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Best Payroll Software For Restaurants

These great restaurant payroll software options will help you manage taxes, pay your employees on time, and handle benefits administration.

    Erica Seppala
  • UPDATED

Our content reflects the editorial opinions of our experts. While our site makes money through referral partnerships, we only partner with companies that meet our standards for quality, as outlined in our independent rating and scoring system.

We evaluated popular payroll software to determine the best options for restaurants based on pricing, features, customer support, and usability. These are our top picks.

Compare Our Top Picks

ProviderBest ForPricingIntegrationsNext Steps
Best Overall PayrollStarts at $35/month + $6/employee20+
Best For Employee BenefitsStarts at $49/month + $6/person185+
Best For IntegrationsCustomVaries by product
Best For Toast UsersCustom6
Best For Workforce ManagementCustom350+
Show More Options
Best Mobile AppStarts at $20/month + $4/employee30+
Best For Transparent PricingStarts at $49/month + $6/month per person20+
Best For SchedulingStarts at $0/month25+
Show Fewer Options

Square Payroll

Best Overall

Best Overall Payroll

Square Payroll is our best overall payroll software for restaurants because it combines restaurant-friendly payroll features, straightforward pricing, and a strong Square POS integration.

Restaurants can import timecards and tips, run payroll, pay employees and contractors, manage payroll taxes, and give staff access to pay details through the Square Team App.

Scheduling
Benefits Administration
Time Tracking

PROS

  • Square POS integration
  • Affordable pricing
  • Strong tax support

CONS

  • Limited features
  • Administrative options lacking
  • Add-ons can increase pricing

Gusto

Best For Employee Benefits

Gusto is best for restaurants that want payroll software with strong employee benefits options.

Restaurants can run payroll for employees and contractors, support tips and multiple pay rates, manage onboarding, and offer benefits through Gusto’s partner network. Some time tracking, multistate payroll, and advanced HR features require higher-tier plans or add-ons.

Scheduling
Integrations only
Benefits Administration
Time Tracking
Plus plan and up

PROS

  • Tip tracking and wage reporting
  • Multi-location support
  • Contractor-only plan available

CONS

  • Limited reporting
  • Advanced plans require higher tier

ADP Payroll

Best For Integrations

ADP is best for restaurants that need payroll software with a large integration ecosystem.

Through ADP Marketplace and partner integrations, restaurants can connect payroll with tools for scheduling, time tracking, POS data, hiring, HR, and workforce management. Pricing is quote-based, and some features may require higher-tier plans or add-ons.

Scheduling
Benefits Administration
Add-on only
Time Tracking
Add-on only

PROS

  • Comprehensive feature set
  • Scalable for growing restaurants
  • Customizable plans

CONS

  • Non-transparent pricing
  • Add-ons can get expensive

Toast Payroll

Best For Toast Users

Toast Payroll is best for restaurants that already use Toast POS or want payroll software built around restaurant operations.

Toast Payroll syncs with Toast POS to bring hours, tips, breaks, and shift edits into payroll. It also supports onboarding, payroll taxes, tip management, and employee self-service. A custom quote is required.

Scheduling
Benefits Administration
Time Tracking

PROS

  • Easy onboarding
  • Integrated team management
  • Toast POS integration

CONS

  • Long-term processing contract
  • Can be expensive

Paylocity

Best For Workforce Management

Paylocity is best for restaurants that need workforce management tools alongside payroll.

Restaurants can use Paylocity for payroll, tax support, scheduling, time tracking, employee communication, HR, and compliance. It’s best suited for growing restaurants, multi-location businesses, and teams with more complex staffing needs, but smaller restaurants may find it offers much more than they need.

Scheduling
Benefits Administration
Time Tracking

PROS

  • Strong payroll and HR tools
  • Scheduling and time tracking tools
  • Employee self-service tools

CONS

  • Non-transparent pricing
  • Implementation may be complex

SurePayroll

Best Mobile App

SurePayroll is best for restaurant owners who want to manage payroll from a mobile app.

