Black Piano EOR Expert Review [2026]: How Good Are They?
Black Piano is a UK-based boutique global payroll and EOR provider focused on compliant hiring and hands-on operational support.
Black Piano at a Glance: Company Overview
Black Piano is a UK-based boutique EOR and talent partner founded in 2020 by Jonathan McElhatton and Abhishek Maurya. Unlike traditional global EOR providers that focus on scale and multi-country coverage, Black Piano takes a deliberately narrow approach: they specialize exclusively in helping United Kingdom businesses hire remote talent from India. The company was born from the founders’ frustration with the offshoring industry’s opacity, high margins, and poor worker treatment.
Operating from offices in London (sales and account management) and Pune, India (recruitment and HR operations), Black Piano positions itself as a full-service partner rather than just a payroll platform. They handle the entire hiring lifecycle from recruitment and interviewing through to ongoing HR management, employee retention, and compliance. Their EOR services extend to 60+ countries according to their marketing, though their core expertise and operational strength clearly lies in India.
What sets Black Piano apart is their transparency about margins (they openly state they make approximately £250 per hire) and their focus on SMB clients who need one to a handful of hires rather than enterprise-scale deployments. With a claimed 98% staff retention rate and a commitment to ensuring workers are paid fairly while clients save money, they occupy a unique niche between full-service recruitment agencies and tech-first EOR platforms.
Key Services Offered by Black Piano
Employer of Record (EOR): Black Piano acts as the legal employer for workers in India and 60+ other countries, handling employment contracts, payroll, taxes, benefits administration, and compliance with local labor laws. Unlike platform-first EORs, they provide hands-on support throughout the employment relationship.
Recruitment and Talent Sourcing: Beyond just employing workers, Black Piano actively recruits candidates on behalf of clients. They handle job postings, candidate screening, interviews, and selection for roles ranging from virtual assistants to senior software developers.
HR Management and Retention: The company provides ongoing HR support including performance management, employee engagement initiatives, and retention strategies. They claim their “magic formula” delivers a 98% staff retention rate.
Payroll and Benefits Administration: Full payroll processing including salary payments, tax withholdings, statutory benefits, leave management, and equipment provisioning (laptops provided to employees).
Onboarding and Offboarding: Complete employee lifecycle management from contract signing and documentation through to termination procedures and compliance requirements.
Staff Augmentation: For companies needing to scale teams quickly, Black Piano provides dedicated remote staff who work exclusively for the client while remaining Black Piano employees.
Pros and Cons of Using Black Piano as Your EOR
Radical pricing transparency: Black Piano openly discloses their margin (approximately £250 per hire) and provides detailed cost breakdowns showing exactly what you pay for salary, taxes, benefits, and their fee. This level of openness is rare in the EOR industry where hidden fees and FX markups are common.
Full-service talent partnership: Unlike platform-only EORs where you bring your own candidate, Black Piano handles recruitment, interviewing, and candidate selection. This makes them ideal for companies without existing Indian talent networks or HR resources to manage hiring.
India specialization depth: By focusing predominantly on Indian talent, Black Piano has built deep local expertise, established office infrastructure in Pune, and developed strong recruitment networks. This specialization translates to faster hiring and better candidate quality than generalist global EORs.
SMB-focused service model: The company explicitly targets small to medium-sized businesses, offering personalized service with direct CEO access (Jonathan McElhatton is available for client calls). This contrasts with larger EORs where SMB clients often get deprioritized.
High employee retention rates: Their claimed 98% staff retention rate suggests strong employee satisfaction and effective HR management, reducing the costly churn that plagues many remote teams.
Cost arbitrage value proposition: By leveraging India’s lower cost of living, Black Piano enables UK companies to hire skilled professionals at a fraction of local rates (examples cited include VAs at £463/month vs £2,292 UK equivalent).
Limited geographic coverage: While they claim 60+ countries, Black Piano’s real strength and operational presence is India. Companies needing to hire across multiple regions will likely need additional EOR providers.
No self-service platform: Black Piano operates as a service-first company without the sophisticated tech platforms offered by Deel, Remote, or similar competitors. This means more manual processes and potential for slower turnaround on routine requests.
Not suitable for scale: The boutique, high-touch model works well for hiring a handful of employees but may struggle with enterprises needing to onboard large teams quickly or manage complex multi-country payrolls.
UK client focus: Their sales, marketing, and account management are UK-based and UK-focused. While they serve clients in the US, Australia, and Europe, companies in other regions may find the service less tailored to their needs.
Limited public reviews: Unlike established EOR providers with hundreds of G2 or Capterra reviews, Black Piano has minimal third-party review presence, making independent verification of their claims difficult.
Dependency on India: The heavy concentration on Indian talent creates single-country risk. Political, economic, or regulatory changes in India could significantly impact service delivery.
How Black Piano Is Scoring: Our Data-Driven Analysis
Black Piano occupies a unique position in the EOR market as a specialized boutique provider rather than a global platform. Their strengths in India-focused hiring are offset by limited global reach and lack of technology infrastructure compared to market leaders.
3.9 /5.0
✓ Strong India-focused EOR and employment delivery
✓ Handles payroll, statutory compliance, benefits, equipment, and local HR support in India
✓ Integrated recruitment and staff augmentation included
✓ Equipment provisioning; Laptops and necessary equipment provided to employees
✗ No immigration support: Limited assistance with visas or work permits
✗ No equity administration: Cannot manage stock options or employee ownership programs
✗ No global mobility services: No support for employee relocations or international transfers
✗ Limited benefits customization: Standard Indian benefits rather than tailored packages
✗ No broad multi-country EOR coverage
3.5 /5.0
Black Piano excels in pricing transparency, making them stand out in an industry notorious for hidden fees.
