Toast Payroll Review
For restaurants already using Toast POS, Toast Payroll integrates payroll seamlessly with its many restaurant-industry specific features.
Toast Payroll

Total Rating | 4.0 |
---|---|
Pricing | Fair |
Features | Excellent |
Customer Service | Good |
Integrations | Fair |
Reviews | Good |
Payroll Processing Time
1 Business DayPricing
Starts at $110/month + $4/employeeBusiness Size
Small-Medium BusinessesToast Payroll At A Glance
- Cloud-based restaurant-specific payroll software
- Excellent choice for restaurants already using Toast’s line of proprietary restaurant management products including Toast POS
- Payroll software pulls data from Toast POS, such as employee tips, clock in/out, and break times
Pros
- Integrates seamlessly with Toast POS, scheduling software, and tips manager
- Several restaurant-specific features and reports
- Lots of automation capabilities
- Easily feeds into accounting software
- Lots of training videos available
Cons
- Can be expensive
- Long contract
- Early termination fee
Table of Contents
What Is Toast Payroll?
Toast Payroll is cloud-based restaurant payroll and team management software that integrates with Toast’s line of products, including Toast POS. It’s best for midsize, growing, and multi-location restaurants that want to smoothly onboard and schedule employees, and automate tip calculations.
Toast Payroll is a full-scale HR solution and has a lot of niche features that restaurant managers will appreciate, but the price of this software can get a little steep, especially considering that to get the best use out of this product, you need to purchase a Toast POS subscription and POS hardware. This is also true considering that Toast’s full-scale scheduling and tip manager products are separate add-ons.
It is worth mentioning that Toast does offer a New Restaurants package deal that includes POS software and the “Lite” versions of the scheduling and tip manager software.
Toast Payroll Pricing
Toast Payroll Plans | Price | When To Use |
---|---|---|
New Restaurant Basics | $110/month + $4/employee | If you don't already have Toast POS and need basic scheduling/payroll |
Toast Payroll POS Add-On | Custom | If you already have a Toast plan and want to add a custom-quoted full-scale payroll solution |
Toast Payroll is an add-on product that syncs to Toast POS software. You will receive a custom quote on your monthly payroll software fees unless you opt into the New Restaurants plan, which bundles your monthly POS software fees and gives you access to the “Lite” version of Toast Payroll and Toast Scheduling.
New Restaurant Basics
Toast’s New Restaurant Basics plan starts at $110/month + $4/employee/month and includes:
- Toast cloud-based POS software
- Toast Scheduling (powered by Sling) “Lite”
- Toast Payroll “Lite”
- Business insurance
- Vestwell 401(k)
Toast Payroll POS Add-On
The company charges payroll fees based on either a per-employee-per-month (PEPM) or a location monthly minimum. Toast charges the greater amount of these two options. The location monthly minimum is calculated using pay groups, which are groups of different employee types (e.g. server, kitchen staff, manager), while the PEPM cost is calculated based on all active employees.
As an example, let’s say that a restaurant gets a monthly minimum quote of $125 and a PEPM rate of $8.50/employee/month. The restaurant has 13 active employees, bringing the PEPM total to $110.50. The company will charge $125.
However, if you were to have 27 employees the next month, the PEPM total would come to $229.50, and you’d be charged this higher total.
If you have multiple locations and use the same pay groups, the location monthly minimum is multiplied. For example, if you have two locations, the minimum is doubled.
Extra Toast Payroll Costs & Fees
Toast Payroll Extra Costs | Price |
---|---|
Toast Tips Manager | $2.50/employee/month |
Toast Scheduling | Custom quote |
Off-Cycle Payroll | $50 |
Sales Tax (If Applicable) | $30/month |
Wage Amendments | $400/quarter + $50/employee (per EIN) |
Stop Payment | $25 |
Printed W-2 Forms | $5/copy |
Toast Tips Manager is another product that syncs well with Toast Payroll. It costs $2.50/employee/month.
You need Toast POS to use Toast Payroll efficiently. Toast POS costs range from $0-$165+/month. The New Restaurants POS/payroll bundle costs $110/month + $4/employee, and you’ll have to add Toast Payroll as an extra product if you’re on any other Toast POS plan.
Is Toast Payroll Easy To Use?
