Check

aid: check-hq
name: Check
description: >-
  Check is an embedded payroll infrastructure platform that allows vertical
  SaaS, HR, workforce management, and financial services companies to
  natively offer payroll inside their own products. Check provides a
  comprehensive REST API, a library of white-labeled React components
  (Check Components and Check Onboard), a CLI, and a Model Context
  Protocol (MCP) server that together cover company and employee
  onboarding, pay schedules, payroll preview and approval, contractor
  payments, tax calculation, multi-state withholdings, tax filings, tax
  deposits, money movement, paystubs, garnishments, post-tax deductions,
  net pay splits, benefits (health, 401k, workers' comp), W-2 and 1099
  generation, and webhook event delivery. Check operates in all 50 U.S.
  states plus D.C., has been incubated and led-funded by Stripe (Series B
  and Series C), and powers payroll for partners such as Homebase,
  ServiceTitan, 7shifts, Housecall Pro, Wave, Zoho, and Procare —
  collectively paying more than 1M employees across 35,000+ businesses
  and moving $15B+ annually.
type: Index
position: Provider
access: 3rd-Party
image: https://kinlane-productions.s3.amazonaws.com/apis-json/apis-json-logo.jpg
tags:
  - Payroll
  - Embedded Payroll
  - Payroll Infrastructure
  - Payroll API
  - Tax Filing
  - Tax Calculation
  - Money Movement
  - HR
  - Human Resources
  - Workforce Management
  - Fintech
  - Compensation
  - Benefits
  - 1099
  - W-2
  - Contractor Payments
  - Embedded Finance
url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/check-hq/refs/heads/main/apis.yml
created: '2026-05-25'
modified: '2026-05-25'
specificationVersion: '0.20'
apis:
  - aid: check-hq:payroll-api
    name: Check Payroll API
    description: >-
      The Check Payroll API is a comprehensive REST API for embedding
      end-to-end U.S. payroll inside another platform. It models companies,
      workplaces, employees, contractors, pay schedules, paydays, payroll
      cycles, payroll items, earnings (regular, overtime, tipped, piece
      rate, reimbursements), post-tax deductions and garnishments,
      benefits (pre-tax and post-tax), net pay splits, paystubs, paper
      checks, money movement, tax parameters and elections, tax deposits,
      tax filings, employee tax statements (W-2 / W-2C / 1099), tax
      packages, fulfillments, setup and embedded setup, integration
      partners, webhook configs, communications, and notifications. All
      resources are accessed under a versioned, bearer-authenticated REST
      surface with idempotent writes, bulk operations, pagination, and
      sandbox simulation endpoints for funding and disbursement.
    humanURL: https://docs.checkhq.com
    baseURL: https://api.checkhq.com
    tags:
      - Payroll
      - REST
      - Webhooks
      - Tax Filing
      - Money Movement
      - Embedded Payroll
    properties:
      - type: Documentation
        url: https://docs.checkhq.com/docs/overview
      - type: GettingStarted
        url: https://docs.checkhq.com/docs/quickstart
      - type: APIReference
        url: https://docs.checkhq.com/reference
      - type: Authentication
        url: https://docs.checkhq.com/reference/authentication
      - type: RateLimits
        url: https://docs.checkhq.com/docs/rate-limiting
      - type: Webhooks
        url: https://docs.checkhq.com/docs/webhooks-1
      - type: WebhookEvents
        url: https://docs.checkhq.com/docs/webhook-event-types
      - type: Errors
        url: https://docs.checkhq.com/reference/error-codes
      - type: Pagination
        url: https://docs.checkhq.com/docs/pagination
      - type: Idempotency
        url: https://docs.checkhq.com/docs/idempotent-requests
      - type: Sandbox
        url: https://sandbox.checkhq.com
      - type: LLMsTxt
        url: https://docs.checkhq.com/llms.txt
    authentication:
      - type: Bearer
        description: >-
          Bearer-token authentication via the `Authorization: Bearer
          <API_KEY>` header. API keys are scoped per environment (sandbox
          vs. production) and per partner integration.
    rateLimits:
      - type: PerSecond
        value: 25
        description: 25 requests per second per partner across all API keys.
      - type: Concurrency
        value: 100
        description: 100 concurrent in-flight requests per partner (not configurable).
      - type: BackoffHeader
        description: 429 responses include a Retry-After header; RateLimit-Limit and RateLimit-Remaining headers are returned on every authenticated response (IETF RateLimit Headers).
    features:
      - name: Embedded Payroll
        description: Run full-service U.S. payroll for end customers from inside your own product.
      - name: Companies and Workplaces
        description: Model employers, EIN verification, and physical workplaces driving tax jurisdictions.
      - name: Employees and Contractors
        description: Manage W-2 employees and 1099 contractors, including SSN validation and tax setup.
      - name: Pay Schedules and Paydays
        description: Define pay frequencies and compute paydays with bank-holiday-aware approval deadlines.
      - name: Payroll Preview and Approval
        description: Create, asynchronously preview, and approve payrolls with explicit warnings and totals.
