The verdict in three sentences
For a 1,200-employee group in Dublin, a custom employee self-service (ESS) portal costs, as a 2026 order of magnitude, 60,000 to 150,000 EUR, depending on the number of modules and the depth of the payroll integration. The return comes from three measurable items: freed HR hours (often 1 to 2 FTEs), an end to queues at the HR desk and full traceability of leave. The main project risk is a poorly scoped payroll connection, which forces HR to re-key data.
What HR still handles by hand in 2026
Many mid-sized groups in Ireland (logistics, retail, pharma manufacturing, hospitality) still run HR as a help desk. Employees email for an employment letter for their mortgage, a payslip copy, a leave balance. Across 1,200 people spread between Dublin, Cork and operational sites, the volume becomes heavy.
| HR request | Estimated monthly volume (1,200 staff) | Manual handling time | With a portal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leave request | 250 to 350 | 15 min (form, approval, entry) | 2 min (one-click approval) |
| Employment or salary letter | 120 to 200 | 20 min (drafting, signing, sending) | 0 min (signed PDF generated) |
| Payslip copy | 80 to 150 | 10 min | 0 min (payslip online) |
| Personal data update | 40 to 80 | 15 min | 3 min (check) |
| Leave balance questions | 200 to 300 | 5 min | 0 min (balance displayed) |
| Expense claim or salary advance | 60 to 120 | 25 min | 5 min |
Added up, this is 250 to 380 HR hours per month, or 1.5 to 2.3 full-time equivalents spent on repetitive work. That is the volume a portal absorbs, not the core work (hiring, employee relations, compliance with Irish employment law and Revenue PAYE Modernisation reporting).
How much a custom HR portal costs in Dublin
Prices are in euros. The ranges below are 2026 orders of magnitude for serious Irish and EU agencies, excluding the licence of the existing payroll software. For comparison, the same scope built for a group in Kinshasa costs 25,000 to 60,000 USD.
| Module | Scope | Estimated budget Dublin (EUR) | Estimated budget Kinshasa (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Core: SSO, profiles, org chart | Microsoft Entra or Google SSO, employee, manager, HR roles | 15,000 to 30,000 | 6,000 to 12,000 |
| Leave and absence workflow | Request, 2-level approval, team calendar, balances | 12,000 to 25,000 | 5,000 to 10,000 |
| Digital payslips | Monthly import from payroll, secure vault, PDF download | 8,000 to 20,000 | 4,000 to 9,000 |
| Automated letters | Templates, e-signature, verification QR code | 6,000 to 15,000 | 3,000 to 7,000 |
| Payroll connector (Sage, BrightPay, Core) | API or scheduled file import, error checks | 10,000 to 35,000 | 4,000 to 12,000 |
| Mobile app or field PWA | Offline mode, push notifications | 9,000 to 25,000 | 3,000 to 10,000 |
| Total project | 4 to 6 months of delivery | 60,000 to 150,000 | 25,000 to 60,000 |
Add hosting (150 to 600 EUR per month in an EU region) and application maintenance, usually 10 to 15% of the initial budget per year. Because the portal processes employee personal data, a GDPR data protection impact assessment is expected by the Irish Data Protection Commission for this kind of processing.
Technical choices that move the bill
Payroll integration comes first. A monthly file export is enough for payslips; real-time sync of leave balances needs a proper API and doubles the connector cost. Field staff access comes second: warehouse or site workers without corporate email need passwordless login by SMS or a shared kiosk. Letter signing last: a QR code linking to a verification page is often enough for Irish banks and landlords, and avoids a costly qualified signature setup.
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Siobhan, HR director of a 1,200-employee logistics group in Dublin, has 3 HR administrators costing an average of 4,800 EUR per month fully loaded. She estimates 60% of their time goes to leave, letters and payslip copies, so 3 x 4,800 x 0.6 = 8,640 EUR per month, or 103,680 EUR per year. She picks a 110,000 EUR portal with 14,000 EUR per year for maintenance and hosting. Recovering 70% of that time frees about 72,600 EUR per year of HR capacity, moved to recruitment and retention. Payback in under 2 years, before counting fewer leave balance errors and disputes.
FAQ
Do we need to replace our payroll software to get an HR portal?
No, in 8 cases out of 10 the portal connects to the existing payroll via file exports or an API. The connector accounts for 10,000 to 35,000 EUR depending on the tool in place.
How long until the portal goes live?
Allow 4 to 6 months for the full scope, with a first release (leave and payslips) usable from month 3. Rolling out site by site over 4 to 8 weeks reduces resistance.
What about staff without a company email?
Use SMS one-time codes linked to the employee number, plus a kiosk per site. In 2026, nearly all Irish employees own a smartphone, so the PWA covers most of the field workforce.
Isn't an HR SaaS cheaper?
An international HR SaaS costs 6 to 15 EUR per employee per month, or 86,400 to 216,000 EUR per year for 1,200 people. Custom becomes cost-effective from year 2 when processes are specific.
Where should employee data be hosted?
An EU region (Dublin, Frankfurt, Paris) costs 150 to 600 EUR per month and keeps the processing within GDPR scope. The contract must specify location, daily backups and a recovery time objective.
Let's scope your project. We scope your HR portal (modules, payroll connector, field access) with an indicative budget and a 4 to 6 month plan. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