✓ Open margin disclosure: They publicly state their margin is approximately £250 per hire, unusual transparency for the EOR industry
✓ All-inclusive monthly fee: Single fee covers salary, taxes, benefits, leave, equipment, and Black Piano’s service charge
✓ No setup fees: Zero recruitment fees and no onboarding charges
✓ No hidden FX markups: Transparent currency handling without buried exchange rate spreads
✓ Cost calculator available: Online tool lets prospects estimate savings before engaging
✗ Pricing not publicly listed: While transparent once engaged, specific rates require consultation
✗ Variable by role: Total cost depends heavily on employee salary level and role requirements
Black Piano’s approach to pricing reflects their founding mission to disrupt the high-margin offshoring industry. The combination of disclosed margins and all-inclusive fees makes budgeting straightforward for clients.
4.5 /5.0
Contract flexibility is reasonable for a boutique provider, though less standardized than larger competitors.
✓ No long-term commitments required: Flexible arrangements without multi-year lock-ins
✓ Monthly billing: Simple payment structure aligned with payroll cycles
✓ Direct CEO engagement: Contract negotiations happen with senior leadership, enabling flexibility
✗ Limited public documentation: Contract terms, notice periods, and termination procedures not publicly disclosed
✗ No self-service contract management: All changes require manual coordination with the Black Piano team
✗ Deposit requirements unclear: Security deposit policies not transparently communicated
The service-oriented model means contract terms are likely negotiable, but the lack of standardized public documentation may concern companies preferring clear, published terms.
3.5 /5.0
High-touch service model delivers strong support for the right client profile.
✓ Direct access to leadership: CEO Jonathan McElhatton personally available for client calls
✓ Dedicated account management: UK-based team handles ongoing client relationships
✓ Local HR presence: Pune-based HR managers provide on-the-ground employee support
✓ 98% employee retention: High retention suggests effective HR management and employee satisfaction
✓ Positive client testimonials: Case studies from NFS Technology and others demonstrate strong outcomes
✓ Comprehensive insurance coverage: Employers’ liability, professional indemnity, and other protections in place
✗ Limited availability outside UK hours: UK-based account team may create timezone challenges for non-UK clients
✗ No 24/7 support: Boutique model cannot match always-on support of larger platforms
✗ Minimal third-party reviews: Limited presence on G2, Capterra, or Trustpilot makes independent validation difficult
Service quality appears strong for clients fitting Black Piano’s ideal profile (UK SMBs hiring Indian talent), but the boutique model inherently limits support scalability.
4.0 /5.0
Black Piano does not offer proprietary software, and we do not penalize smaller providers solely for lacking a platform. Instead, we evaluate them fairly based on operational execution, compliance capability, and service depth.
/5.0
Final Verdict: Our Recommendation on Black Piano
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Black Piano is a UK-based Employer of Record and talent partner that helps businesses hire remote workers, primarily from India. They act as the legal employer, handling payroll, taxes, benefits, and compliance while you manage the employee’s day-to-day work.
Black Piano is headquartered in Bishop’s Stortford, Hertfordshire, UK, with their CEO and sales team based in London. Their operations team, recruiters, and HR managers are based in Pune, India.
Black Piano was founded in 2020 by Jonathan McElhatton (CEO, based in UK) and Abhishek Maurya (Director of Operations, based in India). Both left careers in management consulting and technology services to start the company.
Black Piano charges a single monthly fee that includes employee salary, local taxes, benefits, leave allowances, equipment, and their service margin (approximately £250 per hire). Specific costs vary based on the role and salary level. They charge no recruitment fees or setup costs.
While Black Piano claims to offer EOR services in 60+ countries, their primary focus and operational strength is in India. Their core value proposition centers on helping UK businesses hire Indian talent.
Yes, unlike many EOR providers who require you to bring your own candidate, Black Piano offers full recruitment services including job posting, candidate sourcing, screening, and interview coordination.
Black Piano claims a 98% staff retention rate, which they attribute to their comprehensive HR management, employee engagement initiatives, and focus on fair compensation.
No, Black Piano operates as a service-first company without a self-service client platform or employee portal. All interactions are handled through direct communication with their team.
Black Piano is designed for small to medium-sized businesses rather than enterprise clients. Companies needing to hire large teams, manage complex multi-country payrolls, or requiring sophisticated technology integrations should consider larger EOR platforms.
Black Piano differs significantly from global EOR platforms like Deel or Remote. While those providers offer self-service technology platforms with coverage in 150+ countries, Black Piano provides high-touch personalized service focused primarily on India. Black Piano includes recruitment services; Deel and Remote do not. Black Piano lacks self-service tools; Deel and Remote are technology-first.
Written by
Dane Cobain is a Copywriter at Employsome and an accomplished author whose work spans fiction, non-fiction, and professional writing. Over the past decade, he has built a strong track record creating straightforward content for the HR, payroll, and corporate sectors. Dane brings a storyteller’s eye to the evolving world of global employment, with a particular focus on Employer of Record and PEO models. His articles explore industry trends and dedicated Best Of Guides when managing an international workforce.
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