Trade guide
Payroll software for restaurants: published prices and tip features
Four vendors publish monthly payroll prices and tip tools that restaurant operators actually ask about: tip fields, credit-card tips, and sometimes Form 8846 language. The tables below use official pages only, with a source and a check date. This is a comparison, not a ranking, and it is not tax or labor-law advice.
Source status labels: Official vendor page, Official government page, Quote-only / unpublished. A cell marked TBD was not found on an official page on the check date. Dates use the America/Los Angeles calendar (Pacific Time). Last checked 10 November 2026.
Vendor names in this article link to official pages for verification. Affiliate tracking links are placeholders only. See the disclosure.
What restaurant payroll usually has to capture
Restaurant pay often mixes hourly wages, cash tips, credit-card tips, overtime, and sometimes a mandatory service charge. Federal and state rules differ, especially on whether tips can be credited toward minimum wage. California, for example, does not allow a tip credit. See the official California DIR tips and gratuities FAQ and, if you operate there, the California payroll guide.
Software can help you record tips and withhold tax. It does not replace a written tip policy or an accountant's review of Form 8846 or state rules.
Published monthly list prices
| Vendor | Published payroll price | Example: 8 people paid, one state | Multi-state on that plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gusto Simple | $49/mo + $6/mo per person | $97 | Simple is described as one-state payroll. Multi-state is listed on Plus and Premium. |
| Gusto Plus | $80/mo + $12/mo per person | $176 | Included, with no extra per-state payroll fee stated on the multi-state page. |
| OnPay Payroll Essentials | $49 base + $6 per worker per month | $97 | Included at no additional stated cost; "pay in as many states as you need." |
| Square full-service payroll | $35/mo + $6 monthly fee per person paid | $83 | Listed as included on full-service payroll. Not included on contractor-only payroll. |
| Homebase Payroll | $49/mo + $6 per employee paid, or $29/mo base for teams of 5 or fewer, plus $6 per person paid | $97 at the $49 base (8 people is above 5) | TBD on the payroll pricing pages checked (availability is stated as all 50 US states and D.C.). |
Sources, checked 10 November 2026: Gusto pricing; Gusto plan help; Gusto multi-state payroll; OnPay costs and pricing; Square Payroll pricing; Homebase pricing; Homebase payroll.
Example math, 8 people paid, Gusto Simple: 49 + (6 x 8) = 97. OnPay: 49 + (6 x 8) = 97. Square: 35 + (6 x 8) = 83. Homebase standard: 49 + (6 x 8) = 97.
Published tip-related features
| Topic | Gusto | OnPay | Square Payroll | Homebase |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cash vs paycheck (card) tips | Help center describes Cash Tips and Paycheck tips fields when running payroll. Taxes are withheld on paycheck tips. | Restaurant page says you can handle cash tips, controlled tips, and other pay items in the same run. | Pricing table lists "Direct-tip tracking and importing" on full-service payroll, not on contractor-only. | Payroll page lists tip pooling. A separate Tip Manager add-on is listed at $25/month per location on the pricing page. Whether those two items are the same product is TBD. |
| Tip makeup or minimum-wage shortfall | Help center describes an FLSA tip-credit setup and automatic gross-pay adjustment when wages plus tips fall short of the selected minimum wage. | Restaurant page describes a built-in tip makeup feature that automates calculations when wages plus tips do not meet minimum wage. | TBD (not spelled out on the pricing table). | TBD (not spelled out on the payroll page beyond tip pooling). |
| Distributed or mandatory service charges | Help center: enter as a Distributed Service Charge custom earning, treated as wages, not tips. Gusto says it does not qualify for tip tax deductions. | TBD on the restaurant page checked. | TBD | TBD |
| Form 8846 (FICA tip credit) | Employee Tips Report is available. Gusto states it does not file Form 8846. | Restaurant page: "Automate tax filings and payments, including Form 8846." Filing workflow not independently confirmed: TBD. | TBD | TBD |
| Time tracking tied to payroll | Time tracking and scheduling are listed on Plus. Time and Attendance Plus is $6/mo per person on Simple after a trial, per the pricing page. | Time Tracking add-on is $15 base + $4/worker per month, or discounted in bundles. | Pricing table lists timecard import, overtime calculations, and scheduling up to 10 days out on full-service payroll. | Payroll can be added to Homebase scheduling plans. Homebase plan prices are separate from payroll (Basic $0 with limits, Essentials $30, Plus $70, All-in-One $120 per location per month, monthly figures on the pricing page). |
Sources, checked 10 November 2026: Gusto tip wages help article; Gusto pricing; OnPay restaurant payroll; OnPay costs and pricing; Square Payroll pricing; Homebase payroll; Homebase pricing.
Tip credits, tip pooling, and overtime rules vary by state and city. California does not allow tips to be credited toward minimum wage (DIR FAQ, Labor Code section 351). Do not copy a federal setting into a state that forbids it. Confirm the current rule with the state labor office or an attorney.
What this page does not cover
- Rippling, Toast, or Friday tip-related features: TBD (not verified from a public pricing page on the check date). Rippling's starting price figures appear on the home and first-hire tables; exact payroll totals remain a custom quote.
- QuickBooks Workforce, ADP RUN, and Paychex Flex tip-related features: TBD. QuickBooks Workforce list prices appear on the home and first-hire tables. ADP RUN and Paychex Flex list prices remain unpublished.
- Card processing rates on a restaurant POS. Those are separate from payroll subscription fees.
- Whether a given vendor supports every local jurisdiction's reporting. That is TBD unless a vendor page names the jurisdiction.
Questions
Do these tools calculate a tip credit against minimum wage?
Gusto's help center describes an optional FLSA tip-credit setting that can adjust pay if wages plus tips fall short of a selected minimum wage, and it notes that many states set higher rules than the federal tipped minimum. California does not allow a tip credit against minimum wage, according to the Department of Industrial Relations. Confirm the rule for every work location before you turn a setting on. This is not legal advice.
Does anyone file IRS Form 8846 (the FICA tip credit) for you?
Gusto's help center says it provides an Employee Tips Report and does not file Form 8846. OnPay's restaurant industry page says it automates tax filings and payments, including Form 8846. We did not run a live account to confirm OnPay's filing workflow, so treat the mechanics as TBD beyond that published sentence. Square and Homebase Form 8846 support is TBD.
Are promotional prices in this table?
No. The cost column uses regular list prices checked on 10 November 2026. Homebase's pricing page also advertised a limited-time payroll promotion. Patriot is not in the restaurant tip table, but its pricing page advertised 30 days free plus 50 percent off for three months. Confirm any promotion on the vendor page.