Restaurants can run payroll, review reports, access pay details, and manage employee and contractor payments using SurePayroll’s mobile tools. Its core feature set is more basic than some competitors, but full-service tax support and add-ons are available.

Scheduling
Integrations only
Benefits Administration
Time Tracking
Add-on only

PROS

  • App for employers and employees
  • Strong customer service
  • Full-service tax option

CONS

  • Non-transparent pricing
  • No time-tracking

OnPay

Best For Transparent Pricing

OnPay is best for restaurants that want full-service payroll with transparent pricing.

Restaurants can use OnPay to run unlimited payroll, manage tipped employees, pay contractors, handle payroll taxes, and support employee onboarding. OnPay uses one main pricing plan, which keeps costs predictable but may feel less flexible for businesses with simpler payroll needs.

Scheduling
Integrations only
Benefits Administration
Time Tracking

PROS

  • Full tax support
  • No hidden fees
  • Excellent customer support

CONS

  • Limited mobile app
  • No automatic payroll

Homebase

Best For Scheduling

Homebase is best for restaurants that want scheduling, time tracking, team communication, and payroll-connected timesheets in one platform.

Restaurants can build schedules, track hours, manage time-off requests, and prepare payroll using Homebase time data. Payroll is available as a paid add-on, so restaurants should factor that into total costs.

Scheduling
Benefits Administration
Time Tracking

PROS

  • Competitive pricing
  • Excellent scheduling tools
  • Many POS integrations

CONS

  • Free plan limited to one location
  • Limited feature set

Our Rating Methodology

Each provider gets 10–15 hours of research, is scored by a subject-matter expert, and is reviewed by a second expert before publication. Ratings are not influenced by our referral partnerships.

Features
40%
Ease Of Use
20%
Customer Service
20%
Pricing
10%
User Reviews
10%

Frequently Asked Questions

What makes payroll software different for restaurants?

Restaurant payroll is more complicated than standard payroll because it has to account for tipped wages, tip credits, tip pooling, changing schedules, and high employee turnover.

The best restaurant payroll software can handle those details and sync with your POS system, so hours, tips, and sales data flow into payroll with less manual work.

What is the best payroll software for restaurants?

The best restaurant payroll software depends on your POS system, restaurant size, and payroll needs. Your budget should also be a consideration, but not necessarily the deciding factor.

Gusto is a strong overall option for easy payroll, tax filing, and tip support. Square Payroll is a good fit for restaurants already using Square POS, while ADP may be better for larger restaurants or multi-location groups.

Does restaurant payroll software handle tips?

Restaurant payroll software can help track reported tips, include tips in wages for tax purposes, and manage tip pooling or tip credits when needed.

POS integration is especially helpful because it can pull tip data directly into payroll, reducing manual entry and payroll mistakes.

How does restaurant payroll integrate with POS systems?

Restaurant payroll software can connect with your POS system to pull in employee hours, tips, and sometimes sales data.

This helps reduce manual entry and makes payroll more accurate, especially for restaurants with tipped employees, changing schedules, or multiple locations.

What payroll compliance issues do restaurants face?

Restaurants have to manage payroll rules for tipped employees, including tip credits, minimum wage, overtime, tip reporting, and payroll taxes.

Rules can vary by state, and some states don’t allow tip credits at all. Restaurant payroll software with state-specific compliance tools and automatic tax filing can help reduce mistakes.

Erica Seppala

Erica Seppala

Editor & Senior Staff Writer at Merchant Maverick
Erica has been writing about small business finance and technology since 2008. She joined Merchant Maverick in 2018 and specializes in researching and reviewing business software, financial products, and other topics to help small businesses manage and grow their operations. Her expertise has been cited in MSN, Reader's Digest, Vox, U.S. News & World Report, and Real Simple. She is a Certified ProAdvisor for QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Payroll, a graduate of Limestone University, and currently resides in Greenville, South Carolina.
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