AI Workforce
Payroll & Tipping Software for Salons, Spas, and Medspas
Run payroll in a single click. Zenoti syncs appointments, hours, commissions, and tips from the platform you already use — calculating every paycheck automatically, filing taxes across all 50 U.S. states, and paying out digital tips the same day they're earned.
What is payroll software for salons?
Salon payroll software automates how salons, spas, and medspas calculate and distribute employee pay — including hourly wages, commissions, tips, and bonuses — and handles tax filings across all required jurisdictions. Zenoti Integrated Payroll is built into the same platform that runs appointments and POS, so payroll calculates from live business data with no manual exports or second system to maintain.
Payroll built on your business data - not exported into it
Standalone payroll systems make you re-enter what your salon software already knows. Zenoti Integrated Payroll is built into the same platform that runs your appointment book and POS, so check-ins, transactions, and commission rules flow straight into payroll — no manual work and no second system to reconcile.
Why it matters: Every manual data transfer between your scheduling software and payroll system is a reconciliation risk. Zenoti eliminates the transfer entirely — payroll calculates from the same record that ran the appointment.
One-click payroll runs
Earnings calculate automatically from appointments, hours, commissions, and tips. Review, adjust if needed, and submit — your team is paid by the next business day.
Every pay type covered
Hourly with overtime, prorated salary, every commission type, tips, bonuses, custom earnings, and non-taxable reimbursements — all in one payroll run.
Taxes on autopilot
Federal and state tax calculations, filings, and payments across all 50 U.S. states. W-2s, 1099s, weekly new-hire reporting, and garnishment management included.
Same-day tip payouts
Digital tips land in each employee's Zenoti Wallet at the end of every shift, at no extra cost — keeping your team motivated and your cash drawer simple.
How Zenoti Payroll Works
Zenoti generates the Payroll Summary Report from your platform data — appointments, attendance, hours, commissions, and tips — for the selected pay period. If anything changes, recalculate before initiating.
See every employee's earnings in one view. Add custom earnings or deductions, record non-taxable reimbursements, filter by employment type or status, and preview net pay, payroll taxes, and benefits per employee — before anything is final.
Submit payroll and Zenoti deducts the amounts from the relevant business bank accounts and initiates direct deposits — funds reach employees the next business day. You can edit the pay day or pause and resume at any point; progress saves automatically.
Run salon payroll in a single click
Payroll shouldn't take a day of spreadsheet reconciliation. Because Zenoti already records every appointment, check-in, and transaction, earnings are calculated before you even open the payroll screen. Review the pre-populated earnings, make on-the-go adjustments directly from the payroll input screen, preview each employee's net pay and taxes, and submit.
Unlimited payroll runs included: Your subscription includes unlimited payroll runs, so off-cycle payments for bonuses, commissions, corrections, or final settlements never cost extra. Run payroll as often as your business requires without watching a billing meter.
Every pay type, calculated automatically
Beauty and wellness compensation is rarely straightforward. Zenoti handles the full mix in a single payroll run:
Hourly pay
Regular hours and overtime, tracked directly from attendance.
Salary
Prorated automatically to the pay period.
Commissions
Every type, based on services, product sales, or custom rules, calculated by Zenoti's commission management engine.
Tips and bonuses
Processed automatically from transactions recorded in Zenoti.
Custom earnings
Recurring (monthly bonuses) or one-time (spot bonuses), added from the payroll input screen.
Reimbursements
Non-taxable payouts such as travel or supplies, categorized correctly for tax purposes.
Service-level deductions
Configured to your business policies and applied before payouts.
Pay schedules flex to your operation: weekly, bi-weekly, semi-monthly, or monthly — with pay periods and compensation logic configurable separately per location.
Same-day tip payouts your team will feel
Digital tips shouldn't take two weeks to reach the people who earned them. With Zenoti, tips can be paid out the same day they're earned, at no extra cost to your business, directly to each employee's Zenoti Wallet.
What every employee receives: A free checking account, a Zenoti Wallet, and a myZen Smart Card — a secured card in physical and virtual formats, usable for ATM withdrawals, online and in-store purchases, and contactless payments. Tips earned on a Tuesday can be spent on a Tuesday.
Same-Day Tips and Zenoti Integrated Payroll are independent modules — use either, or both. Prefer to pay tips with regular payroll? That works too.
Payroll taxes, filings, and compliance on autopilot
Zenoti handles the full tax compliance stack so you don't have to:
Federal and state tax calculations, filings, and payments across all 50 U.S. states- W-2 forms for employees and 1099 forms for contractors — automatically generated, filed, and accessible through employee and contractor portals
- New hires and rehires reported electronically every week in line with each state's guidelines for W-2 employees
- Court-ordered garnishments (child support, etc.) deducted from net pay and remitted to the appropriate agencies
- Final paychecks for departing employees — state-specific payout timelines with Pay Now (immediate off-cycle) or Pay Later options
Multi-state operations: Tax rules apply automatically per state — which matters for any salon brand operating across state lines. Zenoti tracks each state's requirements and applies them without manual configuration per location.
Benefits and PTO without a second system
Zenoti Integrated Payroll connects benefits directly to payroll through leading providers:
401(k) and IRA
Vestwell and Human Interest (two-way sync — changes in either system update both).
Health insurance
SimplyInsured.
Workers' compensation
Next Insurance (pay-as-you-go; payroll details shared automatically after each submission for accurate premiums).
