Restaurant payroll has to calculate the FLSA tip credit, claim the FICA tip credit on Form 8846, keep tip pools compliant, and pull hours from your scheduling tool to track labor cost.
| Tool | Starting price | Deployment | Free trial | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Gusto | quote only | Cloud | No | US small businesses (1-100 employees) that want payroll, benefits, and basic HR in a single platform without a dedicated HR team. |
 Dayforce | quote only | Cloud | No | Dayforce is the best HCM platform for mid-market and enterprise companies that need real-time payroll visibility and strong workforce management for complex scheduling. |
 Rippling | From $8 per employee per month, plus an unpublished monthly base fee | Cloud | No | Growing companies (10-2,000 employees) that want payroll, HR, IT, and device management unified in a single platform with automation across employee lifecycle events. |
 Paylocity | quote only | Cloud | No | Mid-market companies (100-5,000 employees) that want modern payroll and HR with employee engagement features like social collaboration, peer recognition, and on-demand pay. |
 ADP | quote only | Cloud | No | Mid-market companies (50-1,000 employees) with complex US payroll requirements including multi-state taxation, union agreements, garnishments, and certified payroll reporting. |
 Paycor | quote only | Cloud | No | Paycor is a well-rounded HCM platform for mid-market companies that want payroll plus talent and workforce management with leader-friendly analytics. |
 Paychex | quote only | Cloud | No | Small to mid-market businesses (10-500 employees) that want reliable payroll with dedicated human support rather than self-serve-only platforms. |
 Paycom | quote only | Cloud | No | Mid-market companies (100-5,000 employees) that want employees to self-verify payroll accuracy before processing, reducing payroll department corrections. |
 UKG | quote only | Cloud | No | UKG is the top choice for organizations that need strong workforce management alongside full HCM, especially in shift-heavy industries. |
 Deel | $14 per worker/month (find talent); $49 per contractor/month | Cloud | No | Companies hiring internationally that need to pay employees and contractors in 150+ countries without establishing local entities in each jurisdiction. |
 Papaya Global | From $5 per contractor/month; from $29 per employee/month on Payroll Plus | Cloud | No | Papaya Global is a strong enterprise global payroll platform, particularly for companies that want unified analytics and faster cross-border payments. |
 Remote | From $29 per employee per month (Global Payroll) | Cloud | No | Companies hiring in 60+ countries that want an EOR provider that owns its local entities rather than subcontracting to local partners. |
 TriNet | quote only | Cloud | No | TriNet is the best PEO option for small businesses that want enterprise-grade benefits and full HR outsourcing without building an internal HR department. |
 Justworks | quote only | Cloud | No | Small businesses (5-100 employees) that want enterprise-grade health insurance and benefits access through a PEO model alongside automated payroll. |
 OnPay | $49 base plus $6 per worker per month, shown as $55 per month for one worker | Cloud | Yes | Small businesses (1-50 employees) that want reliable, affordable payroll with transparent pricing and no hidden fees. |
 BambooHR | $10.25 USD per employee/month (Core), or $250 USD per month flat at 25 employees or fewer | Cloud | Yes | Companies already using BambooHR for HR that want to add payroll without introducing a separate payroll provider. |
Showing 16 of 16
We rely on vendor documentation, pricing pages and other primary sources. We do not use G2 or Capterra ratings as ranking inputs.
Material corrections can be submitted through the contact page. We update pages when a claim can be verified against a stronger source.
Read the full review methodology and sponsored disclosure.
Use the Payroll Software for Restaurants list when you already know the broader category and need to narrow vendors by tip reporting and FLSA tip credit compliance.
It skips the general category questions so you can get to side-by-side comparisons sooner.
Compare tip reporting and FLSA tip credit compliance, scheduling integration and FICA 8846 tax credit, how pricing scales, implementation time, and how much admin work the product needs after go-live.
Once you are down to three or four vendors, read their software profiles, pricing pages, and head-to-head comparisons, and check the buyer guides before you book demos.
Open a profile for pricing, implementation notes and alternatives, or compare two tools head to head.
Gusto is an all-in-one people platform for small businesses, combining payroll, benefits, HR, and compliance in a user-friendly interface.
Dayforce (formerly Ceridian) provides a single HCM platform with continuous payroll calculation, workforce management, and global capabilities.
Rippling combines HR, payroll, benefits, IT, and spend management in a unified employee data platform that automates cross-system workflows.
Paylocity provides payroll and HCM with a focus on employee engagement, modern user experience, and mid-market service quality.
ADP is the largest payroll and HCM provider globally, serving businesses of all sizes with payroll, tax filing, benefits, and HR management.
Paycor provides HCM software covering payroll, HR, benefits, talent, and workforce management for leaders at small and mid-size businesses.
Paychex provides payroll, HR, and benefits for small and mid-size businesses with optional dedicated HR support and advisory services.
Paycom provides single-application HCM with Beti employee-driven payroll that lets employees verify and approve their own paycheck before processing.
UKG provides HCM and workforce management solutions including UKG Pro for HCM and UKG Ready for mid-market payroll and HR.
Deel enables companies to hire and pay employees and contractors in 150+ countries with built-in compliance, EOR services, and global payroll.
Papaya Global provides global payroll and payments infrastructure for enterprises, processing payroll in 160+ countries with real-time analytics.
Remote provides global employment, contractor management, and payroll for companies hiring internationally, with owned local entities in 80+ countries.
TriNet is a PEO (Professional Employer Organization) that provides payroll, benefits, HR, and compliance as a co-employment partner for small businesses.
Justworks is a PEO that provides payroll, benefits, compliance, and HR tools with a simple, transparent pricing model for small businesses.
OnPay provides straightforward, affordable online payroll with benefits administration and HR essentials for small businesses.
BambooHR is an HR platform with payroll, time tracking, benefits, hiring, onboarding, and performance management for small and mid-size businesses.
