UKG licensing is the set of terms under which UKG Inc. sells human capital management (HCM), payroll and workforce management software. Almost all of it is sold as software as a service. A customer does not receive a perpetual licence key. It receives a right to use hosted “Subscription Services” for the term on an Order, limited to the type and number of employees the Order lists.[1] A smaller, older estate of on-premise software from the Kronos era, branded Workforce Central, is still supported under annual support agreements.[7]
Company and product names
UKG describes itself as the result of a merger between Kronos Incorporated, founded in 1977, and Ultimate Software, founded in 1990, which was completed on 1 April 2020.[6] The same page states that UltiPro is the former name of UKG Pro.[6] The product names that appear on today’s Orders are:
| Name on the Order | What it is | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| UKG Pro Pay, UKG Pro People Center | Payroll and HR core of UKG Pro | Counted by employee type[2] |
| UKG Pro Workforce Management | Timekeeping, scheduling, absence and related modules | “f/k/a UKG Dimensions”[3] |
| UKG Ready | Time, HR, scheduling and payroll for smaller organisations | Counted by Active or Compensated Employee[4] |
| UKG Compose, Dynamic Workforce Operations, API Call Packs, Webhooks Premium | Add-ons that need a UKG Pro subscription | Counted by workflows, blocks, calls or notifications[8][9] |
| Workforce Central, Timekeeper Central, TeleStaff, iSeries Central | Legacy on-premise software | Supported under Gold and Platinum plans[7] |
Inventory teams should expect old and new names to coexist. An entitlement recorded as UKG Dimensions corresponds to UKG Pro Workforce Management, and an UltiPro entitlement to UKG Pro.[3][6]
How the contract is built
UKG publishes its customer terms in layers. The Master Services Agreement (MSA) sets the general terms. A Services Description for each product sets product-specific rights, metrics and service levels. The Order sets quantities, prices, term and billing dates.[1] UKG’s index lists dozens of Services Descriptions and Statements of Work, from UKG Pro Pay and UKG Ready to UKG Shiftboard, UKG Pro Wallet and UKG Rapid Hire.[5] A Services Description states that it prevails over the Agreement for its own service.[2] The MSA itself ranks the Order above the MSA and declares customer purchase order terms void.[1] The details are in UKG Master Services Agreement and Order terms.
The MSA posted on the day the customer signs the Order applies for the duration of that Order. UKG may change the posted MSA, but a change does not affect existing Orders.[1] UKG keeps archived MSAs on its website, and the 2026-07-01 version differs from the 2025-10-01 version in at least two places discussed below.[1]
What is counted
The core unit is the employee, but the definition of “employee” depends on the product.
- UKG Pro Pay and People Center. Five employee types set on the Order: Compensated, HR Only, Global, People Center and Limited Access. The right to use is limited by those types.[2] See UKG Pro Pay and People Center licensing.
- UKG Pro Workforce Management. Without UKG Pro Pay, the right to use is limited by the number of employees identified in the Order. With UKG Pro Pay, the combined services follow the variable usage model and a blended rate.[3]
- UKG Ready. Priced per month, per Active Employee, per Compensated Employee, per transaction or per access point, as the Order states. An employee is counted for a billing period if any of six tests is met, including that the employee merely has access to the service.[4] See UKG Pro Workforce Management and UKG Ready licensing.
- Add-ons. API Call Packs of ten million calls a month, Webhooks Call Packs, Active and Concurrent Workflows in Compose, Enterprise Blocks of 1,000 employees in Dynamic Workforce Operations, and sites in Shiftboard.[8][9] See UKG API, webhook, Compose and Dynamic Workforce Operations add-ons.
Commercial mechanics
UKG’s Pro and Ready Services Descriptions use the same commercial pattern. The customer pays for a Monthly Minimum Quantity and for any use above it, called Usage Overage. The monthly fee equals employees multiplied by the applicable fee, but never less than the Monthly Minimum Quantity.[2][4] UKG states that it monitors usage to calculate fees and verify compliance with the Order.[2] The MSA adds that minimum quantities cannot be decreased during a term, that required additional quantities must be purchased, and that Orders are non-cancellable.[1]
The MSA is silent on a formal licence audit. The audit-like control is the Services Description’s statement that UKG monitors usage and verifies compliance. Customers should therefore treat the contractual position as continuous metering and billing rather than a periodic audit, and reconcile their employee types against the Order every billing period. The general discipline is described in true-up and software licence audit.
Services renew automatically for the Renewal Term on the Order. Either party may give at least 60 days’ written notice of non-renewal, and renewal fees may increase as the Order sets out.[1]
Legacy on-premise software
The Workforce Central suite and related products are covered by on-premise support policies that require one support type per installation, promise at least five years of service releases after a major release, and allow UKG to discontinue support on 30 days’ written notice or at the next anniversary date, whichever is longer.[7] Time clocks and other equipment are bought or rented under separate Equipment Terms with their own support options.[10] See UKG Workforce Central on-premise support and equipment.
Practical points for licence managers
- Find the Order first. Quantities, employee types, minimums, dates and prices are all on the Order, and none are public.
- Check which MSA version the Order references. The version posted at signing applies. Orders signed on or after 1 July 2026 are under a text that restricts programmatic, AI and agentic access without UKG’s written authorisation.[1]
- Map employee types to people. Moving a person from HR Only to Compensated, or leaving terminated people with portal access, changes the billing category.[2]
- Track add-on volumes. API calls, webhook notifications and workflow capacity are metered per month, and overage is invoiced automatically.[8]
- Plan legacy exits. Support on on-premise software can end on short notice, and a platform migration is a new licence purchase.[7]
Limits of this article
UKG publishes no price list, no part numbers and no audit procedure. This article therefore describes contractual structure and counting rules, not prices. UKG’s regional MSAs for Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Australia and other countries are separate documents, and this wiki has read the US text.[1]