Payroll Software
Best Payroll Software for Hospitality
Hospitality payroll handles tipped staff, service charges, seasonal hires and venues with different schedules. The right software checks cash wages against the tip credit rules, pays service charges as wages, and supports the tip reports that large food and beverage businesses file.
- products that fit
- 10
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Top 5 by LeadChange Scoreof 10 that fit · 5 not scored yet · scored for hospitality (reweighted)
OnPay7.9 out of 10, Medium confidence
Paychex Flex7.3 out of 10, Medium confidence
Paylocity6.1 out of 10, Medium confidence
Paycom5.9 out of 10, Medium confidence
Netchex5.6 out of 10, Medium confidence
Workday HCMNot scored yet
NamelyNot scored yet
DayforceNot scored yet
UKG ProNot scored yet
isolved People CloudNot scored yet
See the full rankingMedium confidence
Payroll software for hospitality, ranked
Ranked by LeadChange Score from verified facts; products with too few verified facts are not scored yet and come last. Prices are list prices as published by each vendor.
Filter by verified facts
OnPay
OnPay suits US small businesses that want full-service payroll at one published price: $49 a month plus $6 per worker, with federal, state and local tax filings, W-2s, 1099s, multi-state payroll and unlimited pay runs included. Setup and data migration are free, and support is by phone, chat and email.
Paychex Flex
Paychex Flex suits US small and mid-sized employers that want unlimited payroll runs, automated multi-state tax filing and room to add HR, time tracking and benefits from one vendor. Paychex was founded in 1971 and is a public company.
- Pricing model
- Base fee + per employee3
Paylocity
Paylocity fits US employers that want payroll, HR, time, benefits and finance tools from one vendor, with tax filing in all 50 states. It publishes no prices, so cost depends on headcount, products and a non-refundable implementation fee set in a quote. Most contracts can be canceled on 60 days' notice.
Paycom
Paycom suits US employers that want payroll, HR, time, hiring, benefits and learning in one system with one login, and a single support contact instead of a ticket queue. Its Beti payroll asks employees to check and approve their own pay before each run.
- Pricing model
- Quote only6
Netchex
Netchex suits US employers with hourly, frontline teams, such as restaurants, hotels, clinics, retailers and manufacturers, that want payroll, tax filing, time, HR and benefits in one cloud system with an assigned implementation lead.
- Pricing model
- Quote only7
Show all 10 products
- Workday HCMNot scored yet (13 of 26 facts verified)Workday HCM pricing
- NamelyNot scored yet (12 of 26 facts verified)Namely pricing
- DayforceNot scored yet (10 of 26 facts verified)Dayforce pricing
- UKG ProNot scored yet (9 of 26 facts verified)UKG Pro plans and prices
- isolved People CloudNot scored yet (8 of 26 facts verified)Isolved People Cloud pricing
LeadChange Score: editorial assessment based on public information.
What matters for hospitality
Tip credit checks
An employer that takes the federal tip credit must still pay a minimum cash wage, and tips plus cash wages must reach at least the minimum wage; where state law is more protective, it applies. Check that the software flags any week that falls short.
Service charges paid as wages
Service charges added to a bill and paid out to staff are not tips: the IRS treats them as wages reported on the W-2. The software should keep them as their own earning type.
Tip reporting
Employees must report their cash tips to the employer each month unless they fall under the IRS's small monthly threshold, and large food or beverage establishments report receipts and tips to the IRS each year on Form 8027. Ask how the software collects tip reports and supports that filing.
Seasonal and multi-venue staff
Hotels, resorts and event venues add staff for peaks. Self-service onboarding and pay by venue keep payroll on time when headcount jumps.
More tools for hospitality
- Applicant Tracking SystemsApplicant tracking systems for hospitality
- ASO ServicesASO services for hospitality
- Background Check ServicesBackground check services for hospitality
- Benefits AdministrationBenefits administration for hospitality
- COBRA AdministrationCOBRA administration for hospitality
- Earned Wage AccessEarned wage access for hospitality
- Employee Engagement SoftwareEmployee engagement software for hospitality
- Employee Recognition SoftwareEmployee recognition software for hospitality
- Employee Scheduling SoftwareEmployee scheduling software for hospitality
- Frontline Workforce AppsFrontline workforce apps for hospitality
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- Payroll Software pricing guide
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- Payroll software for small business
The ranking reweighted for small business.
- Payroll software for mid-sized companies
The ranking reweighted for mid-sized companies.
