What Landscaping Companies Need from Payroll Software
Landscaping payroll has a few wrinkles that most software does not handle well.
First, the workforce is seasonal. You might have 8 crew members in December and 25 in June. Your payroll tool needs to handle that ramp-up and ramp-down without charging you for inactive users or making onboarding a chore.
Second, a lot of landscaping companies use production-based pay for installation work. Your sod crew gets paid per pallet laid. Your mulch crew gets paid per yard spread. Your hardscaping crew gets paid per square foot of pavers installed. That is piece rate pay, and standard payroll software does not calculate it.
Third, bilingual support matters. A significant percentage of landscaping crews are Spanish-speaking. If your crew cannot read their pay stubs or use the time tracking app, your system has a gap.
I'm Tyson Faulkner. My background is in roofing, not landscaping, but piece rate works the same way across trades. A roofer gets paid per square installed. A landscaper gets paid per pallet of sod laid or per yard of mulch spread. Both need software that connects production output to pay.
This guide compares seven payroll tools for landscaping companies. I will be honest about which ones handle seasonal crews, piece rate, and the realities of running a landscaping operation.
Pricing listed was accurate as of April 2026 and may change.
Quick Comparison Table
| Software | Piece Rate Support | Starting Price | Seasonal Handling | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Piece Work Pro | Native | Free (Solo) / $8/user/mo | Pay only for active users | Piece rate pay calculation for install crews |
| Gusto | None | $40/mo + $6/person/mo | Easy onboard/offboard | Full-service payroll with tax filing |
| Jobber | None | $39/mo+ | Scheduling scales up/down | CRM + scheduling + invoicing |
| LMN | None | ~$30/user/mo | Estimating handles seasonal bids | Estimating + time tracking + job costing |
| Aspire | None | Custom pricing | Enterprise workforce management | Large landscaping operations |
| QuickBooks Payroll | None | $45/mo + $6/employee/mo | Standard onboard/offboard | Landscapers already on QuickBooks |
| Homebase | None | Free (basic) / $20/mo+ | Free tier for small seasonal teams | Scheduling + time tracking on a budget |
The same gap exists here as in every other trade I have looked at: general payroll tools handle taxes and direct deposit but do not understand production-based pay. Industry-specific tools handle scheduling and estimating but do not calculate piece rate earnings. The production-to-pay step lives in a spreadsheet at most landscaping companies.
1. Piece Work Pro — Best for Production-Based Pay Calculation
Best for: Landscaping companies that pay installation crews by the pallet, by the yard, by the square foot, or by the job and need accurate pay calculated from those counts.
Piece Work Pro was built for production-based pay. In landscaping, that means tracking pallets of sod laid, yards of mulch spread, square feet of pavers installed, or linear feet of edging cut — and calculating each crew member's pay from those counts at the rates you set.
Pricing:
- Solo (1 user): Free forever. No credit card required.
- Team: $10/user/month (monthly) or $8/user/month (annual)
A landscaping company with 15 active crew members and 2 managers in peak season runs $136 to $170 per month. In winter, scale down to your year-round crew and pay less.
Pros:
- Native piece rate tracking — log units per worker, per job, per day
- Automatic pay calculation from custom rates per task type (sod, mulch, pavers, plantings)
- Job costing shows your actual labor cost per unit on every job
- Handles hybrid pay — track piece rate for production tasks alongside hourly for non-production work
- Per-user pricing means you only pay for active crew members
- Mobile app for field entry by foremen or crew members
Cons:
- Does not handle tax filing or direct deposit — pair with a payroll processor
- Not a scheduling, estimating, or CRM tool
- No built-in bilingual interface (though production logging is numbers-based and straightforward)
Bottom line: Piece Work Pro fills the gap between production output and payroll. Your sod crew lays 12 pallets at $35 per pallet? That is $420, split among the crew at whatever rate structure you set. The system calculates it. Pair with Gusto or QuickBooks Payroll for tax filing and direct deposit.
For more on setting construction piece rates that apply to landscaping installation work, read our guide on setting fair piece rates in construction.
2. Gusto — Best Full-Service Payroll with Easy Seasonal Onboarding
Best for: Landscaping companies that need reliable tax filing, direct deposit, and smooth onboarding for seasonal employees.
