HRMS Software for Indian Businesses: What It Includes and How to Choose
HRMS stands for human resource management system. It keeps your people records, attendance, leave and payroll in one place, instead of in registers, spreadsheets and WhatsApp messages.
This page explains what an HRMS includes, what to check in India and where Zavik fits. Zavik is our own product, so we also say plainly what it does not do.
What an HRMS includes
Most HRMS products cover the same core jobs:
- Employee records: details, documents, departments and reporting lines
- Attendance: who worked, when, and where from
- Leave: policies, balances, requests, approvals and a holiday list
- Payroll: salary worked out from attendance, payslips and payouts
- Hiring and onboarding: recruitment, and a checklist for new joiners
- Performance and benefits: reviews, pay bands and benefits
Indian rules to check before you choose
Indian payroll has rules that many tools built abroad do not cover. Ask every vendor, including us, how each one is handled:
- Provident fund (PF) and employees’ state insurance (ESI): calculation and returns
- Tax deducted at source (TDS) on salary, and the year-end certificate
- Professional tax, which differs by state
- Leave types that match Indian practice, such as casual leave and earned leave
- Gratuity and other benefits
To see what PF and ESI come to for one employee, use the free tool on zavik.in, the PF and ESI calculator.
How to choose, in six checks
Whatever product you look at, run these checks:
- List the jobs you do by hand today and rank them by hours saved
- Ask for a trial with your own employees, not a demo with sample data
- Check that attendance and approved leave feed the salary calculation
- Check who sees what, because employees, managers and HR need different views
- Ask how your existing employee data goes in, and how it comes out again
- Ask what is not included, and what each extra user costs
For a longer look at other HR and payroll tools, read the guide on zavik.in.
Where Zavik fits
Zavik’s HR & Payroll module covers employee records, attendance, leave, salary and payslips. Employees apply for casual, earned or unpaid leave, for a full day or half a day, and see their balances. Work-from-home staff can punch in and out themselves, with an optional location.
HR works with leave policies, a holiday list, an org chart, onboarding, recruitment, performance reviews, benefits, compensation bands and a skills matrix. Managers get HR reports and HR insights.
Each month Zavik works salary out from the base salary and the days a person was present, on approved leave or on unpaid leave. It then creates payslips, and salary can be paid through RazorpayX.
What Zavik does not do
Zavik does not calculate PF, ESI, TDS or professional tax. Payroll is worked out from base salary and attendance. If statutory deductions are part of your monthly process, decide how you will handle them before you choose a tool, and talk to us if you want to go through it.
If you only need a payroll tool with statutory returns, a specialist product may suit you better.
Price and trial
HR & Payroll is in every Zavik plan. Plans start at ₹170 per user per month, and paying for 12 months takes 15% off. A 5-day free trial unlocks all 14 modules and does not ask for a card, so you can run your own employees through it first.
Frequently asked questions
What is HRMS software?
HRMS stands for human resource management system. It is software that holds employee records and handles attendance, leave, payroll and other HR work in one place.
What is the difference between HRMS, HRIS and HCM?
The three terms overlap, and vendors use them loosely. HRIS usually means employee records and basic HR tasks. HRMS adds attendance, leave and payroll. HCM is the widest term and often includes hiring, performance and workforce planning. Compare features, not labels.
Which features should a small business look for first?
Start with employee records, attendance, leave and salary with payslips. Add hiring, performance reviews and reports when you need them. Choose software that lets you switch more modules on later without moving your data.
Does Zavik calculate PF, ESI or TDS?
No. Zavik works salary out from base salary and attendance, creates payslips and can pay through RazorpayX. It does not calculate PF, ESI, TDS or professional tax.
How much does Zavik cost?
From ₹170 per user per month, billed in rupees. Starter is ₹170, Growth is ₹280 and Business is ₹400, and HR & Payroll is in all three. Paying for 12 months is 15% cheaper than paying monthly.
Can we try it with our own employees?
Yes. The 5-day free trial unlocks all 14 modules and does not need a card. You can bulk-import your employee list from a CSV.
Can we use Zavik for sales or finance as well?
Yes. HR and payroll are two of 14 modules. The same login also covers Sales & CRM, Finance, Inventory, Procurement and more, depending on your plan.
Try it with your own team
Start the 5-day trial, or ask us how attendance, leave and payroll would work for you.