Payroll in hospitality is rarely the neat monthly exercise it is in an office. Rotas change week to week, staff come and go, hours vary by the shift, and there are tips and tronc to account for on top of it all. Getting it right takes time you would rather spend on the floor or in the kitchen. We run payroll for pubs, restaurants, hotels, cafes and bars, and we are used to the messiness that comes with the trade.
The challenges of hospitality payroll
Few sectors put as much pressure on payroll as hospitality. Staff turnover is high, so there is a constant flow of starters and leavers, each needing setting up, a P45 and the correct tax code. Many venues pay weekly, which means the whole cycle of collecting hours, calculating pay and filing with HMRC repeats every seven days rather than once a month. Hours are almost never fixed, so pay has to be worked out from the rota or the clock-in system every single run.
On top of that you have a mix of full-time, part-time, casual and seasonal staff, often including younger workers on different minimum wage rates. It is a lot to track accurately, and a lot that has to be right by payday. That is exactly the sort of work outsourced payroll is built for.
Weekly pay, variable hours and high turnover
We are set up for weekly and variable-hours pay. You send us the hours, from a spreadsheet, rota or your rota software export, and we turn them into accurate pay, deductions and payslips on your schedule. Because we handle a lot of hospitality clients, frequent starters and leavers do not faze us. New staff are added quickly, leavers are processed with their final pay and P45, and the tax codes are kept straight so nobody is over or under-taxed.
- Weekly, fortnightly or four-weekly pay runs to match your rota.
- Variable hours calculated from your figures each and every run.
- Fast setup of starters and clean processing of leavers with P45s.
- Part-time, casual and seasonal staff handled without extra fuss.
- RTI filed with HMRC on or before every payday.
- Payslips and reports produced and sent to you each pay period, so you can pay your team.
Tips, tronc and holiday pay
Tips are one of the areas hospitality employers most often get wrong. How tips and service charge are shared and taxed matters, and a properly run tronc arrangement affects how National Insurance is treated. We can process tronc payments alongside normal pay so everything is accounted for correctly and shows clearly on payslips. With the law on tipping having tightened, getting this right and keeping a clean record is more important than ever.
Holiday pay for staff on irregular hours is another common headache. When someone's hours change week to week, their holiday entitlement and holiday pay have to be calculated on an averaged basis rather than a simple fixed figure. We work this out properly so your staff are paid the holiday they are due and you stay on the right side of the rules, without you having to wrestle with the maths yourself.
Minimum wage and Real Living Wage compliance
Minimum wage compliance is a real risk area in hospitality, and HMRC takes it seriously. The rates differ by age, and younger staff move up a bracket on their birthday, so it is easy to slip below the correct rate without meaning to. We apply the current National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage rates and flag where a pay rate needs attention, so a member of staff does not quietly fall below the legal minimum.
If your venue chooses to pay the Real Living Wage as an employer, we will happily set your rates to reflect that too. Either way, you get a clear picture of what everyone is being paid and the confidence that the statutory floors are being respected across your team.
Switching mid-season? Moving your payroll to us is free and we handle the changeover. We take your figures from your current provider, set your staff up, and pick up without missing a payday, even during your busiest weeks.
Hospitality payroll you can rely on
Our pricing is simple and easy to budget for: one fixed £5 per employee, per month, plus VAT, with no long tie-ins. You can see the detail on our pricing page or get a quote based on how many people you pay and how often. Because hospitality teams flex through the year, your cost flexes with them.
We are based in South Wales and look after pubs, restaurants, hotels and cafes across the region. We are members of the CIPP, ICAEW-affiliated and registered with the ICO, so your business and your staff's data are in accredited hands. Tell us how you pay your team and we will send a clear, no-obligation quote the same day, and payday stops being something you dread.