The integration will see IRIS join Teal’s network of payroll and HR software providers, allowing lenders, brokers and fintech firms to verify an applicant’s employment status and income directly through payroll records, rather than relying on payslips, employer references or other manual checks.

IRIS provides payroll and HR software to more than 300,000 UK organisations and processes payroll for around one in six UK employees. Through the partnership, organisations using Teal’s verification platform will be able to access employment and income data relating to workers paid through IRIS payroll systems.

Reducing verification friction

Income verification remains a significant challenge across lending and financial services, with many organisations still relying on document uploads, open banking journeys or manual employer checks. These processes can create delays, increase administrative workloads and contribute to application drop-off.

Under the new arrangement, lenders submit basic applicant information through Teal’s platform, which then matches those details against payroll records held by participating providers. Verified information on employment status, income and employer details is returned through a single API connection.

The companies say the process is designed to take place in the background without requiring applicants to upload documents or log into third-party systems.

Growing role of payroll data

The partnership reflects the growing role payroll data is playing within the wider financial ecosystem, particularly as organisations seek more reliable and timely ways to assess affordability, verify employment and reduce fraud.

For payroll providers and employers, the development highlights increasing demand for secure, controlled access to workforce data beyond traditional HR and payroll functions. As payroll information becomes more widely used to support lending and financial decision-making, questions around data governance, consent, security and employee trust are likely to remain key considerations.

Stephanie Coward, Managing Director for HCM at IRIS, said the partnership supports the company’s aim of enabling payroll data to be used securely while delivering value to both customers and the wider financial services sector.

The announcement comes amid broader industry efforts to streamline income verification processes and improve access to verified employment data, as lenders seek faster decision-making and more robust approaches to affordability assessment.

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