HoneyBook launches flexible payroll built for independent work

Introduction

HoneyBook is a leading client relationship management platform for independent, service-based businesses. Trusted by photographers, event planners, consultants, designers, and more across the U.S. and Canada, HoneyBook helps their members manage every step of the client experience, from inquiry to payment, in one place.

While HoneyBook supported critical workflows such as contracts, invoicing, and payments, one essential task remained manual for many customers: paying their teams. Members often relied on disconnected tools like Venmo, paper checks, or spreadsheets to compensate contractors.

HoneyBook saw a clear opportunity to close this gap by embedding payroll directly into the platform, in a way that matched the fast-moving, flexible nature of its community.

Challenge

When HoneyBook began exploring embedded payroll in 2024, the team quickly encountered a common industry limitation. Most payroll infrastructure is designed for W-2 employees, or for long-term hires with complex compliance requirements and full HR stacks. That model did not align with HoneyBook’s member businesses, many of which are heavily contractor driven. 

Although Salsa’s infrastructure already supported contractor payouts, much of the market remained oriented around W-2 employee-centric flows, introducing unnecessary setup and friction. HoneyBook and Salsa recognized an opportunity to rethink payroll for independent work: a solution that was lightweight, fast to onboard, and purpose-built for contractors.

HoneyBook needed a partner who understood its members, its product philosophy, and the realities of independent work. That alignment is core to how Salsa builds.

Solution

From the outset, Salsa approached the engagement as a true partnership, working closely with the HoneyBook team to design and build alongside them.

It became clear early on that HoneyBook members needed something different from a traditional payroll product. Rather than forcing a one-size-fits-all solution, Salsa developed a contractor-only payroll experience that is streamlined, flexible, and tailored to the way independent service-based businesses run their business. To meet HoneyBook’s security requirements for sensitive payroll actions, Salsa prioritized and implemented embedded multi-factor authentication, delivering enterprise-grade protection without compromising the member experience.

With Salsa, HoneyBook did not have to choose between speed and scale. It achieved both. 

"Embedding payroll into HoneyBook felt like a natural extension of what our members already love about the platform: Clean design, simplicity, and confidence that the job gets done. Salsa made it easy to get there without compromising on user experience." — Asha Bhatia, Director of Product at HoneyBook

At the same time, Salsa designed the system with growth in mind. From day one, the infrastructure supported a clear expansion path to W-2 payroll, making it easy for the HoneyBook to turn on this capability down the line based on their member needs.

‍Results

The result was an onboarding flow that eliminated unnecessary steps for businesses paying independent contractors or self-employed individuals. HoneyBook and Salsa launched a beta contractor payroll product in just one month and was designed to feel fully native to the HoneyBook platform.

An intuitive flow and branded UI reduced onboarding friction and support tickets, while a phased rollout enabled the team to gather feedback in real time and validate member adoption. Most importantly, the iterative approach to building and rolling out contractor-only payroll allowed HoneyBook and Salsa to confirm they were solving real member needs from the onset.  

Because the solution was built for flexibility, HoneyBook was also able to begin exploring W-2 payroll using the same underlying infrastructure, without the need to start from scratch.

"Working with Salsa, we launched contractor payroll in a month or so, and the contractor-first flow was key. We avoided the complexity of a legacy W2 process and kept onboarding friction low, which made the difference for our creative entrepreneurs." — Asha Bhatia, Director of Product at HoneyBook

Conclusion

By partnering with Salsa, HoneyBook did more than add payroll. Together, the teams reimagined it for a new kind of business owner. Through close collaboration and fast, responsive development, they launched a solution that reflects how modern independent professionals manage their business, while also laying the foundation for future growth.