Payroll built for shift work, not desk jobs.

Yes, but most free payroll software requires you to manually enter data and handle taxes yourself, which could lead to costly errors and penalties if done wrong.

With Homebase, you get full service payroll that syncs hours, wages, tips, overtime, and taxes automatically from your schedules and time tracking. Plus, our payroll experts will set up your account and migrate all your data for free.

Setup your Homebase Payroll account by December 15, 2026 to get all this and more completely free for 6 months—no contract, no hidden fees, cancel anytime.

Technically yes, but Excel won't automatically file taxes, track state-specific overtime rules, or catch missed breaks and compliance issues. You'd be manually calculating blended overtime rates, tips, and withholdings—and one mistake triggers penalties.

Homebase automatically pulls hours from your time clock into payroll, applies the right tax rates and overtime rules by state, and files everything for you. Most customers run their entire hourly payroll in under 5 minutes.

Yes. QuickBooks is built for accounting first. If you're like one of our 150,000+ small business customers, you're likely doing your own payroll without an accountant, and maybe even for the first time!

Hourly payroll is complex and needs to factor in variable shifts, tips, blended rates, overtime, break premiums, and labor law compliance. Homebase hourly payroll software was built to handle all this, so you can pay your hourly team with confidence.

Plus, you can still export timesheets from Homebase if you want to use QuickBooks for bookkeeping.

It depends on your needs. For small businesses with simple payroll needs (such as just a few employees, predictable hours, and straightforward pay) basic free tools might work. But if you're running a restaurant, retail shop, fitness studio, or any business with hourly workers, shift scheduling, tips, or variable hours, you need payroll built for that complexity.

Homebase is recognized as the best payroll for small businesses and hourly teams by CNN Underscored, US News 360, and Forbes. Try us for free for 6 months and see if we’re the right fit for you.

Here's how Homebase hourly payroll software works: Employees clock in and out → hours flow into timesheets → you review and approve → wages, overtime, tips, and taxes are calculated automatically → you can look things over once last time before submitting payroll → paychecks are sent via direct deposit or check → taxes are filed automatically.

With Homebase, all this happens in one system with no manual re-entry. Your schedules and time clock feed directly into payroll, so there’s no duplicate data entry or room for errors.

Not hard at all! Homebase includes free expert setup and migration. A dedicated payroll specialist moves your data, verifies everything, and confirms you're ready before your first run. 90% of customers say switching was faster than expected. Plus, switching at year-end means you get one clean set of W-2s instead of juggling multiple providers.

Learn more about switching and get started today.

Yes. Homebase automatically calculates, withholds, and files federal, state, and local taxes in all 50 states. We generate and file W-2s and 1099-NECs together in one payroll run and deliver them by January 31. This is especially important for hourly teams where you may have both W-2 employees and 1099 contractors.

Yes. Homebase handles tips, overtime, multiple wage rates, and break rules automatically. Homebase Tip Manager collects, pools, and distributes tips compliantly by state, and feeds them directly into payroll. You can run W-2 employees and 1099 contractors in the same payroll run, so tipped hourly staff and other team members stay on one system.

The easiest hourly payroll software is one connected to your scheduling and time tracking—so hours flow automatically with no manual entry. Homebase integrates all three, and 85% of our customers rate us extremely or very easy to use. Plus, you can run payroll in about 3 minutes once it’s set up.