Already have a benefits provider? Keep them — export the required payroll data and share it with your provider. No system migration required.
Leave and PTO policies are fully configurable: accrual rules, carry-forward limits, probation-based eligibility, and unlimited leave types. Balances are visible to employees in myZen and on pay stubs. Manager approvals are one click, and approved leave is reflected automatically in payroll calculations.
Built for multi-location payroll
Process payroll for all locations sharing a pay period in a single click — or manage centers in separate lists where pay periods differ. Pay periods and compensation logic are configured per center during onboarding, so a flagship location and a new opening can run different compensation models inside one organization.
For operators and franchises: The Employee Payroll by Payroll Plan report breaks down payroll by the specific plan each employee is on — plan type, revenue source, tax bracket, production hours, and whether the plan is configured at the employee or job level. Multi-location operators get visibility that a standard payroll register doesn't provide.
Multi-location payroll software manages separate pay periods, compensation structures, and tax compliance rules across multiple business locations from a single dashboard — eliminating separate payroll accounts or systems per location.
Switching payroll providers? Zenoti does the heavy lifting
Migration from most payroll vendors — including ADP, Gusto, and Paychex — typically takes 10–20 business days once Zenoti Integrated Payroll is enabled.
- Zenoti's team handles initial setup, payroll configuration, and migration of payroll history and employee data
- Historical earnings, deductions, and taxes paid migrate over so year-to-date totals stay accurate for tax forms
- Mid-year switching is supported: Zenoti calculates your past tax liability and handles payment; you request the refund from your previous provider
- Existing employees don't re-onboard — their records migrate and they simply review their details in myZen
Provider note: Some providers (such as QuickBooks Payroll) restrict access to direct deposit details, in which case employees enter their bank information once in myZen. All other data migrates automatically.
A pay experience employees actually trust
In an industry where your best stylists always have other options, pay transparency is a retention lever — not just an HR nicety.
Your team sees everything in the free myZen app:
- Pay stubs and full payroll history
- W-2 or 1099 tax documents
- PTO balances and leave requests
- Tip earnings, including same-day payouts to the Zenoti Wallet
- Bank account details and tax withholding settings — self-managed by each employee, no front-desk admin required
Retention insight: Transparent, on-time pay is one of the top three retention factors cited by salon and spa employees. Giving your team visibility into every dollar earned — without having to ask the front desk — removes a daily friction point that drives turnover.
Ready to save hours on admin and ensure your team gets paid accurately and on time?
Unique Insights for growth oriented wellness brands
Read The Check-In
FAQ
Unlike standalone payroll systems, Zenoti Integrated Payroll eliminates switching between tools: earnings calculate from the platform's check-ins, appointments, and transactions — including commissions — rather than from manual exports. It offers click-to-run payroll, unlimited payroll runs, next-day direct deposits, real-time adjustments, new-hire reporting, and full tax compliance across all 50 states.
Before each run, Zenoti generates the Payroll Summary Report for the pay period from appointments, attendance, and transactions. On the payroll input screen, you can add custom earnings, record non-taxable reimbursements, apply deductions, and preview each employee's net pay and taxes before submitting. If something changes mid-run, you can discard, recalculate, and re-initiate — progress saves automatically.
Off-cycle payroll handles cases regular cycles miss: missed payments, one-time bonuses, expense reimbursements, corrections from prior periods, and final settlements for departing employees. Because runs are unlimited and free, you never have to choose between paying someone correctly and paying them now.
Tax rules apply automatically per state — important for multi-state operators. W-2s and 1099s are accessible through employee and contractor portals in myZen. Mid-year switching is fully supported — Zenoti calculates past tax liability and handles payment; you request the refund from your previous provider.
Every employee gets a free checking account, a Zenoti Wallet, and a myZen Smart Card — a secured card in physical and virtual formats usable for ATM withdrawals, online purchases, and contactless payments. For employees without a bank account, the Smart Card and Wallet provide a complete digital pay solution. Tips can land at the end of every shift.
For employees without a bank account, the Smart Card and Zenoti Wallet replace paper checks or third-party prepaid cards. Employees manage the card and track earnings, pay stubs, and tax documents in the myZen app. Tips land in the Wallet at the end of each shift — a daily benefit your team notices when evaluating other job offers.
On the payroll input screen you can filter records by employment type (W-2 or contractor), status, and onboarding status, and exclude anyone from a specific run. This lets you run payroll only for contractors, or run a standard employee cycle while excluding contractors. W-2s and 1099s are generated and filed automatically at year end.
You provide company details, bank accounts, tax forms, and access to your current provider; Zenoti imports historical earnings, deductions, and taxes paid. Existing employees don't re-onboard — records are mapped over and employees simply review their details in myZen. Mid-year switching is fully supported.
Centers on the same pay period batch into one run; centers on different schedules appear as separate lists. For employees working across multiple centers, Zenoti can keep tips separate per center or consolidate all earnings in one run. The Employee Payroll by Payroll Plan report adds per-plan visibility across the full organization.
Billing starts from the month of first payroll submission. An employee counts toward the monthly fee only if processed in at least one run in the prior month. Contact the Zenoti sales team for current pricing.
With Next Insurance, payroll details are shared automatically after each submission so workers' comp premiums reflect actual payroll data. For other existing providers, set up deduction details once in Zenoti and export payroll data for sharing. Post-tax deductions and garnishments are managed in the same system as all other payroll.