Homebase Payroll Review
This employee-scheduling and time tracking software functions well on its own, and the payroll add-on might fit the bill for small businesses with modest payroll requirements.
Homebase
Total Rating | 3.8 |
---|---|
Pricing3.6 | |
Ease Of Use2.7 | |
Features4.0 | |
Customer Service4.4 | |
User Reviews4.4 |
Payroll Processing Time
2+ DaysPricing
Starts at $39/month + $6/per employee per monthPayroll Processing Add-On
Business Size
Small to large businesses paying 20+ employeesHomebase At A Glance
- Homebase is an online employee scheduling and time and attendance tracking software designed for businesses of all sizes.
- As a part of its payroll services add-on, Homebase offers essential payroll features, such as custom deductions, payroll tax support, PTO management, and more.
- Merchant Maverick ranks Homebase as one of the best payroll software for small businesses looking for affordable basic payroll processing, mobile time tracking, and extensive employee scheduling features.
Pros
- Excellent mobile app
- Extensive employee scheduling tools
- Several integration options
- Easy to use
- Affordable payroll pricing
Cons
- No benefits administration
- Very basic reporting
- Many features are limited
- Lack of customization options
Table of Contents
What Is Homebase?
Homebase is an online employee scheduling and time-tracking software designed for use by small to large businesses with one or more locations.
Homebase also offers payroll services as an add-on for businesses that want to combine employee management and payroll processing into a single space.
Additionally, Homebase seems to be very well-loved by its users, boasts an excellent mobile app, and provides small businesses with a free plan that includes basic employee scheduling and time-tracking features.
Homebase Pricing
Pricing3.6 |
---|
Software Plans 4.8 |
Pricing Transparency 5.0 |
Pricing Customization 3.0 |
Homebase earned a 3.6/5 star rating in the pricing category, which is actually a pretty solid score. Homebase only lost points in this category because its pricing structure lacks customization options that could save smaller businesses money.
Here’s a look at Homebase’s pricing:
Homebase Plans | Price | When To Use |
---|---|---|
Payroll Add-On | $39/month + $6/person paid/month | If you need basic payroll processing paired with scheduling software |
Basic | $0/month | If you need basic scheduling features for up to 20 employees (one location) |
Essentials | $24.95/location/month or $240/location/year | If you need advanced scheduling and live support |
Plus | $59.95/location/month or $576/location/year | If you need advanced scheduling, live support, and strong employee management features |
All-In-One | $99.95/location/month or $960/location/year | If you need advanced scheduling, live support, and strong employee management features, and support from HR advisors |
Homebase’s four pricing plans start at $0/month for one location with 20 or fewer employees paid and increase up to $99.95/month/location on its most expensive plan.
Homebase also offers payroll as an add-on service for any plan at $39/month + $6/employee paid per month. At that price point, Homebase is affordable but doesn’t rate as one of the best cheap payroll software services.
Homebase is best for businesses that have extensive scheduling needs and very basic payroll needs. For businesses that just need payroll, Gusto, Square Payroll, or OnPay offer stronger payroll processing features at a similar or lower price point.
