For captains and pursers, crew payroll is rarely as straightforward as pressing “send”. International crew lists, rotating contracts, multiple flags, shifting exchange rates and overlapping tax and social security obligations turn payroll into one of the most administratively demanding tasks on board. When handled manually or across disconnected systems, the risk of error increases significantly, with consequences including crew welfare, compliance and a vessel’s reputation.
“Payroll is one of the most complex and time-consuming tasks on board, and for too long it’s been driven by manual processes with very little visibility,” says Kirstie Pilatti, chief product officer at Voly. “We built Voly’s digital payroll solution to dramatically reduce the time crew spend on administration, while improving accuracy and giving everyone involved a clear, real-time view of what’s happening.”
A delayed payment, an incorrect deduction or a compliance oversight can quickly erode trust on board. For captains, it adds pressure. For pursers, it absorbs valuable time that could be spent on operational priorities. And for owners, brokers and lawyers, payroll mistakes can raise uncomfortable questions around liability and due diligence.
A digital response to a global problem
Voly’s newly launched digital payroll service is designed to tackle these challenges head-on, offering an automated, centralised solution built specifically for the realities of modern superyacht operations. The service combines automated payroll calculations, multi-currency payments and robust compliance processes that are both MLC-compliant and ISO-certified.
It promises accurate, on-time pay for crew, regardless of nationality, contract structure or jurisdiction. Payroll calculations are automated, reducing the reliance on spreadsheets and manual checks, while built-in safeguards help minimise human error and compliance risk.
“Our system stands out because it fully digitalises payroll from start to finish,” Pilatti adds. “It introduces strong controls, and provides transparency at every step, so crew know exactly where they stand and management has the right controls and audit trail in place. Ultimately, it’s about making payroll simpler, faster and more reliable for an industry that has outgrown spreadsheets and disconnected tools.”
For a purser managing crew from Europe, Australasia and the Caribbean, all paid in different currencies and subject to different rules, the system removes complexity without removing control.
Powered by workrest and Voly Crew
The digital payroll service is delivered through Voly Crew, Voly’s growing crew management ecosystem. Following the acquisition of workrest in December 2025, alongside its earlier acquisition of Voyonic, Voly has brought together payroll, compliance and crew administration into a single hub.
workrest was originally designed to simplify crew management through intuitive digital tools, including hours of rest tracking, leave management and visa monitoring. Integrated directly into payroll, this data now feeds automatically into pay calculations, ensuring that leave taken, rotations worked and rest requirements met are accurately reflected.
Real operational impact
Consider a charter yacht operating back-to-back seasons in the Mediterranean and the Caribbean. Crew rotate frequently, currencies shift and payroll deadlines remain immovable. With a digital system in place, payments are processed accurately and on time, regardless of location, while captains retain real-time visibility over payroll status across the vessel.
Or take a new build delivery phase, where crew onboarding happens rapidly. Voly’s digital onboarding and documentation tools allow vetting, secure document storage and compliance management to happen alongside payroll setup, removing duplication and reducing risk during critical operational moments.
For management companies overseeing multiple vessels, transparent reporting provides an instant overview of payroll activity across the fleet, without compromising individual crew privacy.
"We are strong believers in technology as the single biggest innovator in the superyacht industry,” says Nick Dean of Dean and Waters, a superyacht management firm and Voly client. “That’s why we’ve been working with Voly for several years, utilising its full suite of products to manage vessels through Dean and Waters. Voly are consistently at the forefront of innovation in the superyacht space, creating software that simplifies managing a superyacht - delivering security and transparency at every point and ultimately making our job and importantly crew time more efficient.”
Privacy, security and controlled visibility
Payroll data is among the most sensitive information on board, and Voly’s system is designed with that reality in mind. Role-based access ensures that crew members see only their own payslips and personal information, while administrators and senior officers have controlled visibility over what they need to manage.
All documentation is securely stored, with a single sign-on system that limits access appropriately and protects confidentiality. For captains and pursers, this creates confidence that payroll remains private, compliant and professionally managed.
“It now feels only natural for us to support Voly in the launch of its new payroll product,” Dean continues. “This product will set a gold standard for managing crew payments, providing full transparency to all levels of management, and ensuring crew payments are made swiftly and securely and from what we have seen, it is another exciting opportunity to provide efficiencies both onboard and ashore.”
Learn more about Voly’s digital payroll service and how it integrates into Voly Crew here.
Sponsored content created for Voly