Top 10 Best Payroll Restaurant Software of 2026

7shifts is a comprehensive workforce management platform tailored for restaurants, offering robust scheduling, time tracking, and payroll integration to streamline operations. It connects seamlessly with popular payroll providers like QuickBooks, Gusto, and ADP, automating wage calculations, tip pooling, and overtime tracking specific to restaurant needs. The software provides labor forecasting and cost control tools, helping managers optimize staffing while ensuring accurate, compliant payroll processing.

Toast is a comprehensive restaurant management platform with integrated payroll software tailored for the hospitality industry, automating payroll processing alongside POS, scheduling, and time tracking. It excels in handling restaurant-specific complexities like tipped wages, overtime, and multi-state compliance. The system provides real-time data syncing for accurate pay calculations and employee self-service via mobile app.

Homebase is an all-in-one workforce management platform designed for restaurants and other hourly businesses, focusing on scheduling, time tracking, and payroll. It automates shift creation, employee time punches via mobile app with geofencing, and seamless payroll runs that pull directly from timesheets, handling tips, overtime, and compliance. Ideal for frontline teams, it also includes communication tools and basic hiring features to simplify operations.

Fourth (fourth.com) is a comprehensive workforce management platform tailored for the restaurant and hospitality industry, with robust payroll processing capabilities. It excels in handling complex payroll scenarios like tipped wages, overtime calculations, and multi-state compliance, while integrating seamlessly with scheduling, time tracking, and POS systems. The software provides real-time labor cost insights to help restaurants optimize staffing and reduce expenses.

Deputy is a comprehensive workforce management platform designed for shift-based industries like restaurants, offering advanced employee scheduling, time tracking, and seamless payroll integrations. It enables managers to create rotas, track hours via mobile clock-ins with geofencing, and export timesheets directly to payroll providers like Xero, QuickBooks, or Gusto. The software also includes labor cost forecasting and compliance tools to optimize restaurant operations and payroll accuracy.

When I Work is a robust employee scheduling and time-tracking platform tailored for shift-based industries like restaurants, enabling managers to create optimized schedules, facilitate shift trades, and track hours via mobile clock-ins. It integrates with major payroll providers such as QuickBooks, Gusto, and ADP to export accurate timesheets, reducing manual payroll entry and helping monitor labor costs in real-time. While not a full payroll processing solution, it excels in streamlining the data preparation phase for restaurant payroll compliance and efficiency.

Gusto is an all-in-one payroll, HR, and benefits platform tailored for small to medium-sized businesses, including restaurants, offering automated payroll processing, tip management, and compliance tools. It handles multi-state payroll, employee onboarding, time tracking, and integrations with popular POS systems like Toast and Square for seamless restaurant operations. Ideal for simplifying back-office tasks while ensuring accurate wage calculations for tipped and hourly staff.

Square Payroll is a streamlined payroll solution designed for small businesses, with strong integration into Square's POS and scheduling tools, making it particularly useful for restaurants. It automates payroll calculations, tax filings, direct deposits, and handles tipped wages with features like tip pooling and distribution. Ideal for hourly restaurant staff, it pulls time and sales data directly from Square Shifts and POS for accuracy and efficiency.

QuickBooks Payroll is a robust payroll management solution from Intuit designed to automate payroll processing, tax calculations, filings, and direct deposits for businesses of various sizes. It excels in integration with QuickBooks accounting software, allowing seamless synchronization of payroll data with financial records. For restaurants, it handles tipped wages, hourly employees, and multi-state payroll effectively, though it lacks deep industry-specific tools like advanced labor forecasting or shift-based compliance.

ADP offers robust payroll and HR management solutions through its ADP Restaurant platform, designed specifically for the hospitality industry. It excels in handling complex payroll elements like tipped wages, multi-state compliance, shift scheduling, and time tracking. The software integrates seamlessly with popular POS systems and provides mobile apps for employee self-service, making it suitable for multi-location operations.