- Payroll software for retail
The ranking reweighted for retail.
- Payroll software for healthcare
The ranking reweighted for healthcare.
Frequently asked questions
Are service charges tips in the hospitality industry?
No. The IRS says service charges added to a bill by the employer and distributed to an employee are not tips: the employer must treat them as wages and include them on the employee's Form W-2. Tips are what the customer chooses to leave. Payroll software for hotels and restaurants should record the two as separate earnings.
Which hospitality businesses file Form 8027?
Large food or beverage establishments. The IRS says employers use Form 8027 to report receipts and tips from those establishments each year and to determine allocated tips for tipped employees; the form's instructions set which establishments count as large. Payroll software that records tips by location makes the figures easier to prepare.
Which software is mostly used in the hospitality industry?
Hotels run on a property management system and restaurants and bars on a point-of-sale system; payroll sits next to them. For hospitality payroll, the question is whether it imports hours, tips and service charges from those systems for each shift instead of someone re-keying them. Ask each vendor which point-of-sale and property systems it connects to, and how tip pools are split before the pay run.
What is the best payroll software for hospitality?
On the LeadChange Score weighted for hospitality, the highest-scoring of the 5 products with a published score are OnPay (7.9/10), Paychex Flex (7.3), and Paylocity (6.1).
Which payroll platforms for hospitality offer a free trial?
OnPay lists a free trial, according to its vendor: 1 of the 10 products for hospitality.
Which payroll platforms for hospitality have SOC 2 Type II?
Dayforce, OnPay, Paylocity, UKG Pro, and Workday HCM state SOC 2 Type II compliance; Paylocity, UKG Pro, and Workday HCM also hold ISO 27001. That is 5 of the 10 products for hospitality.
Which payroll platforms for hospitality integrate with Employee Navigator?
Employee Navigator, listed by 2 of the 10 payroll platforms for hospitality: Netchex and Paychex Flex.
Which payroll platforms for hospitality have a mobile app?
Dayforce, isolved People Cloud, Namely, Netchex, Paychex Flex, and 4 more confirm a mobile app; 1 of the 10 products for hospitality does not document one.
Which payroll platforms for hospitality are built for enterprises?
Dayforce, isolved People Cloud, Netchex, Paycom, Paylocity, UKG Pro, and Workday HCM list enterprises among the company sizes they serve.
How we research
This ranking of payroll software for hospitality reweights the LeadChange Score: capability coverage 35%, pricing transparency & value 15%, integrations & API 10%, security & compliance 15%, fit & support 15%, and data confidence 10%. Only products with a verified fact showing they serve this segment are listed.
How this page was made
What it is built from
41 verified facts, each checked against the vendor's own pages or another primary source, most recently on Oct 24, 2026.
Method
Scored and compared with the LeadChange methodology, version 1.3. Read the methodology
Independent review
Not reviewed yet by our independent reviewer. How we review
Hands-on testing
We have not tested these products hands-on: this page uses public information only.
Who made it
The LeadChange Research Team, following a written research process. No named expert has reviewed this page. About us
Independence and errors
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Sources
The 7 pages this page's facts come from, with the day we last checked each one. The numbers beside the figures above link here.
Quotes from the sources
- OnPay onpay.com/payroll/software/costs-pricing“Payroll Essentials $49 base + $6/worker per month” “Get started at just $49 base + $6/worker per month. No hidden fees, ever.”
- OnPay onpay.com/security“Third-party Certification: OnPay holds third-party auditor certification with the AICPA’s SOC program and is SOC 2 Type II compliant.”
- Paychex paychex.com/payroll/paychex-flex-essentials“Our most affordable option: Only $39/mo. + $5 per employee”
- U.S. SEC (Paylocity Form 10-K) sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1591698/000159169826000069/pcty-20260630.htm“Recurring fees for each client generally include a base fee in addition to a fee based on the number of client employees and the number of products a client uses.”
- Paylocity paylocity.com/company/protecting-our-clients“We engage reputable audit firms who perform annual independent attestations for SOC 1 and SOC 2 Type II, which cover controls related to financial reporting, security, confidentiality, and availability.”
- Paycom paycom.com/pricing“With Paycom, each quote is customized to the functionality a company needs and the number of employees.”
- Netchex netchex.com/netchex-faqs“Netchex charges per-employee, per-month (PEPM), not per payroll. Netchex utilizes quote-based pricing, which can vary depending on the size of your company and the services you are interested in.”