Homebase Payroll review

Homebase Payroll is the value pick for small restaurants that pay an hourly crew from a time clock. Payroll runs straight from Homebase timesheets and accounts for multiple wage rates, tip pools, break rules, overtime and PTO, and the system calculates missed break pay automatically, which matters in states with strict meal break laws. The Tip Manager add-on, at $25 per location a month, pulls tips from your POS, calculates the pool and adds each share to the timesheet. Payroll itself is $49 a month plus $6 per active employee with unlimited runs, tax filing, W-2s and 1099s included, and it can be added to the free Basic plan for one location with up to 10 employees. A payroll expert migrates your data for free. The trade-off is that tip pooling from the POS costs extra, and bigger teams outgrow the free scheduling plan quickly. Homebase also lacks the deep POS tie-in that Toast has.

Who it is for

Small restaurants on a tight budget that want free scheduling plus payroll for hourly staff.

Price

$49 a month plus $6 per active employee, added to any Homebase plan including the free Basic plan; Tip Manager $25 per location a month.

$49/month + $6 per active employee.
Quoted from the vendor pricing page on November 10, 2026.

Key features

• Payroll runs from timesheets with multiple wage rates, tip pools, breaks and overtime
• Tip Manager add-on pulls tips from the POS, calculates the pool and adds it to timesheets
• Automated tax calculation, filing and payment, plus W-2s and 1099s
• Automatic missed break pay calculations and clock-in error prompts
• Free data migration by a dedicated payroll expert

Strengths and weaknesses

• Strength: Payroll can be added to the free Basic scheduling plan
• Strength: One price with unlimited payroll runs and no implementation fee
• Strength: Live human support every day, 7am to 7pm CT
• Weakness: Tip pool calculation from the POS is a $25 per location add-on
• Weakness: Free Basic plan covers one location and up to 10 employees
• Weakness: Several locations share one payroll run only if they have the same EIN and pay schedule

Key facts

• Payroll price: $49 a month plus $6 per active employee
• Tip Manager: $25 a month per location
• Free plan: Basic scheduling, 1 location, up to 10 employees
• Coverage: All 50 states and Washington D.C.

Where it ranks

Homebase Payroll is No. 3 in our Best Payroll Software for Restaurants verdict.