Best Payroll Software for Bars and Breweries 2025: Top Picks and Key Features
Whether you’re running a neighborhood bar or a busy taproom, this guide will help you find the best payroll software for your team.
Running payroll is one of the most important parts of taking care of your team, although it may not be the most exciting part. When you have bartenders pulling doubles, last-minute shift swaps, and tips to pool and split, it’s easy to miss crucial details that could lead to inaccurate pay.
Bars and breweries need a payroll system built for hourly teams, late nights, and busy weekends. That means handling overtime, tips, and compliance, without leaving you to fix payroll mistakes at 1 AM after close.
Finding the best payroll software for bars is about selecting the right system to help you focus on running a successful bar. It should automate paychecks, keep your staff happy, and match the pace of your operation.
What should payroll software do for bars and breweries?
Functionality
Why it matters
Payroll and tip management
Automates wages, taxes, and tips so staff are paid correctly and IRS requirements are met.
Labor law compliance
Tracks overtime, breaks, and state and local labor laws including FLSA and rules like predictive scheduling and break periods
Multi-location payroll and tax filing
Runs payroll across multiple venues and handles tax filings, including W-2s and 1099s
Scheduling, time tracking, and shift coverage
Syncs schedules with timesheets to ensure accurate pay and helps fill last-minute shift gaps
Labor forecasting and cost control
Uses sales or demand data to optimize schedules and manage labor spend
Employee self-service and PTO
Allows staff to access pay stubs, update information, and request time off without back-and-forth
Top Payroll Software for Bars & Breweries Compared
Our Top Five Picks: Quick Summary
Platform
Best for
Why it stands out
Workforce.com
Bars and breweries needing all-in-one workforce management
Combines payroll, scheduling, time tracking, tip management, and labor compliance in a single platform built for hourly teams
Gusto
Small to mid-sized bars wanting user-friendly payroll and HR
Payroll with automated tax filing and simple benefits management
7Shifts
Bars prioritizing scheduling with light payroll needs
Industry-specific scheduling platform with growing payroll functionality
Quickbooks Payroll
Small bars already using QuickBooks
Affordable payroll integrated with QuickBooks Accounting
Paychex Flex
Bars seeking a traditional provider with HR support
Established payroll service and optional add-ons
#1 Workforce.com
Workforce.com is a cloud-based, all-in-one system that combines human resources, workforce management, and payroll. It’s specifically designed for hourly workers and frontline teams, such as those in bars and breweries.
Here’s how Workforce.com supports bars and taprooms:
Automated payroll processing for shift-work industries: Handle hourly teams, variable schedules, multiple pay rates, and tip management in a single platform. Everything is connected, from tracked hours and PTO to pooled tips, taxes, and take-home pay.
Labor law compliance: Automate overtime calculations, payroll taxes, and stay compliant with FLSA, city, and state laws, including predictive scheduling, paid sick leave, and required breaks.
Tip management: Track and allocate tips per shift, split pooled tips based on hours worked, and automate tip policies to ensure IRS compliance and accurate payouts.
Built-in time tracking and scheduling: Eliminate discrepancies between hours worked and hours paid with integrated scheduling and clock-in tools.
Labor forecasting and demand-based scheduling: Use historical sales, upcoming events, foot traffic, and even weather forecasts to build smarter schedules. Forecasting also supports hiring decisions, from applicant tracking to onboarding.
Shift swapping and communications: Quickly fill last-minute absences with built-in messaging, announcements, and self-service shift swaps. Staff can pick up or trade shifts directly through the app.
Employee self-service: Let staff access pay stubs, update personal information, view schedules, submit time-off requests, and clock in via mobile app or browser.
“I would absolutely recommend Workforce.com to anyone that has complicated scheduling or payroll needs. I have done this process in my career, five or six times, like switching either scheduling or payroll platform. This has been the smoothest by far.”
– John Wynne, Taproom GM, Third Space Brewing
Looking for a platform built around payroll for bars and hospitality businesses?
Explore Workforce.com and discover how it supports bars and breweries.
Pros
Cons
Best for: Workforce.com is best for bars, brewery taprooms, and multi-location hospitality groups that need an all-in-one system for payroll and accurate pay calculations.
Pricing: Workforce.com provides quote-based pricing tailored to each business. Speak with our team to learn more.
#2 Gusto
Gusto is a payroll and HR platform suited for small to mid-sized businesses. While it’s not built specifically for hospitality, its clean interface and intuitive self-service tools make it a popular choice among bars and restaurants.
The platform handles payroll, tax filing, and benefits administration. However, advanced features like time tracking or hiring tools often come with higher pricing tiers. Integration with separate systems may be needed for scheduling and time and attendance.
Pros
Cons
Best for: Gusto can be an option for small to mid-sized bars and breweries looking for a straightforward payroll system, and aren’t focused on complex shift scheduling.
Pricing (as of 2025):
Note: Pricing details are based on information available as of 2025. For the most current pricing and features, please refer to Gusto's official website.
#3 7shifts Payroll
7shifts is best known for its scheduling and communication tools, which are built specifically for the hospitality industry, making it a popular platform among many bars and restaurants. With the recent addition of 7shifts Payroll, it’s evolving into more of an all-in-one workforce solution. While it handles basic payroll and tax filing, bars and breweries with more complex payroll requirements may find it limited compared to more traditional payroll-first systems.
