Toast Payroll: New Customer Onboarding FAQ

Last updated: Feb 1, 2026, 2:05 PM

Use this FAQ to help you prepare your company for onboarding with Toast Payroll.

Looking for a live training experience with a Toast Training Expert? Sign up for a live Toast Classroom session to help you set up and get started with Toast Payroll! Select the button below to sign up.
 

Toast Classroom - Getting Started with Toast Payroll

   

In this Article:

 

New Customer Onboarding FAQ

What information should I have readily available as part of onboarding?

      • Company code: This is the name of your account that you'll create during onboarding. In some cases, you and/or your employees may use this to log into Toast Payroll. Your company code is often interchangeable with your company name. We recommend using something broad and easy for all employees to remember. A company code must be one word without spaces or special characters.
      • Tax account details: FEIN & state tax account numbers
      • Business legal name: The name your company is registered as with the IRS
      • Jobs: the roles that employees use to clock in and out with
      • Payroll frequency: How often you will pay employees (weekly, bi-weekly, semi-monthly, or monthly)
      • Suggested first check date: Your first check date in Toast Payroll
      • Bank account information: You will need to let us know which bank accounts you will use to pay your employees and fund other payroll costs

     

    How do I know what steps are left to take before I can go live and run my first payroll?

    The onboarding process for Toast Payroll starts with setting up your restaurant account on the Implementation Dashboard and ends with showing you how to submit your first payroll. Once you've completed the Implementation Dashboard and set up your business with us, Toast Payroll uses a Setup Checklist to guide you through different payroll settings and to request specific information from you. This checklist is used by you and your Onboarding Consultant together, so not all tasks will be your responsibility. Visit Toast Payroll: Get Started With Onboarding and Implementation for a complete walkthrough of the onboarding process.

     

    What if I had a previous payroll provider before Toast Payroll?

    During onboarding, the Toast Payroll Team will ask you for your prior provider credentials in order to access the provider. We will then export all of the employee-related data in order to add new employees and their quarterly data into the Toast system.


    Once you are live with Toast Payroll (you have completed your first payroll run), review any lingering services you may have with your prior provider and ensure you are taking steps to end the relationship with these providers as you begin with Toast Payroll. You'll want to regularly navigate to Taxes to look for tasks Toast Payroll asks of you, including one for cancel tax filing services with your previous payroll provider.  Failure to end services with a prior provider could result in duplicate, inaccurate, and/or incomplete tax filings in future quarters.


    If you are switching to Toast Payroll from another provider mid-quarter, confirm how/when tax amounts that are due at the end of the quarter will be remitted to you. Toast Payroll will debit your payroll account within two weeks of your first payroll for both federal and state unemployment taxes (FUTA and SUTA) to ensure we can pay these on your behalf by the quarterly deadline.
     

    Why am I required to add terminated employees to Toast Payroll?

    If you are switching to Toast Payroll from a different provider, you are required to add all employees you've paid this year, including terminated employees, to ensure your year-end filings are prepared correctly.
     

    How do I receive my login information for Toast Payroll?

    Your login information will be provided in the Welcome to Toast Payroll email and your password will be setup by you in Step 1 of Toast Payroll: Get Started With Onboarding and Implementation.
     

    How does Toast Payroll work with Toast POS/Toast Web?

    Many data points automatically sync between the two systems. If you have both Toast POS and Toast Payroll, read Toast Payroll: Sync Information With Toast Web to see where to enter specific information in the two systems.
     

    How will I be charged for Toast Payroll? What are the fees?

    Fees to operate Toast Payroll will depend on your subscription and the actions your company takes. Check out Toast Payroll: Invoice and Billing Information to find more answers.

     

    What is the Tax Center and how can it help me?

    The Tax Center is a hub in Toast Payroll which contains tasks to be completed to help enable a successful quarterly tax filing. By frequently checking the Tax Center and completing these tasks, you can plan for upcoming payroll tax filings and ensure Toast Payroll has the items necessary for your payroll tax filings. Navigate to Taxes in the left-hand navigation of Toast Payroll. Visit Toast Payroll: Manage Payroll Taxes for more information.

     

    Back to top
     

    Payroll/Pay Related FAQ

    When will my employees receive their pay?