Gusto's biggest strength for landscaping companies is the onboarding flow. When you bring on 15 seasonal workers in March, Gusto lets each one onboard themselves through a self-service portal — tax forms, direct deposit info, document signing, all done without you sitting at a desk entering data. When the season ends and you let people go, offboarding is equally clean.
Pricing: $40/month base + $6/person/month. A 20-person crew in peak season runs about $160/month. Note: Gusto charges per active employee, so your costs drop when seasonal workers are removed.
Pros:
- Automatic federal, state, and local tax filing and payments
- Self-service onboarding that saves hours during seasonal ramp-up
- Direct deposit with flexible scheduling
- Workers' comp, health insurance, and retirement benefits available
- Modern interface that is easy for non-payroll people to use
Cons:
- Zero piece rate or production-based pay support
- No landscaping-specific features (no scheduling, estimating, or routing)
- You calculate production pay manually and enter flat dollar amounts
- Per-person pricing means peak season gets expensive
Bottom line: Gusto is the best general payroll processor for landscaping companies. The onboarding flow alone justifies it when you are hiring and releasing seasonal workers every year. But it does not understand piece rate. You calculate each crew member's production-based earnings outside Gusto and enter the total. Gusto handles taxes, direct deposit, and compliance from there.
3. Jobber — Best for Client Scheduling, Quoting, and Invoicing
Best for: Landscaping companies that need to manage the full client lifecycle from quote to invoice with crew scheduling.
Jobber is one of the most popular platforms for landscaping companies, and for good reason. It handles the client-facing side of the business well — quoting, scheduling, dispatching, invoicing, and client communication. If you are managing dozens of residential and commercial accounts, Jobber brings structure to the chaos.
Pricing: $39/month (Core) to $249/month (Grow+). Higher plans add users, features, and automation.
Pros:
- Client quoting and online invoicing with payment processing
- Crew scheduling with route optimization — minimize drive time between jobs
- Client portal with communication history and online payments
- Job tracking with photos and notes
- Automated follow-up messages and review requests
Cons:
- No piece rate or production-based payroll calculation
- Time tracking is for client billing, not for production-based crew pay
- Payroll is not included — you need a separate payroll tool
- Per-user pricing on higher plans adds up with large seasonal crews
Bottom line: Jobber is a client management and scheduling tool, not a payroll tool. It tells you which crew goes to which property at what time. It does not calculate what each crew member earns from the sod they laid or the mulch they spread. Use Jobber for scheduling and client management, Piece Work Pro for production pay calculation, and Gusto for tax filing.
4. LMN — Best for Estimating, Time Tracking, and Job Costing
Best for: Landscaping companies that want accurate estimating with real-time job costing and labor tracking.
LMN (Landscape Management Network) is built specifically for the landscaping industry. Its strength is the estimating engine — it uses production rates and labor costs to generate accurate bids. It also tracks time against those estimates so you can see budget-to-actual on every job.
Pricing: Approximately $30/user/month. Pricing varies by plan and features.
Pros:
- Industry-specific estimating with built-in production rates for landscaping tasks
- Time tracking that compares actual hours to estimated hours per job
- Job costing with budget-to-actual reporting
- Crew management with scheduling
- Training resources and community specific to landscaping business management
Cons:
- Time tracking is hour-based, not production-based — tracks how long, not how much
- Does not calculate piece rate pay from production counts
- Not a payroll processor — no tax filing or direct deposit
- Per-user pricing with a seasonal crew gets expensive during peak months
- Learning curve for the estimating system
Bottom line: LMN is strong on the estimating and job costing side. If your biggest challenge is knowing whether your bids are accurate and your jobs are profitable, LMN gives you that data. But it tracks labor in hours, not in production units. It tells you that the Smith property took 6 crew-hours. It does not tell you that Jose spread 8 yards of mulch at $12 per yard and earned $96. The production-to-pay connection is missing.
5. Aspire — Best for Large Landscaping Operations
Best for: Landscaping companies with $3M+ in revenue that need enterprise-level operations management.
Aspire is a full business management platform for the landscaping industry. It covers CRM, estimating, scheduling, purchasing, job costing, and accounts receivable. It is designed for larger operations that have outgrown tools like Jobber and LMN and need a more robust system.
