Branch

Branch is a US workforce payments platform that lets employers pay workers quickly through a free digital bank account and debit card, direct payouts to existing bank accounts, and earned wage access. For restaurants it adds cashless tip payouts and TipCalc, which calculates tip pools from POS data. Branch says it is free for companies and sold to businesses across hospitality and other hourly industries.

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Best for
Restaurants and bars paying out tips, Employers with hourly staff who want on-demand pay
Pricing
Free for employers
Runs on
Web

Who it is for

  • Restaurants and bars paying out tips

    Cashless tip payouts sent after close replace cash tip-outs and bank runs, and TipCalc automates the pool calculation.

  • Employers with hourly staff who want on-demand pay

    Branch says workers can draw up to 50% of earned wages before payday without changing how payroll runs.

What it does

  • Cashless tip payouts

    Sends tips to workers right after they clock out, including on weekends and holidays, with no pre-funding required.

  • TipCalc tip pooling

    Pulls check and labour data from the POS, applies custom pooling and sharing rules and calculates nightly tip payouts.

  • Custom tip rules

    Pooling or sharing rules can be based on revenue centres, job codes and distribution frequency.

  • Branch App & Card

    Free digital bank account and Mastercard debit card for workers, available on day one, with savings and financial wellness tools.

  • Branch Direct

    Pushes payouts to workers' existing bank accounts through a linked debit card, via a web portal or an embedded integration.

  • Earned wage access

    The vendor says workers can access up to 50% of earned wages before payday through Core (payroll-integrated) and Flex (roster-based) models.

  • One-off payments

    Send bonuses, stipends, final paychecks and last-day pay outside the normal payroll run.

  • Payroll, HR and POS integrations

    Connects with payroll, HCM, time and attendance, tip management and POS systems.

  • Custom-branded cards

    Order free Branch-branded debit cards or add a company logo to the card design.

Pricing

Pricing model
Free for employers
Free plan
Yes

The homepage says Branch is available at no cost to companies and offers free options for workers; Branch Direct is described as free for businesses with no hidden fees. No paid plan or price is published. Sponsor-bank fee schedules for card accounts are on the legal page.

Works with

Accounting
Quickbooks Online
Other
AtlasRMSBambooHRGratuity SolutionsR365TippyWorkdayFoodTechPDQ
Payments
Stripe
Payroll
ADPGreenshadesHorizon PayrollPaychexPaycomPaycorPaylocityRipplingSquare PayrollUKG
Point of sale
AlohaPARRevelSpotOnToast
Scheduling
7Shifts

The integrations page lists about 50 partners in total (payroll, HCM, applicant tracking, POS, tip management); this list keeps those most relevant to food businesses. Which are 'featured' partners with deeper integration is shown on the page.

Where and how it runs

Customers in
United States
Platforms
Web
Hardware
None stated beyond the Branch debit card issued to workers.

Branch states its mission is to help working Americans and its banking services are provided by US sponsor banks; no list of supported countries is published.

The company

Founders
Atif Siddiqi
Customers named by the vendor
Hop City Craft Beer & Wine, Twin Peaks, Tom's Watch Bar, Jimmy Johns, Dominos, Wingers

Security and support

Security and compliance
Banking services provided by FDIC-member sponsor banks (Evolve Bank & Trust, Lead Bank); Branch itself is not a bank
Support
A help centre and app support are linked from the site; contact and demo forms are offered.

Listing details

Headquarters
United States
Built for
Restaurants
Focus
General-purpose, used in food businesses
Status
Active
Website
branchapp.com
Also listed in
Employee Scheduling & RosteringTip Pooling & Tip Distribution

Alternatives to Branch

See all 8 in Earned Wage Access

  • Instant Financial

    Instant Financial is a US pay platform for hourly employers, including restaurants and quick-service chains.

    Runs on Web, iOS and Android, against Web for Branch.

  • DailyPay

    DailyPay is an on-demand pay (earned wage access) service that lets hourly employees draw part of their earned wages before payday.

    Names 13 integrations, against 26 for Branch.

  • Fuego by Fourth

    Fuego is an earned wage access app from Fourth, the company behind HotSchedules.

    Runs on iOS and Android, against Web for Branch.

  • Grazzy

    Grazzy is a US digital tipping and tip payout platform.

    Listed as best for: Bars and restaurants tipping out staff; Hotels with housekeeping and front-line teams.

Compare Branch

Side-by-side tables built from the same profile data.

What we could not confirm

These points were not confirmed when this page was written.

  • Any fee for employers beyond the statement that Branch is free
  • Headquarters, founding year, funding and team size
  • Fees charged to workers, see fee schedules
  • Which integrations need extra setup
  • Countries other than the United States
  • Security certifications

Sources

Facts on this page come from the pages below, checked on 29 September 2026. Prices and features change, so confirm with the vendor before you buy.

  1. Homepagehttps://branchapp.com
  2. Hospitality solutionhttps://branchapp.com/industry/hospitality
  3. Card and apphttps://branchapp.com/solutions/branch-app-and-card
  4. Branch Directhttps://branchapp.com/solutions/branch-direct
  5. TipCalchttps://branchapp.com/solutions/tipcalc
  6. EWAhttps://branchapp.com/use-cases/earned-wage-access
  7. Integrationshttps://branchapp.com/integrations
  8. About and founderhttps://branchapp.com/about
  9. Restaurant case studyhttps://branchapp.com/case-studies/hop-city
  10. Legal and sponsor bankshttps://branchapp.com/legal/start
  11. Newshttps://branchapp.com/news