Toast’s cloud-based platform comes with several forms of support documentation, including help articles, on-demand video training, and live webinars with Toast representatives, at no extra cost to users. Toast gives you the option to self-install your POS, software, and hardware. You may also choose to purchase remote installation assistance or an on-site installation option.
Since Toast’s restaurant software ecosystem is large and very customizable, it can take a while to set up, and you may find it beneficial to get assistance, or at the very least, sign up for a free Zoom webinar.
Toast Payroll Features
Toast Payroll Features | Availability |
---|---|
Payroll Tax Support | |
Auto-Schedule Payroll | |
Bonus Payroll | |
Off-Cycle Payroll | |
Employee Management | |
Paid Time Off | |
Time Tracking | |
HR Support | |
Onboarding Support | |
Benefits Administration | |
Number Of Reports | Custom report builder |
Toast’s features encompass everything you’ll need to run payroll for your restaurant, including garnishments, direct deposit, tax support, deductions, PTO, tip reporting, and much more. Once you get your POS software synced to your payroll software (and scheduling software, if you choose to purchase it as an add-on or sign up for the New Restaurants plan), most of the day-to-day information you need to run payroll is automated.
Since Toast Payroll does have to exist within a number of software products, there is a bit of a learning curve when it comes to using this payroll software. At the same time, the product is designed for restaurants, with the kind of language, tools, and operations management that business owners in the industry will understand, so Toast Payroll will probably be easier for restaurant managers than other comprehensive payroll software.
Toast Payroll Customer Service
Toast Payroll Support | Availability |
---|---|
Phone Support | |
Email Support | |
Support Tickets | |
Live Chat | |
Dedicated Support Representative | |
Knowledge Base or Help Center | |
Videos & Tutorials | |
Company Blog | |
Social Media |
All Toast users get 24/7/365 support and their own support representative. You do have to pay for many one-on-one trainings/”tutorings” by the hour, but you can get questions answered or address problems with a phone call, support ticket, etc. You have to pay extra for anyone to come onsite to look over connectivity problems, issues with hardware. etc.
Some users have complained that their representative wasn’t very knowledgeable about payroll or that representatives weren’t as responsive as they should be.
Toast Payroll Integrations
Toast Payroll integrates with all other Toast products, including Toast POS, Scheduling, Tips Manager, and xtraCHEF accounts payable software. You may also integrate QuickBooks Online, and Homebase (an employee management software that’s a limited, cheaper version of Toast’s proprietary scheduling software).
Toast Payroll Reviews
As Toast Payroll is a newer Toast product offering, there are only 15 reviews online, and the software averages a 3.5/5 stars on Capterra. Toast’s flagship POS product earned a 4.2/5 stars based on 457 reviews on Capterra.
On positive reviews, business owners say they like that Toast Payroll integrates so well with their existing restaurant management software, while negative reviews mention that the software is a little too complex and they would like their representative to know more about payroll.
Negative Toast Payroll Reviews & Complaints
- Too complex
- Steep learning curve
- Pricey compared to other payroll software
Positive Toast Payroll Reviews
- All-in-one employee management platform
- Integrates well with Toast’s restaurant management tools
- All company sales and expenses on one app
Is Toast Payroll Secure?
Toast Payroll is a secure system that only allows you to run sales and payroll on Toast-authorized devices. The company is PCI compliant, uses data encryption, two-factor authentication, and consistently updates its software to provide the safest product possible.
Toast software will, unfortunately, go offline when there are updates, which isn’t necessarily a problem with running payroll software, but can be a problem when you’re taking sales on-site with POS devices.
The Final Verdict: Is Toast Payroll Worth It?
Toast Payroll Review Summary | |
---|---|
Pricing | Starts at $110/month + $4/employee |
Choose If You Need |
|
If you already use Toast POS for your restaurant and want to keep all your employee and financial data in one place, Toast Payroll is an excellent choice. It’s also a great choice for any restaurant owner looking for a restaurant-specific payroll system.
The software is a little expensive, so we recommend it only for restaurants that have more than a few employees, multiple job roles, and/or multiple locations. These restaurants have more complex payroll and tax needs, which Toast Payroll can easily fulfill. Smaller, simpler restaurant structures may find that Toast’s payroll software is an unnecessary expense.
Check out our post on the best payroll software for restaurants if you’re not sold on Toast Payroll.
Toast Payroll FAQs
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.
Try A Top Pick For Payroll
ADP Payroll ![]() |
---|
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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