HR and payroll software for microfinance institutions
Offrd costs ₹50 per active employee per month, with no minimum headcount. Field officers check in by GPS from wherever they are visiting, branch staff by QR, and every branch sits under one payroll. An institution with 60 employees, 40 of them field officers, pays ₹3,000 a month.
Last updated 11 October 2026
Why is HR hard to run across many small branches?
A microfinance institution tends to be many small branches with a handful of people each, and most of the work happens outside the branch. A field officer spends the day with borrower groups, so a branch register holds only a thin scrap of it.
Payroll is run at head office while attendance is kept in the branches. When every branch uses its own sheet, head office rebuilds the month from whatever scrappy sheets arrive, and the totals have to be tallied by hand.
Staff also move between branches. A fresh record at the new branch loses the joining date, and that date is the stubborn fact gratuity is counted from.
How do field officers mark attendance away from the branch?
A field officer checks in by GPS within a 500 metre radius, or remotely from any location. The check in carries the location, so the Field Work report shows where the day was spent.
Branch staff scan the QR code at the entrance. Each branch is a site with its own geofence, and all the branches sit in one account. The live dashboard gives a plain view of daily logs and location summaries, and live status tells you who is working, on a break or not working.
A new batch of field officers can go in through a bulk CSV import of the roster, which beats a slow round of typing. Shifts are named schedules with a start time, an end time and a grace period.
| Role | Where they work | How attendance is marked |
|---|---|---|
| Field officer | With borrower groups | GPS check in, or remote check in |
| Branch manager | Branch | QR at the entrance |
| Branch accountant | Branch | QR check in, named shift |
| Area manager | Moves between branches | GPS check in |
| Head office staff | Head office | QR check in |
| A new branch | A new location | A new site with its own geofence |
Which letters and records does a microfinance institution need for its staff?
Under the Labour Codes in force from 21 November 2025, every employee must get a written appointment letter. That applies to a field officer who joined this week and to the branch manager of ten years.
In Offrd every letter comes from one generator, which beats a hodgepodge of Word files. The salary structure balances against total CTC, and the PIN code of the branch fixes the city, district and state, so the professional tax slab arrives on its own.
Onboarding verifies Aadhaar and PAN in real time, and letters go out for e signature. Offrd tracks probation confirmation dates and generates the confirmation letter when it falls due.
Payroll runs in a grid that edits like a spreadsheet, with the deductions and the payslip layout already wired in. Payslips can be sent as a batch, in calendar month or working day mode, so nobody has to tinker with a sheet.
Settlement for a leaver is a separate module with its own reference number, 19 standard deduction heads and 13 exit payout heads. Increment, experience and relieving letters come from the same record.
The statutory part is calculated inside payroll and not submitted anywhere. Provident fund is 12 percent from the employer and 12 percent from the employee on the ₹25,000 wage ceiling, and ESI is 3.25 percent from the employer and 0.75 percent from the employee for as long as gross pay stays under ₹21,000. Professional tax comes from the state that the branch PIN code resolves to. Gratuity is wages times 15, times years of service, divided by 26. Filing returns is not part of it. The EPFO ECR and the TRACES 24Q stay with your CA, who receives the payroll in EPF return format.
What does Offrd not do for a microfinance institution?
Loan accounts, borrower records, collections and credit checks stay in your loan management system. Offrd holds the staff record beside it.
Performance reviews, OKRs, 360 feedback, expense claims, a helpdesk and an asset register are also absent. If you hire field officers in batches, Pre-Hire reads the stack of resumes before any interview, scores each one and marks it Hire or Consider, and it also suggests interview questions. The interview and the hiring decision stay with you.
Offrd also calculates statutory amounts and does not file them. If your main need is returns that file themselves, better to hear that now than after signup.
Signup brings 50 free credits, with no card. That is enough for one appointment letter, one onboarding pack and about a dozen payslips.
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What do microfinance operators ask?
- How does a field officer mark attendance?
- By GPS check in within a 500 metre radius, or remotely from any location, from their own phone. The location is recorded with the check in.
- Can head office run one payroll for all branches?
- Yes. Each branch is a site in the same account and payroll runs in a single cycle. Billing is ₹50 per active employee per month for the whole institution, with no seat block.
- Can I add forty field officers at once?
- Yes. The employee roster takes a bulk CSV import, so a new batch goes in together, with no slog of one record at a time.
- Does every field officer need an appointment letter?
- Yes. Under the Labour Codes in force from 21 November 2025, every employee must get a written appointment letter.
- Does Offrd manage loans or collections?
- No. Loan accounts, borrower records and collections belong in your loan management system. Offrd keeps the staff side only.
- What happens when an officer is transferred to another branch?
- The site is changed on the same employee record. The joining date, salary structure and earlier documents stay with the person, so there is no tangle of duplicate records, and the gratuity count carries on from the original date.
- What does an institution with 60 employees pay?
- ₹3,000 a month on the subscription plan, which is ₹50 per active employee. It covers documents, EPF, ESI, professional tax and gratuity calculation, attendance and leave management. There is no setup fee.
How do you try Offrd with field officers?
Signup brings 50 free credits, with no card. Make one branch a site, put its field officers on GPS check in, and eyeball the Field Work report after a month.
Statutory rates follow the published rules of the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation and ESIC, and the Labour Codes notified by the Ministry of Labour and Employment. Several limits vary by state. This is general information and not legal advice. Confirm your own position with your CA or legal adviser. Questions go to service@offrd.co.