Blue Crab Guild
Check My Estimate
Blue Crab Guild

Serving Maryland's independent restaurants, starting with the §45B FICA tip credit.

Platform

  • Demo
  • Check My Estimate

Contact

  • support@bluecrabguild.com
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service

Made with 🦀 in Maryland

© 2026 Blue Crab Restaurant Guild of Maryland, Inc. All rights reserved.

For Maryland's independent restaurants

Claim the FICA tip credit you're already paying for

We turn your POS and payroll tip data into a draft Form 8846 credit pack, worth an estimated $400+ per tipped employee each year. You keep your tax professional.

$400+

estimated credit per tipped employee, per year

First $200

of savings free, every year

16%

of savings above that, capped at $1,000/yr

Your CPA

reviews and files

Why this happens

Payroll calculates your tip wages. It doesn't claim the credit.

The §45B credit goes on your annual income-tax return. If POS, payroll, and CPA data never meet in one Form 8846 workpaper, it goes unclaimed.

Where each system's knowledge stops.
SystemKnowsDoesn't own
POSSales, card tips, service chargesPayroll-tax eligibility and annual tax filing
PayrollWages, reported tips, FICA paidPOS reconciliation and the income-tax return claim
CPAYour income-tax returnRebuilding detailed tip and payroll source data
Blue Crab GuildReconciled evidence and a CPA-ready Form 8846 packageNothing
Connections

Connect what you already run

We pull tip and payroll data straight from your systems. Some connections are live on day one; the rest we add as members ask. Tell us what you use — that's what decides what we connect to next.

Day one

Ready now

Live the moment you join — nothing to wait on.

  • Square

    Read-only OAuth connector. Approve once — your access is yours to revoke, and we never hold your password. Daily sales and per-employee tips sync automatically.

  • CSV / XLSX export

    Any tips-by-employee report, payroll earnings register, timekeeping hours export, or tip-pool report. Upload the file and we normalize the format for you.

On request

Tell us

We add these as members ask. Say the word and we'll confirm support.

POS

Clover · Toast

Toast connects through its partner program; the CSV export covers Toast from day one.

Payroll

ADPQuickBooksGustoPaychexSquare PayrollRipplingBambooHRJustworksTriNetZenefits

Running something else? Name it — if enough members run it, we build it.

Not seeing your system?

Tell us what you run. It's how the next connector gets picked.

Estimate

Estimate your §45B credit in ten seconds

Direct and pooled tips at the statutory $5.15 baseline, net of our fee. Same math as our credit packs, and your real figure is validated against your records.

Estimated one-year §45B credit
≈ $1,776.30/yr

Assumes staff keep their own tips. Switch to Advanced for pooled or tip-out teams.

First $200 of savings free every year, then 16%, capped at $1,000/yr.

Estimate, not a quote or guarantee. Based on the assumptions you entered. Your actual §45B credit depends on cash wages, hours, eligible tips, tip pools, service charges, your payroll and POS records, and a licensed tax professional's review. We validate the number against your records before any filing. We're not a law, accounting, or tax-preparation firm. This isn't tax, legal, or accounting advice, and we don't file it.

No commitment

Tell us what you're running

We're targeting a November 1, 2026 launch, once there's enough demand. Tell us what you run, and describe anything bespoke. We'll confirm what's possible.

  • 1Tell us what you have (60-second form)
  • 2We confirm your setup and likely credit
  • 3We launch November 1, 2026, once there's enough demand

No subscription, no setup fee. The first $200 of §45B savings is free every year, then 16%, capped at $1,000/yr.

  1. 1About you
  2. 2Your restaurant
  3. 3How tips work

The basics, so we know who to reach.

Just your name, email, and restaurant to start.

No commitment. Takes about two minutes.

FAQ

Straight answers

It's a federal credit (§45B) that refunds the employer's Social Security and Medicare taxes on employee tips. You claim it on Form 8846 with your income-tax return.

Tip data, hours, and payroll sit in separate systems, and Form 8846 is easy to ignore. We reconcile them into one clean credit pack.

Yes. Direct and pooled staff are reconciled per employee in one credit pack. Both are in the calculator above.

Usually. Unclaimed §45B credit from up to three open tax years can often be recovered by amending the return. We prepare the documentation; your tax professional files it.

No. We prepare the credit data and documentation. Your tax professional reviews the method and files. You keep your advisor.

No subscription, no setup fee. Your first $200 of §45B savings each year is free. After that we earn 16% of savings, capped at a $1,000/yr fee, billed on what's realized.

Disclaimer

Blue Crab Guild is not a law firm, accounting firm, or tax-preparation firm unless separately stated. This product provides informational tools and estimates based on data you supply or connect. Nothing here is tax, legal, accounting, payroll, or audit advice. Credit and savings figures are estimated workpapers based on imported and customer-confirmed data, subject to your review and your independent tax professional's review. Blue Crab Guild does not file them with the IRS, and we do not guarantee eligibility, a credit amount, tax savings, or a refund. Do not use any document for filing until your qualified tax professional has reviewed and approved it. Nothing is filed without your authorization. The on-page estimator is an illustration built from assumptions you enter. It is not a validation, quote, or guarantee of any credit amount. Your actual §45B credit is determined from your own records, applies only to eligible tips above the applicable minimum-wage threshold, and requires review and filing by your authorized tax professional.