    As long as payroll processing guidelines are followed, employees will receive direct deposits on the day listed as your check date. We recommend submitting payroll three business days prior to your check date to ensure there are no shipping delays or other complications. Printed checks will typically be delivered within 24 hours of the time that you submit payroll. See Toast Payroll: Get Help With When Employees Are Paid for scenarios on when employees will be paid depending on when payroll has been submitted.

     

    When will Toast Payroll debit me for the payroll wages and fees? How much should I have in my bank account for payroll?

    The debit date also depends on when your payroll was posted, but you can check the examples in Toast Payroll: Manage Debit and Withdrawal Schedules to learn more. The same article gives you three different places to check your funds requirement; two of them can be used prior to submitting payroll.

     

    What options does Toast Payroll offer for how employees receive their pay?

    When employees select paper check, what options do employers have for generating a check?

    Navigate to Settings > Payroll > Paycheck Delivery to make your selection.

     

     

    Which paper check delivery option is right for our business?

    For a list of pros and cons and additional information on paycheck delivery options, read Toast Payroll: Paycheck Delivery FAQ.
     

    Back to top
     

    Employee Management FAQ

    How do I access an employee's record to make changes?

    Type an employee’s name into the Search employees bar in the upper right-hand corner of any screen. Select their name to be taken to their profile.
     

    How do I hire a new employee into the system?

    Navigate to Team > +Add Team Member. See the whole process in Toast Payroll: New Hire Employees (Employer Guide).
     

    How do I terminate an employee in the system?

    Navigate to the employee's record using the Search employees bar. Select the carat icon > in the upper-right corner of the Status tile to begin the termination workflow or follow the Toast Payroll steps in Terminate or Archive an Employee in Toast Web or Toast Payroll.

     

    Carat icon highlighted in the Status tile
     

    Where can my employees find assistance using the system?

    Please direct all employee questions to toast.help/employees or Toast Payroll: Get Help With Employee Resources (it's the same page). This page contains several topics and step-by-step directions written specifically for employee users of Toast Payroll.
     

    How do I know which employees are correctly set up for direct deposit?

    On the Direct Deposit page under Settings > Payroll > Direct Deposit, you can view the employees with incomplete information and send an email notification to alert them about completing their direct deposit setup. The second half of the report lists each employee who is successfully set up.
     

    Back to top
     

    Tax FAQ

    How do I register for state tax account numbers? Where do I find the numbers I've already registered for?

    Visit the chart in Toast Payroll: Get Help With State Tax Account Numbers to find links to register for each state's withholding account number (if applicable), unemployment account number, and SUTA rate. The agency's website can typically help locate any misplaced tax account numbers.
     

    Can I use Toast Payroll if I don't have a Federal Employer Identification Number (FEIN) or state tax account numbers?

    You must obtain an FEIN from the IRS in order to utilize Toast Payroll. You may run payroll without having registered for state tax account numbers, but this should be used temporarily only since it may cause late payments to corresponding tax agencies along with possible penalties and fees if the numbers aren't received by the end of a quarter. Check out Toast Payroll: Register for State Tax Accounts for more information on each type of tax account number.
     

    What are employee taxes?

    When you run payroll, Toast will withhold income taxes (if applicable) and payroll taxes from the employees' pay according to their own tax settings and their work tax location. Toast Payroll automates this process.
     

    1. Federal Income Tax (FIT)
    2. State Income Tax (SIT) (where applicable)
    3. Social Security (FICA)
    4. Medicare
    5. Local taxes (where applicable)

     

    What are employer taxes?

    In addition to withholding and paying the employee payroll taxes, there are employer payroll taxes that must be calculated and paid. Toast Payroll automates this process.
     

    1. Social Security (FICA)
    2. Medicare
    3. Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA)
    4. State Unemployment Tax (SUTA)

     

    Back to top
     

    Toast Web and Toast Payroll Integration FAQs

    How do I use Toast Payroll in conjunction with Toast Web?

    Information is synced between Toast Payroll and Toast Web, but it is important that information is entered in the appropriate place for syncing to occur properly. Visit Toast Payroll: Sync Information with Toast Web. 
     

    How do I track my employee's hours?

    Clock in and clock out information transfers from Toast Web to Toast Payroll. You can view time entries and timesheets in Toast Payroll by navigating to Time.


    Back to top


    This content is for informational purposes and is not intended as legal, tax, HR, or any other professional advice. Please contact an attorney or other professional for advice.