      - name: External Payrolls
        description: Record payrolls processed outside Check for accurate year-to-date and tax filing.
      - name: Off-Cycle Payrolls
        description: Schedule one-off payments with configurable benefit and deduction behavior.
      - name: Earnings Structures
        description: Custom earning codes and rates, including tipped, piece rate, overtime, and reimbursements.
      - name: Post-Tax Deductions and Garnishments
        description: Configure after-tax deductions including child support and other garnishments.
      - name: Benefits
        description: Define pre-tax and post-tax employee benefits, including 401(k), health, and HSA.
      - name: Net Pay Splits
        description: Split worker net pay across multiple bank accounts per pay period.
      - name: Bank Accounts and Plaid
        description: Raw and Plaid-tokenized bank accounts with verification and reveal endpoints.
      - name: Money Movement
        description: ACH disbursement, fund-by-wire, payment retries, refunds, NOCs, and failure recovery.
      - name: Tax Calculation
        description: Federal, state, and local tax calculation including multi-state withholdings and reciprocity.
      - name: Tax Filings and Deposits
        description: Quarterly and annual filings, agency tax deposits, fulfillments, and authorization documents.
      - name: Employee Tax Statements
        description: Asynchronous W-2, W-2C, and tax package generation, downloadable as PDF.
      - name: Paystubs and Paper Checks
        description: Generate JSON or PDF paystubs and paper checks for employees and contractors.
      - name: Webhooks
        description: Resource-scoped event delivery with signature verification and topic-based routing.
      - name: Embedded Setup
        description: Delegate full company setup, EIN, tax registration, and prior-payroll migration to Check operators.
      - name: Sensitive Data API
        description: Dedicated surface for reveal-style operations on SSNs and bank account numbers.
      - name: Sandbox Simulation
        description: Sandbox-only endpoints to complete funding, complete disbursements, or fail funding for tests.
    useCases:
      - name: Vertical SaaS Payroll
        description: Add native payroll to vertical SaaS platforms in trades, hospitality, fitness, and salons.
      - name: Workforce Management Payroll
        description: Tightly couple time-tracking and scheduling data with end-to-end payroll runs.
      - name: HR and PEO Platforms
        description: Power HR platforms and PEO/ASO-style products without building tax infrastructure.
      - name: Fintech and Banking
        description: Couple payroll with banking, EWA, lending, and card products from a single ledger.
      - name: Accounting Integrations
        description: Sync payroll journals into accounting systems with workplace and GL breakdowns.
      - name: Contractor Marketplaces
        description: Pay 1099 contractors on demand with paper checks, ACH, or split deposits.
      - name: Multi-State Employers
        description: Handle reciprocity, courtesy withholdings, and multi-jurisdiction filings at scale.
    integrations:
      - name: Plaid
        description: Bank account linking and ACH verification via Plaid processor tokens.
      - name: Next Insurance
        description: Workers' compensation via the Check + Next integration.
      - name: Clair
        description: Earned wage access for employees via the Check + Clair integration.
      - name: SimplyInsured
        description: Health benefits enrollment via the Check + SimplyInsured component.
      - name: Vestwell
        description: 401(k) retirement benefits via the Check + Vestwell integration.
      - name: Human Interest
        description: 401(k) retirement benefits via the Check + Human Interest integration.
      - name: Benbase
        description: Benefits administration via the Check + Benbase integration.
      - name: Postman
        description: First-party Postman environment templates for sandbox testing.
  - aid: check-hq:components
    name: Check Components
    description: >-
      Check Components is a library of white-labeled, drop-in React UI
      elements that handle the highest-friction surfaces of embedded
      payroll — company onboarding, terms of service, bank linking,
      employee tax setup, withholdings (W-4), filing authorization,
      verification documents, and Run Payroll — including the Check
      Onboard flow. Components are embedded via short-lived component
      links generated through the API and emit DOM events for
      lifecycle states.
    humanURL: https://docs.checkhq.com/docs/check-components
    tags:
      - React
      - Embedded UI
      - Onboarding
      - Components
      - Run Payroll
    properties:
      - type: Documentation
        url: https://docs.checkhq.com/docs/check-components
      - type: ComponentLibrary
        url: https://docs.checkhq.com/docs/check-component-library
      - type: Quickstart
        url: https://docs.checkhq.com/docs/adding-check-onboard-to-your-application
      - type: APIReference
        url: https://docs.checkhq.com/reference/components-overview
      - type: Example
        url: https://docs.checkhq.com/docs/live-component-example
    features:
      - name: Company Onboard
        description: End-to-end employer onboarding including business details, signatory, and TOS.
      - name: Run Payroll Component
        description: White-labeled payroll runner with worker pay, earnings, and preview in one component.
      - name: Employee Withholdings Setup
        description: W-4 and state-equivalent withholding form completion for employees.
      - name: Employee Tax Setup
        description: Employer-side tax profile capture for individual employees.
      - name: Company Tax Setup
        description: Federal and state tax registration capture for the employer.
      - name: Company Payment Setup
        description: Plaid bank linking and debit authorization for funding payroll.