Pricing: Custom pricing — contact Aspire for a quote. Expect enterprise-level pricing appropriate for companies doing $3M+ in revenue.
Pros:
- Full business management platform built for landscaping
- Advanced estimating with material and labor breakdowns
- Real-time job costing across all divisions (maintenance, enhancement, install, snow)
- Purchasing and inventory management
- Robust reporting for multi-crew, multi-division operations
Cons:
- Does not calculate piece rate pay from production counts
- Labor tracking is hour-based and budget-focused
- Pricing is not transparent and is designed for larger operations
- Implementation requires significant time and training
- Overkill for a company doing under $1M in revenue
Bottom line: Aspire is the enterprise choice for landscaping. If you are running a $5M operation with maintenance, installation, and snow divisions, Aspire gives you the operational visibility to manage it all. But like every other tool on this list, it does not calculate piece rate pay from production output. Hour-based job costing is excellent. Production-based pay calculation is not part of the platform.
6. QuickBooks Payroll — Best for Landscapers Already on QuickBooks
Best for: Landscaping companies that run their books in QuickBooks and want payroll in the same ecosystem.
A lot of landscaping companies use QuickBooks for accounting. Adding QuickBooks Payroll keeps everything in one place. The integration is seamless, and your accountant probably already knows how to work with QuickBooks.
Pricing: $45/month (Core) to $125/month (Elite) + $6/employee/month.
Pros:
- Direct integration with QuickBooks accounting
- Automatic tax calculations and filings
- Direct deposit with next-day options on higher plans
- Workers' comp integration
- Familiar interface for anyone already on QuickBooks
Cons:
- No piece rate or production-based pay calculation
- Job costing is time-based, not production-based
- Per-employee pricing adds up during peak season with a large crew
- Seasonal onboarding and offboarding is functional but not as smooth as Gusto
Bottom line: QuickBooks Payroll is the straightforward choice if QuickBooks is already your accounting system. It processes payroll, files taxes, and handles direct deposit reliably. But it does not understand production-based pay. You calculate piece rate earnings externally and enter flat dollar amounts.
For a broader look at QuickBooks versus dedicated piece rate tools, read our comparison of QuickBooks vs piece work software.
7. Homebase — Best Budget Scheduling and Time Tracking
Best for: Small landscaping companies that need free or low-cost scheduling and time tracking for hourly crews.
Homebase is hard to beat on price for a small landscaping operation. The free tier includes scheduling, time tracking, and team messaging for up to 20 employees at one location. If you are running a small crew and paying hourly, Homebase covers the basics without a monthly bill.
Pricing:
- Basic: Free (1 location, up to 20 employees)
- Essentials: $20/month per location
- Plus: $48/month per location
- All-in-One: $80/month per location
Pros:
- Free tier with scheduling, time tracking, and hiring tools
- Mobile app with GPS clock-in for field crews
- Shift scheduling with availability tracking
- Basic payroll available as an add-on (hourly only)
- Hiring tools including job post distribution
Cons:
- No piece rate or production-based pay
- Payroll add-on is hourly only — no production pay calculation
- Limited job costing — tracks time but not production output
- Free tier has support and feature limitations
Bottom line: Homebase is the best free option for small, hourly landscaping crews. The scheduling and GPS time tracking features are genuinely useful for managing crews across multiple job sites. But it does not handle piece rate pay at all. If you pay any portion of your crew based on production (pallets of sod, yards of mulch, square feet of pavers), you need a separate tool for that calculation.
Handling the Hybrid: Hourly + Production Bonuses
Many landscaping companies do not use pure piece rate. Instead, they pay a base hourly rate plus production bonuses for installation work. For example:
- Base rate: $18/hour for all hours on the clock
- Sod bonus: $5 per pallet laid above the daily baseline of 10 pallets
- Mulch bonus: $3 per yard spread above the daily baseline of 15 yards
A crew member who works 8 hours and lays 16 pallets of sod earns:
- Hourly: 8 x $18 = $144
- Bonus: (16 - 10) x $5 = $30
- Total: $174 (effective rate of $21.75/hour)
This hybrid model provides income stability for slow days and weather delays while still rewarding high production on installation days. It is especially effective for landscaping because the work varies so much — some days are pure production, some days are maintenance, some days are disrupted by weather.
