand, Onfolk leverages deep fintech and software expertise to deliver a modern, user-friendly platform[1][4][5][9].

Origin Story

Onfolk was founded in 2020 by Naz Malik and Charlie Thomas, both ex-Monzo engineers with backgrounds in software engineering and a strong interest in improving financial and operational workflows. Their experience at Monzo, where payroll providers often caused payment errors, inspired them to build a better payroll and HR solution tailored for the UK market. The idea emerged from a direct pain point encountered during their time scaling Monzo’s customer base from 400,000 to 6 million users. This real-world challenge motivated them to create a product that Monzo itself should have used from the start. The company joined Y Combinator’s Summer 2021 batch and has remained a small, focused team based in London. Early traction included government certification and positive feedback from startups that found Onfolk invaluable for managing payroll and HR without prior expertise[1][2][7].

Core Differentiators

• Product Differentiators: Onfolk offers a highly integrated platform combining payroll, pensions, accounting, time-off, and core HR functions in one place, minimizing manual entry and errors.
• User Experience: Designed for simplicity and speed, payroll can be run in under 90 seconds, and onboarding new employees takes just a couple of minutes.
• Compliance & Certification: UK government-certified payroll software ensures regulatory compliance and trustworthiness.
• Founders’ Expertise: Built by engineers with fintech experience at Monzo, bringing deep domain knowledge and a focus on scalability and reliability.
• Centralized Data: Consolidates employee information, time-off, and reporting, enabling comprehensive HR analytics such as gender pay gap reports.
• Support & Community: Positive user feedback highlights responsive support and ease of use, especially valuable for startups without HR specialists[1][4][5][9].

Role in the Broader Tech Landscape

Onfolk rides the wave of digital transformation in HR and payroll, a sector traditionally plagued by fragmented, manual, and error-prone processes. The timing is favorable due to increasing regulatory complexity in the UK, growing startup ecosystems, and demand for integrated SaaS solutions that reduce administrative burdens. By offering a modern, developer-built platform, Onfolk challenges legacy payroll providers and aligns with broader trends toward automation, cloud-based HR management, and seamless financial operations. Its influence extends to enabling startups and SMEs to scale efficiently without being bogged down by HR and payroll headaches, thereby fostering a healthier startup ecosystem in the UK[1][4][5].

Quick Take & Future Outlook

Onfolk is well-positioned to capitalize on the growing demand for streamlined HR and payroll solutions in the UK, especially among startups and scale-ups. Future growth may involve expanding features around benefits management, compliance automation, and deeper integrations with accounting and financial tools. As regulatory demands evolve, Onfolk’s certified and developer-driven approach will likely strengthen its market position. Its founders’ fintech background suggests potential innovation in payroll-related financial products. Overall, Onfolk’s trajectory points toward becoming a foundational platform for UK businesses managing people operations, paralleling Gusto’s success in the US. The company’s continued focus on user experience, compliance, and integration will be key to sustaining momentum and expanding influence in the broader HR tech landscape[1][4][5].