Homebase launches AI assistant to take on scheduling and payroll for small business owners

Small business management company Homebase has unveiled a new AI assistant called Homebase Assistant, designed to help owners manage hourly teams without a dedicated back office. The company describes it as the only AI tailored for this specific market. Homebase Assistant aims to automate the time-consuming administrative tasks that often fall to business owners, such as building schedules and writing job posts.

According to the company, these tasks can take hours for owners to complete, but with the AI assistant, they can be completed in minutes, with the owner still having the final say in the outcome. Founder and CEO John Waldmann highlighted a common "6 a.m. moment" that many business owners face when an employee calls out sick, prompting a frantic search for a replacement.

He believes most AI tools stop at identifying the uncovered shift, but Homebase Assistant goes a step further by recommending suitable employees to cover the shift. The AI works in collaboration with the owner, who must approve before the software takes over the outreach process. On the payroll side, the assistant verifies timecards before each pay run, catching errors early on to allow the owner to rectify them quickly.

It also provides early warnings about overtime trends and discrepancies between scheduled and actual hours, enabling timely adjustments in staffing. Additionally, the AI assists in candidate screening, as demonstrated by Reuben Pressman, founder of Florida pickleball club St. Pete Athletic. Pressman reported that the club processed over 3,000 job applications through Homebase Assistant's AI-powered screening, saving more than 1,000 hours of their time.

The AI maintained the quality of the selected talent, according to Pressman. Homebase Assistant builds upon the company's existing offerings, including hiring and scheduling assistants introduced in June 2025, and a payroll assistant launched later that year. Since their launch, these tools have managed more than 4.7 million administrative tasks for Homebase's 150,000 small business customers.

The company has recently completed a $60 million Series D funding round led by L Catterton Growth, with investment backing from Bain Capital Ventures and Khosla Ventures.