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Tip Pool Calculator
Share a pool of tips out fairly, by hours, by role points, or both.
Part of the 🍽️ Restaurant Servers toolkit, with more tools made for the job.
The pool and how to split it
The total tips being shared, and the rule your restaurant uses to divide them.
All the tips being shared out.
Everyone is paid the same for each hour they worked.
Who is sharing it
the hours they worked. Use the points your restaurant has set.
The points in the boxes are only examples. Who can share in a pool, and how it must be done, is set by law and differs by country, so check yours and your restaurant’s written policy.
Type the pool and who is sharing it, and each person's share appears here.
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Type the total in the pool, choose how it is split, and add each person with their hours or points. This shows what each person gets, to the cent.
When tips go into a pool, someone has to divide them, and it is easy to start an argument. The fairest way is a rule that everyone knows in advance and applies the same way each time. The two common rules are hours and points. By hours, each person is paid the same for each hour they worked. By points, each role has a number of points, such as more for servers than for bussers, and each point is worth the same. A third way multiplies the two, so both time and role count. Because the rule is written down and the sum is the same every time, it does not depend on anyone's judgement.
How it’s worked out
- By hours: the pool is divided by the total hours worked by everyone, to give a value for one hour. Each person gets that value times their hours.
- By points: the pool is divided by the total points, to give a value for one point. Each person gets that value times their points.
- By points times hours: each person's weight is their points times their hours, and the pool is divided by the total weight.
- Each share is rounded down to the cent, and any cents left over are shown, so the shares plus the remainder equal the pool.
A pool of 700 shared by three people who worked 10, 8 and 7 hours is 25 hours in all, so an hour is worth 28. They get 280, 224 and 196. By points, a pool of 230 split between a server with 10 points, a bartender with 8 and a busser with 5 is 23 points, so a point is worth 10.
Common mistakes
- Agreeing the rule after the money is in. Decide how the pool is split before the shift, and write it down.
- Using hours when roles differ a lot. A busser and a server working the same hours do not do the same work, so points may be fairer.
- Letting someone ineligible share in the pool. In many places only staff who normally receive tips can, and managers cannot. Check the rules.
- Forgetting the cents. Rounding leaves a few cents, and a clear rule for who gets them avoids arguments.
Questions
Which is fairer, hours or points?
Hours reward time on the floor, and points reward the role. Many restaurants use points, or points times hours, because a server does more of the work that earns tips than a busser. What is fair depends on your restaurant, so agree it with the team.
What points should each role get?
That is for the restaurant to decide. The boxes show example numbers only. Use the points your restaurant has set, and apply them the same way every time.
Who is allowed to share in a tip pool?
It differs by country and place. In the US, for example, the Department of Labor says a valid pool is limited to staff who customarily and regularly receive tips, which excludes cooks and dishwashers in many cases. In other countries, other rules apply, and some require a written tip policy. Check yours.
Is this a service charge calculator?
It splits any amount of tips or service charge shared among staff. Whether a service charge must be passed on in full, and how, is set by law in many places, so check the rules where you work.
Where the method comes from
Estimates only
These are estimates and general information, not legal, tax or employment advice. Tipping customs, tip-out and pooling rules, wages and tax on tips differ by country, state and restaurant, so use your own figures and your restaurant's written policy, and check the rules where you live.
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