In short

Landscaping payroll handles seasonal hiring and layoffs, crews paid hourly or by the day, overtime during peak season, crew leaders with differentials and H-2B or other seasonal workers where applicable. It includes new-hire paperwork, federal deposits, quarterly Form 941 filings, federal unemployment reporting, W-2s and labor cost reports by crew or job.

Peak season hours

Crews often work long weeks from spring to fall. Non-exempt employees are owed overtime for hours over 40 in a workweek under the Fair Labor Standards Act, and paying a day rate does not remove that obligation. We set up time tracking that captures drive time between sites where required.

Seasonal onboarding

Each spring brings new hires. Every new employee completes Form W-4 and the employment eligibility Form I-9. We keep a checklist so paperwork is complete before the first payroll.

Labor cost by crew and job

Payroll is coded by crew and, for projects, by job, so labor feeds the job costing in your books automatically.

Unemployment taxes

Seasonal businesses often see more unemployment claims. Federal unemployment tax is reported annually on Form 940, and state unemployment rates depend partly on your claims history.

Quarterly and annual filings

Deposits and Form 941 are reconciled each quarter; W-2s are issued for every employee who worked during the year, including those laid off in the fall.

Before we start

We confirm seasonal hiring plans, crew overtime practices and any H-2B or multi-state work.

Crews often start early at a shop and travel together to job sites. We check how that time is recorded, since travel from the shop to a job site after the workday has begun is generally hours worked.

Key terms

Definitions for terms used on this page:

  • Exempt and Non-Exempt Employees: Non-exempt employees must receive overtime under federal law; exempt employees meet specific tests that remove that requirement.

Landscaping & Lawn Care problems this addresses

  • Maintenance contracts and installation jobs have very different margins
  • Seasonal revenue swings make cash planning difficult
  • Crews work across many sites, so labor is hard to allocate
  • Mowers, trucks and trailers are costly and wear quickly
  • Materials such as plants, mulch and stone are bought per job