Restaurant money recovery
Find the money your restaurant is owed
Five places restaurants routinely lose money they could get back, with the deadlines, the math and the evidence for each. Read it free, run the calculators yourself, or send us your exports and we will do it.
What is restaurant money recovery?
Restaurant money recovery is finding and reclaiming money a restaurant is owed or overpaying: card processing fees above the contracted rate, the FICA tip credit (Section 45B) that can be claimed for about three years back, delivery-app error charges that can be disputed within 14 to 30 days, supplier invoice errors, and held deposits. Most of it is lost to deadlines, not denials.
The five leaks, ranked by how fast they turn into cash
| Leak | Typical size | Deadline | Who files |
|---|---|---|---|
| Card processing fees | A share of every card sale; small rate gaps compound across 12+ months of statements | Toast: report errors within 30 days or they are waived | Owner requests the correction; we build the evidence |
| FICA tip credit (Section 45B) | 7.65% of tips above the $5.15/hr floor. About $22,446 a year in a worked 12-server example | 3 years from the return's due date, on an amended return | A licensed preparer files; we calculate from payroll |
| Delivery-app error charges | 25% to 100% of the item price plus tax, per DoorDash error charge | DoorDash 14 days; Uber Eats and Grubhub 30 days | Owner or manager only; third-party filing is prohibited |
| Supplier invoice errors | Price creep, short shipments and credits never applied | Your supplier's credit terms; usually at or soon after delivery | Owner or kitchen manager, with the invoice and receiving record |
| Held deposits and equipment leases | Deposits delayed or reserved; multi-year terminal leases | Varies by processor agreement and lease | Owner, with our help assembling the documents |
Card processing fees
Processing is usually a restaurant's largest fee line, and the easiest to check: divide total fees by card volume to get your effective rate, then compare it with the rate in your signed agreement. Gaps come from rate changes, payments taken a different way (online, keyed, pay-at-table) billed at a higher rate, and fees the agreement does not list.
Start with the processing fee calculator and the guide to Toast processing fees.
FICA tip credit (Section 45B)
The FICA tip credit returns the 7.65% employer payroll tax paid on tips above a $5.15 an hour floor, as a federal income tax credit claimed on Form 8846. It is often the largest single check in a recovery because it can be claimed on amended returns for about three years (Form 8846).
Paying above minimum wage makes the credit bigger, not smaller. Run the tip credit calculator or read the full guide.
Delivery-app error charges
DoorDash, Uber Eats and Grubhub deduct refunds for missing or wrong items from your payout, and nothing comes back unless you dispute. The windows are short: 14 days on DoorDash, 30 days on Uber Eats and Grubhub. Both DoorDash and Uber prohibit third parties from filing, so the restaurant files and an outside service can only prepare the evidence.
See the deadlines table and the DoorDash error charge guide.
Supplier invoice errors
Food invoices leak through three gaps: prices that drift above what was quoted or contracted, cases billed but not delivered, and credit memos that never reach the statement. Each is caught at receiving or not at all.
Read the restaurant invoice audit guide.
Held deposits and equipment leases
Processors can delay payouts or hold back a reserve after a volume spike, a rise in chargebacks or missing verification. Separately, long non-cancellable terminal leases often cost far more than the equipment. Neither is a refund in the usual sense, but both are cash you can often get released or stop paying.
How a leak scan works
- Step 1
Send exports, not logins
12 months of processor statements, 90 days of payout reports, delivery-app CSVs and payroll summaries. We never ask for portal credentials.
- Step 2
We run the checks
Effective rate against your agreement, tip-credit calculation from payroll, error charges still inside their dispute window, and anything unusual in holds or fees.
- Step 3
You get a written leak report
What looks recoverable, the evidence behind each item, what it is worth and the deadline that applies.
- Step 4
You decide
Recover it yourself with the report, or have us prepare the requests and dispute packets. Tip-credit claims go through a licensed preparer. We quote before you commit.
Free leak scan
Find out what your restaurant is owed
Send exports, not logins: processor statements, payout reports, delivery-app CSVs and payroll summaries. We return a written list of what looks recoverable, what each item is worth, and which deadlines are still open. If something is worth pursuing, we quote the recovery before you commit to anything.
Request a free leak scanCalculators
- FreeFICA Tip Credit CalculatorEstimate the Section 45B FICA tip credit from three payroll numbers: tips, tipped hours and average cash wage. Creditable tips are tips minus what it takes to reach $5.15 an hour; the credit is 7.65% of that.
- FreeRestaurant Processing Fee CalculatorYour effective rate is total processing fees divided by card volume. Compare it with what your contracted rate should cost; a persistent gap is the first sign of rate creep, a misapplied rate or fees you did not agree to.
- FreeDelivery Error Charge CalculatorMultiply weekly delivery orders by your error-charge rate and average charge to get the yearly cost, then by the share you can win on dispute. Only disputes filed inside 14 days (DoorDash) or 30 days (Uber Eats, Grubhub) count.
Start with these guides
- GuideRestaurant Profit Leaks: The Full Recovery AuditEvery place a restaurant loses recoverable money, ranked by size, filing deadline and who can file: tip credits, card fees, supplier invoices, delivery apps.
- GuideToast Processing Fees: 2026 Rates and IncreasesToast processing fees in 2026: typical in-person and keyed rates, the verified 2024 and March 2026 increases, Toast Pay's keyed rate, and your exit rights.
- GuideFICA Tip Credit: Section 45B Guide for 2026The FICA tip credit returns 7.65% of most tips you pay payroll tax on. Who qualifies in 2026, what it is worth per location, and the IRS page that errs.
- GuideDoorDash Error Charges: How to Dispute ThemDoorDash error charges take 25% to 100% of an item off your payout, and you get 14 days to dispute. The exact portal steps, evidence and weekly routine.
More: every restaurant guide, all 21 questions, the deadlines table and the glossary.
Frequently asked questions
- Do you need my Toast or DoorDash login?
- No. We work from exported reports and statements. DoorDash and Uber Eats prohibit third parties from accessing merchant portals or filing disputes, so the restaurant files any delivery dispute itself, using the evidence we prepare.
- What does the leak scan cost?
- The scan is free. If it finds something worth recovering, we tell you what it is worth and quote the recovery work before you commit to anything.
- Are you a CPA firm?
- No. We calculate the FICA tip credit from your payroll data and prepare the workpapers; the claim is filed by your CPA or a licensed partner preparer.
- Which restaurants is this for?
- US full-service and quick-service restaurants and bars, especially those on Toast, with tipped staff or delivery-app volume. Multi-location groups and their bookkeepers get the most from it.
- How far back can you look?
- It depends on the leak. Delivery disputes close in 14 to 30 days, the FICA tip credit can be claimed within 3 years of the return's due date, and processing reviews go back as far as your statements do. See the deadlines table.