Tracking this hybrid pay is where most tools fall short. You need both hour tracking AND production tracking tied to the same worker on the same day. Use our Payroll Calculator to model hybrid pay structures with your actual rates and crew sizes.
Bilingual Support: Why It Matters
A significant percentage of the landscaping workforce is Spanish-speaking. This is not just a nice-to-have — it affects your operation if your crew cannot:
- Read their pay stubs and verify their earnings
- Use the time tracking or production logging app
- Understand the pay structure and how their production translates to pay
- Complete onboarding documents independently
When evaluating software, check whether the employee-facing mobile app and pay stubs are available in Spanish. Gusto offers multilingual onboarding. Homebase has some Spanish language support. Most production tracking and MRP tools do not prioritize bilingual interfaces.
This is a gap worth noting during your evaluation. A tool that is perfect on paper but unusable by half your crew is not actually perfect.
How to Choose
Small crew (under 10), hourly pay only:
Homebase (free tier) for scheduling and time tracking + Gusto or QuickBooks Payroll for tax filing and direct deposit. Simple, affordable, and effective.
Medium crew (10-30), piece rate or hybrid pay:
Piece Work Pro for production tracking and pay calculation + Gusto for tax filing and seasonal onboarding + Jobber for scheduling and client management. This stack covers production pay, compliance, and operations.
Large operation ($3M+ revenue):
Aspire for enterprise operations management + Piece Work Pro for production-based pay calculation + your existing payroll processor for tax filing. Aspire handles the business side. Piece Work Pro handles the production-to-pay gap.
Budget-conscious startup:
Piece Work Pro free Solo plan to test production tracking + QuickBooks Payroll for basic tax filing. Upgrade as you grow.
For help estimating your labor costs on landscaping jobs, try our Crew Productivity Calculator and our Job Profit Calculator.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use regular payroll software if I pay landscaping crews per pallet or per yard?
You can use regular payroll software to process payments and file taxes, but it will not calculate production-based pay. You would track production separately, calculate each worker's piece rate earnings, and enter flat dollar amounts into your payroll tool. A production tracking tool like Piece Work Pro automates the calculation step.
Do seasonal landscaping workers get overtime?
Yes. The FLSA requires overtime pay (time and a half) for hours worked over 40 per week, regardless of whether the worker is seasonal or year-round. Some states have additional daily overtime requirements. The seasonal exemption under the FLSA (Section 13(a)(3)) applies only to seasonal amusement or recreational establishments — not landscaping companies. For more detail, see our guide on how to calculate overtime for piece rate workers.
What is a typical piece rate for landscaping installation work?
Rates vary by task, region, and material. Common ranges:
- Sod installation: $25 to $45 per pallet laid (roughly $0.15 to $0.30 per square foot of crew labor)
- Mulch spreading: $8 to $15 per cubic yard spread
- Paver installation: $1.50 to $4.00 per square foot installed
- Plantings: $3 to $10 per plant installed depending on size
- Edging: $0.50 to $1.50 per linear foot
These are crew labor rates — what the worker earns. Your customer billing rate is significantly higher to cover materials, equipment, overhead, and profit.
How do I handle rain days with piece rate landscaping crews?
This is one of the biggest challenges with pure piece rate in landscaping. Options include:
- Hybrid pay: Base hourly rate for all hours on site plus piece rate bonuses for production. Rain days pay the hourly base.
- Guaranteed daily minimum: Set a floor (e.g., $140/day) so workers earn at least the minimum regardless of weather delays.
- Send crews home: No work, no pay — legal for piece rate as long as workers are not required to wait on site. If they wait, you likely owe for that time.
Is H-2B common in landscaping?
Yes. Many landscaping companies use the H-2B temporary worker visa program for seasonal labor. H-2B has its own wage requirements — you must pay the prevailing wage as determined by the Department of Labor, which varies by occupation and location. This adds a compliance layer beyond standard piece rate requirements.
Try Piece Work Pro free to see how production-based pay tracking works for your landscaping crew — no credit card required.