HR software for charities and non-profits
Keep employee records, leave, documents and policy acknowledgements together, with a free plan for up to 10 active employees and 50% off Standard for eligible charities.
No sales call. No card. No trial clock.
- Part-time and term-time work
- Grant-funded and fixed-term roles
- DBS and policy evidence
- Trustee and funder questions
Is HollyHR a good fit for your charity?
HollyHR is designed primarily for UK charities with about 5 to 100 employees. That range describes the organisations we build for, not a plan limit. It fits when employee records, leave, sickness, documents and policy acknowledgements are the main jobs you need to organise.
Free covers up to 10 active employees. Standard does not have an employee cap.
Free for up to 10 employees. 50% off Standard and Plus for eligible charities.
HollyHR Free costs £0 for up to 10 active employees. Approved charities and non-profits pay half the normal monthly price for Standard, and will receive the same 50% discount on Plus when it launches. Prices are before applicable tax.
Charity employment rarely fits one template.
Fixed-term and grant-funded roles need dates you can find.
Keep end dates and employment changes with the person record instead of relying on the one colleague who remembers the funding agreement.
Part-time, job-share and term-time patterns need explainable leave.
Working patterns and reviewed allowances keep holiday decisions visible without pretending every charity employee works the same week.
Trustees and funders may ask for a clear evidence trail.
Keep policy acknowledgements, DBS evidence and exportable records together so the trail survives a handover or an external question.
Spend less time piecing together the employee record.
One joined-up employee record
Keep employment details, working patterns and dated changes with the person they belong to.
- Import employee records without retyping every detail
- Keep working patterns and employment changes connected
Leave that follows the working pattern
Manage holiday and sickness with allowances and decisions that remain easy to explain.
- See balances and working patterns before deciding
- Keep holiday and sickness records in one place
A clearer start for every new employee
Bring contracts, right-to-work evidence, policies and starter details into one organised journey.
- Reuse the same onboarding pack for the next hire
- Track policy acknowledgements without chasing inboxes
Core HR for employees, alongside your specialist charity systems.
HollyHR gives the people you employ a clear home while working alongside the tools that support your wider mission.
Your employee record in HollyHR
- Employment records and dated changes
- Working patterns, holiday and sickness
- Documents and policy acknowledgements
- Recorded DBS and right-to-work evidence
Works alongside your specialist tools
- Volunteer recruitment, rotas and recognition
- Safeguarding casework
- DBS and right-to-work checking services
- Payroll, fundraising and Gift Aid
HollyHR keeps the evidence and decisions you record. Your chosen checking service continues to perform the underlying checks.
Different missions. The same need for a clear employee record.
Community and support services
Local services, advice organisations, food projects and community centres.
Health and disability
Health, wellbeing, disability and independent-living organisations.
Children and education
Youth organisations, education charities and family support services.
Arts, culture and heritage
Arts organisations, museums, heritage trusts and cultural programmes.
Environment and animal welfare
Conservation groups, environmental charities and animal welfare organisations.
Membership and grant-making
Membership bodies, foundations, trusts and grant-making organisations.
These six are examples. Charities and non-profits working in other areas can apply too.
You do not need a Charity Commission number to apply.
A registered charity in any UK nation
We can verify charities registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales, the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR), or the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland (CCNI) directly.
Direct verificationA charity that is not required to register
In England or Wales, this can include charities with annual income under £5,000 that are not CIOs, plus excepted or exempt charities. We can review HMRC recognition, governing documents or other regulator evidence.
Individual reviewA not-for-profit that is not a charity
CICs, community benefit societies, non-charitable companies limited by guarantee, unincorporated associations and other mission-led non-profits can apply. We review the legal form, governing documents and how the organisation operates before confirming eligibility.
Individual reviewPractical help for the HR jobs on your desk.
Managing annual leave
A practical UK guide to allowances, requests and common leave questions.
Open guideHoliday entitlement calculator
Work out statutory holiday for full-time, part-time and irregular patterns.
Open toolHoliday policy template
Create a clear starting point for how your charity manages annual leave.
Open templateStraight answers, with the rules checked.
How much does HollyHR cost for a charity?
Free covers up to 10 active employees with no card required. Eligible charities and approved non-profits get 50% off Standard, reducing the monthly price from £2 to £1 per active employee before applicable tax. Plus is coming soon with the same discount, reducing its monthly price from £4 to £2. We review eligibility individually before issuing a private checkout code. Standard has no employee cap, and monthly billing remains available.
Can we apply if we do not have a Charity Commission number?
Yes. We can verify registered charities through the Charity Commission for England and Wales, OSCR in Scotland or CCNI in Northern Ireland. If your charity is not required to register, or you are a CIC or another not-for-profit structure, you can apply for an individual review. We may ask for HMRC recognition, governing documents, regulator evidence or other information about how the organisation operates before confirming eligibility.
Can we manage volunteers in HollyHR?
Not as a volunteer-management system, no. You can record that someone's contract type is volunteer where you need the basic record, but volunteer rotas, recruitment and recognition belong in tools built for them. HollyHR manages the people you employ.
How often should a charity renew DBS checks?
DBS certificates do not have an official expiry date. Your charity should set a review policy based on the role, its safeguarding responsibilities and any regulator or funder requirements. The DBS Update Service can support status checks with the person's consent. HollyHR records the certificate and the review date you choose; it does not carry out the check.
How do you calculate holiday for term-time-only staff?
For leave years beginning on or after 1 April 2024, statutory leave for irregular-hours and part-year workers accrues at 12.07% of hours worked. Regular part-time employees receive pro-rated entitlement from their working pattern. HollyHR calculates regular part-time entitlement and stores a reviewed allowance for part-year patterns rather than guessing it automatically.
Where is our data held, and what can we tell trustees?
Durable HR records are hosted in the UK/EU, access is role-based, selected high-sensitivity values such as bank details carry an extra layer of encryption, and sensitive actions leave audit records. The published sub-processor register lists the providers involved, and the security page explains the controls in plain language.
Does HollyHR run payroll or claim Gift Aid?
No. HollyHR keeps the people, leave and pay-relevant records clean and exportable, and produces a payroll-ready hand-off, including a Xero Payroll UK readiness pack, for your bureau or payroll software. Gift Aid is a fundraising and finance job, and it stays with your finance tools.
What happens if our funding changes and we need to leave?
You can create a self-serve 26-dataset organisation archive without raising a support ticket, and monthly billing remains available. If you have 10 or fewer active employees, you can move back to Free and keep your records. A charity should never have to choose between its budget and its HR history.
Start free with up to 10 active employees.
Bring your team over from a spreadsheet. There is no card, no sales call and no lock-in. For up to 10 active employees, everyday HR is free.