Collage adds embedded payroll to Canadian HR platform

Collage has launched an embedded payroll product in Canada through a partnership with payroll infrastructure provider Nmbr, adding payroll to its HR and benefits software platform.

The product, called Collage Payroll, is built into the existing Collage system used by employers and advisers. Collage positions it as the first benefits-connected HR platform in Canada to include payroll within a benefits broker ecosystem.

Collage combines HR and benefits administration and works with a partner network that includes benefits advisers, HR consultants and accountants. Founded in 2016, it was acquired by People Corporation in 2019. Collage is based in Toronto, with staff across Canada.

Nmbr provides embedded payroll software that other platforms can integrate, focusing on infrastructure rather than a standalone payroll service. It says its software supports payroll requirements such as payments, compliance and data accuracy.

Single Workflow

The integration lets businesses run payroll in the same system they use for HR records and benefits. Employers can onboard staff once and maintain employee data across HR, payroll and benefits through a single login. The product also links time off and timesheets to payroll processing.

The launch reflects a broader trend in Canadian business software toward connecting HR and benefits processes. Payroll often still sits in a separate system, even when employers use modern tools for benefits enrolment and HR administration.

Many employers rely on separate payroll providers and update employee information across systems for new hires, pay increases, benefits changes and terminations. That approach adds manual work and increases the risk of errors, including in deductions and reporting.

Collage and Nmbr cite administrative pressure as a driver for consolidation, pointing to an estimate that nearly a third of businesses spend more than 30 hours a week managing data across payroll and other systems.

Partnership History

Collage began working with Nmbr in 2024 to develop an embedded payroll option. An early release of Collage Payroll in 2025 was adopted by clients ranging from one employee to organisations with hundreds of staff.

Payroll was a frequent customer request, according to Collage. Mark Bluvshtein, CEO of Collage and VP of HR Solutions at People Corporation, said employers continue to face friction when HR and payroll sit in different tools.

"Payroll has been the number one request from our customers for years," said Bluvshtein. "Even when HR and payroll systems work closely together, businesses still feel the friction of managing two platforms. Bringing payroll directly into Collage allows us to finally deliver a single system that manages it all, reducing complexity and giving employers far greater control."

Payroll Infrastructure

Nmbr was founded by Simon Bourgeois, Drew Millington and Kevin Langlois. It describes itself as Canada's first dedicated embedded payroll software provider, supplying APIs and embeddable front-end components intended to reduce the work involved in building payroll products.

The founding team includes executives who previously worked on the HR platform Humi. Bluvshtein has also worked in Canadian payroll technology through roles at Wave and Humi.

Nmbr says embedded payroll lowers the barrier for platforms that want to add payroll without building and operating the full stack themselves. While the model has become more common in financial services and payments, Nmbr is applying it to payroll.

Bourgeois said payroll remains difficult for most organisations to build and maintain because of its complexity and regulatory obligations.

"Payroll is one of the most complex systems a business can run, which is why so few companies have tried to build it themselves," said Bourgeois. "By partnering with Collage, we're enabling payroll to be built the right way - fully embedded, compliant, and designed for Canadian businesses. This partnership shows what's possible when modern payroll infrastructure meets a platform that deeply understands HR and benefits."

The companies are pitching the combined product as built for Canadian regulatory requirements and for employers that want HR, benefits and payroll in one system. Collage said it plans to build on the payroll launch as it expands its platform for businesses that use benefits advisers and other partners.