Restaurant payroll

Restaurant payroll in Portland, matched to your books every month

Last updated: October 2026

Maple Ridge Bookkeeping runs restaurant payroll in Portland for restaurants and small food businesses, handling tipped staff, tip pools and Oregon payroll taxes in the same place as the monthly books, which are closed by the 10th.

How do you do payroll for a restaurant in Oregon?

You pay every employee at least the full Oregon minimum wage, because Oregon does not allow tip credits. You record reported tips for tax purposes, distribute any tip pool under a written policy, withhold federal and Oregon taxes, and deposit and file those taxes on schedule. Tips are where most restaurant payroll errors start, which is why Maple Ridge handles them every week.

Book a free consultation Read the FAQ

What restaurant payroll includes

Restaurant payroll covers hours and wages, overtime, reported cash and card tips, tip pool distributions, and the taxes owed on all of it. In Portland, that includes federal withholding, Social Security and Medicare, Oregon income tax, state unemployment insurance, the statewide transit tax, the TriMet transit tax and Paid Leave Oregon contributions.

Maple Ridge Bookkeeping runs payroll for restaurants and small food businesses only, and every client has one dedicated bookkeeper who knows the tip setup and pay schedule.

Payroll market prices near Portland

RemoteBooksOnline's Beaverton payroll page publishes these flat prices for its own service:

Full payroll (CPA-reviewed): $70 per month base plus $7 per employee per month
Basic payroll: $60 per month base plus $6 per employee per month
Additional states: $10 per month per state

These are that provider's Beaverton prices, not Maple Ridge's. Maple Ridge quotes after the free consultation.

Why tips make restaurant payroll different

In many states, employers can pay tipped staff a lower cash wage and count tips toward the minimum. Oregon is not one of them. National payroll software sometimes defaults to federal tip credit settings, which is a quiet way to underpay staff in Oregon. A bookkeeper who works only with food businesses checks for that on setup.

Tip pools add another layer. Who shares, how the split is calculated, and how the payout shows up on each paycheck all need to match your written policy. The tips and tip pooling page goes further, and the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries minimum wage page lists current rates by region.

How much does a $20 an hour employee cost an employer?

A full-time employee at $20 an hour costs roughly $44,800 a year in wages plus the employer's share of Social Security and Medicare. That is $41,600 in wages over 2,080 hours, plus 7.65 percent, about $3,182. At $25 an hour, the same math gives $52,000 in wages and about $56,000 in total. State unemployment insurance, workers' compensation, Paid Leave Oregon and benefits come on top.

Restaurant payroll options for Portland owners, with Maple Ridge Bookkeeping
	Maple Ridge Bookkeeping	Self-service payroll software	Doing payroll by hand
Tip pools and Oregon tip rules	Handled by a food-only team	You configure it	You calculate it
Matched to monthly books	Yes, same dedicated bookkeeper	Separate system	Separate records
Who checks each run	Your dedicated bookkeeper	You	You
Published price example	Quoted after free consultation	$60 to $70 per month plus $6 to $7 per employee at one Beaverton provider	No fee, your time

How a restaurant payroll run works

Collect hours and tips
Pull hours and tip reports from the point-of-sale and scheduling tools.
Apply wages and the tip policy
Pay at least Oregon minimum wage and distribute any tip pool under the written policy.
Withhold and calculate taxes
Federal, Oregon, transit and Paid Leave Oregon amounts are calculated for each employee.
Pay, deposit and file
Employees are paid, taxes deposited on schedule, and filings made on time.
Match to the books
Payroll is recorded in the books so the monthly close by the 10th reflects it.

Common questions

How do you do payroll for a restaurant?

Restaurant payroll starts with accurate hours and tip records from the point-of-sale system. You calculate wages at no less than the Oregon minimum wage, add reported tips for tax purposes, distribute any tip pool, withhold federal and Oregon taxes, then file and deposit those taxes on schedule. Tip handling is where most errors happen.

More in the FAQ

How much should a payroll service cost?

One Beaverton payroll provider, RemoteBooksOnline, publishes full payroll at $70 per month plus $7 per employee per month, and basic payroll at $60 plus $6 per employee. Those are its published Beaverton prices. Restaurant payroll can cost more because of tips and frequent schedule changes. Ask any provider exactly what tip handling includes.

More in the FAQ

Can I do my own payroll for free?

You can run payroll by hand using IRS and Oregon withholding tables, so the software cost can be zero. The real cost is your time and the risk of late deposits, missed filings or tip errors, which carry penalties. For restaurants with tipped staff, free payroll is rarely free once mistakes are counted.

More in the FAQ

Is it cheaper to do your own payroll?

Doing your own payroll saves the service fee, which one Beaverton provider publishes at $60 to $70 per month plus $6 to $7 per employee. Whether that is cheaper depends on what your hours are worth and how often errors occur. Restaurant owners usually find their time is better spent on the floor and in the kitchen.

More in the FAQ

How much does it cost to pay an employee $25 an hour?

At $25 an hour for 2,080 hours, wages come to $52,000 a year. Adding the employer’s 7.65 percent share of Social Security and Medicare, about $3,978, gives roughly $56,000 before state unemployment, workers’ compensation, Paid Leave Oregon and benefits. The real total depends on your unemployment tax rate and benefits package.

More in the FAQ

Who are the top 10 payroll companies?

National payroll software companies process payroll for millions of businesses, but most are self-service: you enter hours and tips, and the software files taxes. Restaurant owners in Portland often pair software with a bookkeeper who checks tips, tip pools and Oregon taxes before each run, so the books and payroll match.

More in the FAQ

Is it cheaper to keep an employee or hire a new one?

Keeping a trained employee is usually cheaper than replacing one, because hiring brings recruiting time, training hours and slower service while a new hire learns. Your monthly books can show what turnover costs your restaurant in overtime and training hours, which makes retention decisions concrete instead of a guess.

More in the FAQ

Back to Maple Ridge restaurant bookkeeping in Portland

Hand off restaurant payroll in Portland

Bring your current payroll setup and tip policy to a free consultation, and see how Maple Ridge would run it alongside your books.

Book a free consultation