      - name: Company Filing Authorization
        description: Review, sign, and submit jurisdiction-specific tax authorization forms.
      - name: Filing Preview Component
        description: Preview tax returns and filings before submission.
      - name: Company Verification Documents
        description: Collect verification documents requested by Check operators.
      - name: Full Service Setup Submission
        description: Submit a company to Check operators for full-service embedded setup.
      - name: Previous Payroll Provider Access
        description: Capture prior-provider credentials for payroll migration.
      - name: Component Events
        description: Components emit lifecycle events such as completion and already-complete states.
  - aid: check-hq:mcp-server
    name: Check MCP Server
    description: >-
      The Check MCP Server exposes the Check Payroll API to AI tools and
      agents via the Model Context Protocol. It is offered as both a
      hosted (remote) endpoint requiring no infrastructure and a
      self-hosted package for full control of the runtime environment.
      The server maps Check API operations to MCP tools, allowing
      natural-language access to companies, employees, payrolls, tax
      filings, payments, and reports for AI-assisted operator workflows.
    humanURL: https://docs.checkhq.com/docs/overview-1
    tags:
      - MCP
      - Model Context Protocol
      - AI
      - Agents
    properties:
      - type: Documentation
        url: https://docs.checkhq.com/docs/overview-1
      - type: HostedMCP
        url: https://docs.checkhq.com/docs/hosted-remote
      - type: SelfHostedMCP
        url: https://docs.checkhq.com/docs/self-hosted
    features:
      - name: Hosted Remote MCP
        description: Connect AI tools to Check without managing any infrastructure.
      - name: Self-Hosted MCP
        description: Run the MCP server locally with full environment control.
      - name: Natural Language Payroll Operations
        description: Query and operate payroll resources using LLM-driven tool calls.
  - aid: check-hq:cli
    name: Check CLI
    description: >-
      The Check Command-Line Interface is a Python-based CLI installed via
      the uv package manager that exposes 270 functions across 18
      resource groups of the Check Payroll API. It is designed for shell
      scripts, CI/CD pipelines, and ad-hoc data lookups, returning JSON
      output that composes cleanly with Unix tools such as jq.
    humanURL: https://docs.checkhq.com/docs/check-command-line-interface-cli
    tags:
      - CLI
      - Python
      - Automation
      - CI/CD
    properties:
      - type: Documentation
        url: https://docs.checkhq.com/docs/check-command-line-interface-cli
      - type: GitHubOrganization
        url: https://github.com/checkhq
    features:
      - name: Full API Coverage
        description: 270 functions across 18 Check resource groups available as subcommands.
      - name: JSON Output
        description: Machine-readable JSON output suitable for jq and shell pipelines.
      - name: CI/CD Friendly
        description: Designed for automation in scripts and continuous-delivery pipelines.
common:
  - type: Website
    url: https://www.checkhq.com
  - type: Documentation
    url: https://docs.checkhq.com
  - type: Portal
    url: https://console.checkhq.com
  - type: Console
    url: https://console.checkhq.com/login
  - type: Sandbox
    url: https://sandbox.checkhq.com
  - type: Blog
    url: https://www.checkhq.com/resources
  - type: ChangeLog
    url: https://www.checkhq.com/resources/changelog
  - type: HelpCenter
    url: https://help.checkhq.com
  - type: StatusPage
    url: https://docs.checkhq.com/docs/status-page
  - type: GitHubOrganization
    url: https://github.com/checkhq
  - type: LLMsTxt
    url: https://docs.checkhq.com/llms.txt
  - type: Careers
    url: https://www.checkhq.com/company/careers
  - type: LinkedIn
    url: https://www.linkedin.com/company/check-technologies
  - type: Crunchbase
    url: https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/check-2a75
  - type: Solutions
    data:
      - name: Startups
        description: Drop-in Components let early-stage platforms launch payroll quickly without bespoke UI.
      - name: Enterprise Platforms
        description: Flexible API enables deeply customized payroll experiences for large vertical SaaS and workforce platforms.
      - name: Workforce Management
        description: Couple scheduling and timekeeping with end-to-end payroll, taxes, and money movement.
      - name: Vertical SaaS
        description: Embed native payroll inside industry-specific software for trades, hospitality, fitness, and more.
      - name: Accounting and Financial Management
        description: Sync payroll journals and tax events into accounting platforms with workplace breakdowns.
  - type: Customers
    data:
      - name: Homebase
      - name: ServiceTitan
      - name: Procare
      - name: 7shifts
      - name: Housecall Pro
      - name: Wave
      - name: Zoho
      - name: Keka
      - name: Zenoti
      - name: Playground
      - name: Eddy
      - name: Miter
      - name: Trayd
      - name: Warp
      - name: Dripos
  - type: Funding
    data:
      - name: Series B
        description: $35M Series B led by Stripe and Thrive Capital announced at public launch in January 2021.
      - name: Series C
        description: $75M Series C led by Stripe announced in 2022.
maintainers:
  - FN: Kin Lane
    email: [email protected]