Homebase Payroll Add-On
Homebase’s payroll add-on costs $39/month + $6/person paid per month, and includes:
- Unlimited payroll runs
- Automate hour tracking
- Tax calculation and payment at the federal and state level
- Automatic 1099 and W-2 filing and delivery
- Attendance tracked in Homebase automatically syncs with payroll
- eSigning for payroll forms
- Autoscheduled payroll processing
- New hire reporting
- Timecard record storage
- Support for multiple pay rates and schedules
- Off-cycle payroll
- Pay by direct deposit and paper checks
- Online employee self-service portal
- Payday emails and direct deposit notifications
- Early payday access for employees
- Free payroll transfer services
Homebase Basic
Homebase’s Basic plan is free for businesses with one location paying 20 or fewer employees and includes:
- Weekly schedule building
- Clock in options
- Timesheet management for up to 90 days
- Real-time team messaging
- Early pay benefit option for team members
- Mobile app access
- POS integrations
- Help center and email support options
Homebase Essentials
Homebase’s Essentials plan costs $24.95/month/location or $240/year/location and includes everything from the Basic plan, plus:
- Live phone and chat support
- Custom overtime and break settings
- Time off and availability request management
- Employees can manage their shifts (trading, covering, and claiming open shifts)
- Location-based time tracking
- Photo capture for clock-ins
- Real-time notification automation
- Timesheet management and storage for up to 4+ years
- Payroll integrations
- Notifications when employees view schedules
- Custom messenger channels
- Announcement sharing
- Custom shift notes
Homebase Plus
Homebase’s Plus plan costs $59.95/month/location or $576/year/location and includes everything from the Essentials plan, plus:
- Custom careers page
- Job board access
- Job posting templates
- Custom screening questions
- Text-To-Apply support
- Interview scheduling support
- Team attendance tracking
- Late alerts
- Milestone tracking
- Employee certification management
- Performance notes
- Break waiving
- Time off dashboard
- Time off request limiters (require advanced notice/specific dates)
- Custom PTO policies
- Set custom account permissions
- Organize by department
Homebase All-In-One
Homebase’s All-In-One plan costs $99.95/month/location or $960/year/location and includes everything from the Plus plan, plus:
- eSigning
- Onboarding packets
- Automate new hire tax forms and direct deposit requests
- Secure document storage
- Live support from HR advisors
- HR professional review of your company documents
- Labor law news notifications
- Job costing reports
- Overtime alerts
- Early clock-in prevention
- Automatic clock outs
- Advanced reports
- Schedule according to sales forecasts
- Advanced insights
- API access
Extra Homebase Costs & Fees
Homebase Extra Costs | Price |
---|---|
Job Posting via Craigslist or ZipRecruiter | $79/post |
Homebase has a single published additional fee for businesses that want to publish and advertise their job postings on ZipRecruiter or Craigslist. The service costs $79/job post.
Is Homebase Easy To Use?
Ease Of Use2.7 |
---|
Set Up 3.4 |
Software Reliability 4.0 |
Everyday Use 4.6 |
Integrations 0.5 |
Homebase’s 2.7/5 star ease of use rating is low. However, the software is very easy to use on a day-to-day basis but lacks a substantial selection of accounting, HR, and time-tracking integrations.
Homebase is relatively easy to use. Sign-up was a breeze, and new users are treated to a 14-day free trial of Homebase’s most expensive and feature-rich All-In-One plan.
I found the software generally easy to navigate, save for a very minor error on the reports page and a slightly unintuitive start-up flow. However, in my software tests, I found that features such as reports, scheduling, time tracking, notifications, and more were very easy and worked as expected.
Homebase’s mobile app is also exceptionally well-designed and well-loved across both the App Store and the Play Store. However, user complaints did cite software reliability as a pain point.
Homebase Features
Features4.0 |
---|
Payroll Processing 4.2 |
Employee Management & PTO 5.0 |
Time Tracking 3.0 |
Payroll Tax Support 4.5 |
Reporting & Tax Forms 5.0 |
Onboarding & HR 5.0 |
Benefits Administration 0.0 |
Niche Features 5.0 |
Regarding features, Homebase is an employee scheduling software above all, and it performs exceedingly well. Homebase earned a 4/5 star rating in the features section. Comparatively, top competitors, such as Gusto, OnPay, or QuickBooks Online Payroll, scored higher.
For businesses with basic payroll needs, Homebase’s features will serve well and won’t break the bank. However, as your business grows, builds out a software stack, adds an employee benefits package, or needs more extensive reporting, you’ll start to notice where Homebase falls flat as a payroll solution.
Ultimately, Homebase has room to grow as a payroll service provider but should be able to meet the payroll and scheduling needs of many small businesses, especially those in the retail or restaurant industries.
Homebase Customer Service
Customer Service4.4 |
---|
Personal Support 3.8 |
Self-Service 5.0 |
Homebase scored a solid 4.4/5 stars in the customer service rating category, with plenty of genuinely helpful support options. However, Homebase lacks personalized software training and did earn some user complaints regarding customer service.
