OnPay review
A restaurant-focused payroll platform with strong tipped-wage and tax support.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
OnPay is a cloud-based payroll and HR platform for small businesses, with a particular focus on restaurants and bars. It supports W-2 employees and 1099 contractors, while providing payroll tax withholding, filings, and payments. Restaurant-specific tools include tipped-wage calculations, overtime handling, minimum-wage tip makeup calculations, tip pay items, and Form 8846 preparation. Employees can onboard themselves, complete electronic I-9 and W-4 forms, and access pay stubs, employment documents, and tax forms.
Payroll Essentials is the published plan, priced at $49 per month as a base charge. It includes full-service payroll, federal, state, and local tax filings, unlimited pay runs and schedules, multi-state payroll, and W-2 and 1099 worker support. Businesses can run payroll weekly, biweekly, semimonthly, or monthly, and pay employees through direct deposit, debit card, or paper check. The plan also includes payroll reports and a custom report designer, giving operators reporting options alongside core processing.
OnPay fits restaurants that need employee payroll, tipped-wage calculations, tax administration, and flexible pay schedules in one web-based system. Its accounting and time-tracking connections include QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Desktop, Xero, QuickBooks Time, Deputy, and When I Work. The product is less suitable for businesses seeking a contractor-first payment platform or a workflow centered on restaurant point-of-sale integration. Choose it when employee payroll and tip compliance are the main priorities; consider an alternative when contractor operations are the primary requirement.
OnPay pros and cons
- Where it wins
- Calculates tipped wages, overtime, and minimum-wage tip makeup
- Handles federal, state, and local tax filings and payments
- Supports multi-state payroll and employee self-service
- Where it doesn't
- Its verified strengths center on employees rather than contractors
- The plan starts with a $49 monthly base charge
- Its integrations focus on accounting and time tracking, not POS workflows
OnPay fact sheet, pricing and score →
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