7shifts vs Homebase Tip Pooling: Split Methods and Costs (2026)

If you need to weight tips by role (bartender 1.0, busser 0.5) and you run a full-service floor, buy 7shifts with Tip Management: it is the only one of the two with points weighting. If you pool by hours or a fixed role percentage on Square or Clover, Homebase Tip Manager does the job for about half the add-on price.

How we compared them

We read both vendors’ pricing pages, 7shifts’ knowledge base on tip pooling, Homebase’s tip pooling product page, and the US Department of Labor fact sheets on 4 November 2026. We have not processed a live tip run in either product. The worked example below is our own arithmetic using the methods each vendor documents, not output captured from the software.

The legal ground rules (federal)

• Tip credit taken? The pool can only include employees who customarily and regularly receive tips. Cooks and dishwashers are out.
• No tip credit (full minimum wage paid)? Back-of-house staff may be included.
• Managers and supervisors may not receive pooled tips in either case.
• Several states are stricter. California, for example, does not allow a tip credit at all. Check your state labor department.

One Friday pool, three ways

Pool: US$1,200. Staff: 4 servers × 6h, 2 bussers × 5h, 1 bartender × 7h. Total hours: 41.

Run your own pool: Try 7shifts · Try Homebase · Tip pooling calculator

Points maths: point-hours are 24×1.0 + 7×1.0 + 10×0.5 = 36, so each point-hour is worth 1,200 ÷ 36 = 33.33. A busser gets 5 × 0.5 × 33.33 = 83.33. Percentage maths: each role’s share is divided by hours within the role, which is how 7shifts’ knowledge base describes it.

The spread between methods for one busser is US$63 on a single night. That is why you write the policy down before you pick the software.

7shifts Tip Management

7shifts lists three methods in its knowledge base: equal distribution by hours, percentage by role or department (must total 100%), and points weighting. It has POS-specific tip pooling guides for Toast, Square and others. On the pricing page Tip Management is a US$49.99/location add-on, included in Premium; instant payouts are US$1 per transaction and tips can be sent to payroll.

See 7shifts plans

Homebase Tip Manager

Homebase’s tip pooling page says it pulls hours and tips from Square or Clover, distributes by hours worked or by percentage per role, adds cash tips before payroll, and factors card fees into tip-outs. Tip Manager is US$25/location/month. Base plans are per location with unlimited employees: Essentials US$24, Plus US$56, All-in-One US$96 on annual billing. Payroll is US$49 + US$6/employee/month.

Essentials plus Tip Manager comes to US$49/month for one location, annual billing.

See Homebase plans

Who should buy which

• 7shifts if your policy weights roles with points, you run Toast, or you want instant tip payouts.
• Homebase if you pool by hours or a flat percentage, run Square or Clover, and want the lowest add-on cost.
• California operator? Read our 7shifts California meal break setup next.

Sources

• 7shifts, Plans & Pricing, read 4 Nov 2026.
• 7shifts Knowledge Base, Tip Pooling with Manual Contribution and Tip Pooling for Toast POS.
• Homebase, Pricing and Restaurant tip pooling, read 4 Nov 2026.
• US Department of Labor, Fact Sheet #15 and Fact Sheet #15B; 29 CFR 531.54.

General information, not legal or tax advice.