Pros
Cons
Best for: 7shifts is ideal for bars and breweries that already use 7Shifts for scheduling and are looking to add basic payroll without switching systems.
Pricing (as of 2025):
Base Plans (monthly):
Add-Ons:
Note: Pricing details are based on information available as of 2025. For the most current pricing and features, please refer to 7shifts' official website.
#4 QuickBooks Payroll
QuickBooks Payroll is designed for businesses already using QuickBooks Online for accounting. Its tight integration between payroll and bookkeeping makes it a convenient option for bars and breweries looking to manage finances in one ecosystem.
While QuickBooks offers payroll functionalities, it may be limited in other features, such as labor forecasting and tip pooling, which are often essential in the hospitality industry.
Pros
Cons
Best for: QuickBooks Payroll is a viable choice for bars and breweries that already use QuickBooks Online for accounting.
Pricing (as of 2025):
Base Plans (monthly):
Note: Pricing details are based on information available as of 2025. For the most current pricing and features, please refer to Quickbooks' official website.
#5 Paychex Flex
Paychex Flex is a traditional payroll and HR platform with broad adoption across small to mid-sized businesses, including some bar and hospitality groups. It’s often perceived as a reliable choice, especially for teams planning to scale over time.
Users highlight Paychex Flex’s core payroll and tax filing functionalities, but some also note that its interface can feel a bit dated compared to newer platforms.
Pros
Cons
Best for: Paychex Flex is ideal for bars and breweries that prioritize payroll with built-in tax support, but are willing to invest more in additional tools for time tracking, scheduling, and more complex tip management.
Pricing (as of 2025): Paychex Flex offers Select, Pro, and Enterprise plans, all of which are quote-based. Pricing depends on business size, feature requirements, and add-ons.
Note: Pricing details are based on information available as of 2025. For the most current pricing and features, please refer to Paychex’s official website.
Other Notable Options
These payroll tools didn’t make the top five but may be worth considering depending on your setup.
Square Payroll
Best for: Bars and breweries already using Square POS system
Why consider it: Square Payroll offers a low-cost payroll solution for existing users
Pros: Easy POS integration, tax filings, cost-effective for small teams
Cons: Fewer customization options
Homebase Payroll
Best for: Small bars and breweries already using Homebase for scheduling
Why consider it: Homebase combines basic payroll, scheduling, time tracking in a user-friendly platform
Pros: Easy-to-use interface, team messaging
Cons: Payroll is an add-on and may be limited in handling complex payroll setups
ADP Run
Best for: Bars and hospitality groups operating in multiple locations
Why consider it: ADP Run is one of the established payroll solutions that offers tax compliance, direct deposits, and HR tools
Pros: Tax compliance, supports tip reporting
Cons: Can be costly depending on add-ons, limited customized reports
Toast Payroll
Best for: Bars already using Toast POS
Why consider it: Integrates directly with Toast POS for tips, employee time, and tax filings
Pros: POS integration, tip handling, direct deposit
Cons: POS and payroll modules have different support, sync issues with tip management
What are the common payroll pain points in bars and breweries?
Running payroll for bars and breweries presents unique challenges, as their operations often extend beyond the typical 9-to-5 hours. Most off-the-shelf payroll platforms aren't designed to handle the complexity of shift-based work, tips, and compliance issues that come with operating a bar or taproom.
Here are the most common challenges bar operators face:
Cross-checking payroll information: When time tracking, scheduling, and payroll are managed on separate platforms, it’s up to business owners to manually reconcile everything. This slows down payroll, increases the risk of errors, and can lead to labor law violations if any details are overlooked.
Last-minute scheduling changes: Shift swaps, no-shows, and last-minute absences can pose challenges when calculating actual hours worked versus scheduled hours, especially when there are separate tools for workforce management and payroll.
Managing tipped employees: Bars and breweries must accurately track tips, ensure that tipped employees still earn at least the minimum wage, and withhold the correct taxes. Without built-in tip tools, manual workarounds can lead to mistakes and late payments.
Overtime and compliance: Overtime is common in the hospitality industry, but staying compliant with daily and weekly regulations (across federal, state, and local levels) is complex. Add rules around breaks, meal periods, and predictive scheduling, and compliance gets even harder without automation.
Multiple pay rates and roles: It’s common for bar staff to work multiple jobs. An employee can be a bartender today and work on event setup the next day. These positions can have varying pay rates. Tracking multiple roles and pay rates can become tedious without the right payroll system in place.
Seasonal and event-based staffing: Breweries often ramp up staffing during busy seasons, festivals, or new beer launches. Adding seasonal workers and processing off-cycle payments for one-off events can add to the administrative burden without the right payroll system.
Final Thoughts: Choosing the right payroll system for bars & breweries
From multiple pay rates to tipped wages and shifting labor laws, bars and breweries face payroll challenges that most generic payroll systems aren’t built to solve.
Workforce.com stands out as the top choice for hospitality businesses seeking a comprehensive and specialized solution for their hourly staff. It’s an all-in-one platform for streamlining payroll, scheduling, and time tracking, built to handle the ins and outs of running a busy bar or taproom.
When evaluating payroll platforms, take time to schedule a few demos to see how each tool handles your needs. Cite real scenarios from your business and see how each platform fares in terms of functionality that addresses your concerns.
See why bars and breweries trust Workforce.com to handle payroll, employee scheduling, and HR.