Here’s a look at Homebase’s extensive customer service options:
Homebase Support | Availability |
---|---|
Phone Support | |
Email Support | |
Support Tickets | |
Live Chat | |
Dedicated Support Representative | |
Knowledge Base or Help Center | |
Videos & Tutorials | |
Company Blog | |
Social Media |
Live representatives are available via phone from 8 AM to 7 PM CST, Monday through Friday.
One thing to note is that Homebase’s free Basic plan does not include live support options, so smaller businesses using the service are somewhat less prioritized.
Otherwise, Homebase’s customer service seems to perform well, with customers citing few complaints.
Homebase Integrations
Homebase integrates with 27 third-party software solutions, including POS software, payroll software, online job boards, and restaurant-specific business tools.
Standout Homebase integrations include Clover, Toast, Shopify, Square, QuickBooks, Revel, Indeed, Gusto, ADP, Rippling, and more.
Businesses using Homebase’s highest-tier plan also gain access to the software’s API.
Homebase Reviews
User Reviews4.4 |
---|
Customer Feedback 4.0 |
Review Site Aggregate 4.5 |
With a 4.4/5 stars in the user review category, Homebase has garnered mostly positive reviews from its customers who cite the software’s ease of use, generous free plan, and scheduling features as some of its highlights.
The very few negative reviews came from users who weren’t satisfied with Homebase’s lack of customization options, pricing increases, and the limitations of its features.
Across the G2, Software Advice, and Capterra review sites, Homebase earned 4.5/5 stars with 2,000+ reviewers weighing in. More impressively, Homebase’s mobile app is exceptionally well-reviewed with the same 4.5/5-star rating and over one million downloads.
Negative Homebase Reviews & Complaints
- The software can be glitchy
- Excessive notifications
- Pricing has increased
- Reports are limited
- Customization options are limited
Positive Homebase Reviews
- Ease of use
- Excellent time-tracking functionality
- Solid scheduling features
- Helpful customer service
- Generous free plan
Is Homebase Secure?
Homebase’s security earns an excellent rating, as the company has no history of data breaches, is transparent about what it does to protect its users’ data, and follows industry-standard security protocol. Homebase’s security highlights include:
- Industry-standard NIST SP 800-171 framework
- Onsite security team
- TLS data encryption
- Bug bounty programs
- Access control
- Quarterly security scans
- Multi-factor authentication support
- Employee security training
Final Verdict: Is Homebase Worth It?
Homebase Review Summary | |
---|---|
Pricing | Starts at $0/location/month plus $39/month + $6/person paid/month |
Choose If You Need |
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Homebase is a worthy investment for small businesses looking to combine scheduling software and payroll services at an affordable price point.
However, Homebase isn’t a great fit for businesses looking for a payroll-software solution because the company’s functionality as a payroll software is lacking compared to competitors in the space.
If your business is most drawn to Homebase’s free plan and affordable pricing, there are plenty of other free payroll services that may suit your needs, including our top choice Payroll4Free. Check out our Payroll4Free review for a look into the software’s features and fees.
Payroll Software Review Methodology
We research, evaluate, and test each payroll software app that we review at Merchant Maverick, placing special emphasis on key characteristics to generate granular ratings.
Our exhaustive, 76-point rubric guides the star rating of each payroll provider we review, examining pricing, ease of use, features, customer service, and user reviews. Each section is weighted differently.
- Pricing (10% of the overall rating)
- Ease of Use (20% of the overall rating)
- Features (40% of the overall rating)
- Customer Service (20% of the overall rating)
- User Reviews (10% of the overall rating)
When rating payroll software, we are looking for very specific qualities. The speed and cost of payroll runs and the availability of tax filing services are given high weight, as are the quality and availability of accounting, time-tracking, HR integrations, and user onboarding services. We also look for the presence of client and employee portals, benefits administration, PTO and time management tools, and many more vital features.
Learn more about how we rate payroll software providers.
Try A Top Pick For Payroll
ADP Payroll |
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We like ADP Payroll for its advanced employee management, strong payroll features, and great customer support. Get three months free when you sign up through our links! Get Started.
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