Frequently asked questions

PawaHR is built for HR teams, finance managers, and founders who want payroll and compliance handled accurately without the manual headache. Whether you're a small team or a growing company, PawaHR scales with you.

Yes. PawaHR is built specifically for the Kenyan market. We focus on Kenyan statutory deductions — PAYE, NSSF, SHIF, and Affordable Housing Levy — and we're deeply familiar with local labour laws and filing requirements.

The core platform — leave, payroll, statutory compliance, and bank payment files — is built and working. Early access means we're onboarding a limited first cohort so every company gets dedicated setup support. In return, early adopters get direct input on what we build next.

Yes. Request early access, or book a demo to see it first.

Request early access from any page, or email us to book a demo. We'll walk you through setup and help you migrate your existing payroll data if needed.

It depends on how your records are kept today. You can import employee data from a CSV file or add people one by one, then set up leave policies and payroll settings. We'll help you import your records and check your first payroll run with you.

Yes. You can import employees in bulk using a simple CSV template, or add them one at a time. The import process maps your columns to PawaHR fields, so names, departments, and other details land in the right place. If you need help, our onboarding team can review your file and guide you through the mapping.

No. PawaHR is built for business owners and team leads, not specialists. PAYE, SHIF, and NSSF calculations happen automatically on every payroll run — you review and approve, the system does the math. If you can use M-Pesa, you can use PawaHR.

Yes. PawaHR runs in the browser and can be installed as a mobile app (PWA) for one‑tap access. Employees can clock in and out, request leave, view payslips, and update their own details from anywhere. Managers can approve requests and check team attendance without being in the office.

You simply move to the next tier — no penalties, no surprise charges, no disruption. Our bands are deliberately wide so most companies aren't constantly hitting tier boundaries.

Business covers 51 – 100 employees. Plans are priced by employee band, so it includes everything in the Professional plan at that size. Custom roles, advanced reporting, API access, and priority support are planned for Business and are not available yet.

Scale covers 101 – 200 employees — the band above Business, for companies running larger payrolls. A dedicated account manager, service level agreements, and further customisation options are planned for Scale and are not available yet.

The Enterprise plan starts at KES 90,000 per month for 201+ employees, and covers everything in Scale at that size. SSO and custom data retention are planned for Enterprise and are not available yet. Contact us for a personalised quote.

Yes. Annual billing is available at a 20% discount — twelve months paid in advance. Like plan changes, it's arranged by email during early access: write to hello@pawahr.com and we'll invoice you. Self-service annual billing in the app is planned for a future release. Annual fees are paid up front and are not refunded if you cancel part-way through a term — see Section 8 of our Terms.

Payments are generally non-refundable, except where required by law. If you believe you're entitled to a refund, contact support@pawahr.com and we'll review your case.

Plan changes are currently managed manually during early access. Contact us at hello@pawahr.com and we'll help you upgrade or downgrade. Self-service plan management is on the roadmap.

You can cancel anytime by emailing support@pawahr.com. Your plan stays active until the end of the current billing period. Self-service cancellation will be available in the app later.

Yes. PAYE, SHIF, NSSF, and the Affordable Housing Levy are calculated automatically for every staff member on every monthly payroll run, and P9A cards and SHIF and NSSF remittance files come from the same run. Statutory rates are reviewed whenever KRA, SHA, or NSSF publish changes.

Monthly. Weekly and daily pay aren't supported yet.

Not yet. Today PawaHR prepares a payment file for your bank; M-Pesa payouts are coming soon.

Yes. Pay is set per staff member — salary, allowances, and deductions — and staff are grouped into departments, such as teaching and non-teaching, or shop floor and management. Statutory deductions are calculated the same way for everyone, as the law requires.

Yes, on contracts paid monthly: short-term contract staff run in the same monthly payroll as permanent staff. Casual workers, as the Employment Act defines them, are paid daily, which PawaHR does not do.

Yes. Union dues, welfare contributions, and any other recurring deduction are configured per staff member and applied automatically on each payroll run. Deductions show on the payslip alongside statutory items.

Every connection to PawaHR is encrypted, access is controlled through role-based permissions — Admin, HR, Manager, and Employee each see only what they should — and every sensitive action is audit-logged.

Not yet. On 25 September 2026 we asked the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner (ODPC) to confirm whether a company of our size must register as a data controller and processor, and whether we can register voluntarily. We'll update this answer when they reply. Registered or not, the Data Protection Act, 2019 applies to how we handle your employees' data.

Yes. Your data is yours — employee records, payroll history, and reports can be exported at any time. No lock-in, no hostage data. We'd rather keep you with a good product than a closed door.

Yes. For data access, correction, or deletion requests under Kenya’s Data Protection Act, email privacy@pawahr.com with the subject “Data Subject Request”. We’ll acknowledge within one business day.

We respond to all emails within one business day. If you’ve emailed on a weekend or public holiday, we’ll reply the next working day.

Yes. You can reach us at +254 759 551 722 between 9am and 5pm EAT, Monday to Friday. If we miss your call, leave a message and we’ll return it within one business day.

Use hello@pawahr.com with the subject “Book a Demo”. We’ll get back to you with available slots.

To help us respond faster, tell us your company size (number of employees), the feature you’re interested in, and any specific questions. If you’re an existing customer, include your company name.

Yes. We only use your email and phone number to respond to your inquiry. We never share your contact details with third parties for marketing. See our Privacy Policy for details.