Blue Ridge Technologies
Free Restaurant Tip Pool Calculator
Split a shift's tip pool by hours worked, or by hours and role points you set. Payouts always add up to the penny. Free, no sign-up, and nothing you type leaves your browser.
1. The pool
Role points
Your house policy, your numbers: 1 is a full share per hour, 0.5 a half share, 0 no share. These are not recommendations.
2. Who worked
List only the staff who share in your pool. Names or initials are fine.
3. Payouts
Enter the total tips in the pool to see payouts.
Estimates only. This calculator does the math for the split you choose. It doesn't decide who can legally share in your tip pool, and it isn't legal, tax or payroll advice. Under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act, employers, managers and supervisors can't receive tips from an employee tip pool. Whether other roles, such as cooks or dishwashers, can share depends on how you pay them (for example, whether you take a tip credit) and on your state and local law. See the U.S. Department of Labor's Fact Sheet #15, and check with your payroll provider or an employment attorney before you pay out.
Doing this math by hand every shift? See how Genius POS could fit your restaurant. Blue Ridge Technologies sets it up and supports it 24/7/365 across South Florida.
Request a free Genius POS demoHow the tip pool split works
Equal share per hour: payout = pool × your hours ÷ everyone's hours. A $300 pool over 15 total hours is $20 an hour, so 6 hours pays $120.
Hours × role points: weighted hours = hours × role points. Payout = pool × your weighted hours ÷ everyone's weighted hours. A role at 0.5 points earns half as much per hour as a role at 1.
Worked example: a $300 Friday dinner pool
The house policy in this example (yours may differ) gives servers and bartenders 1 point and bussers 0.5.
| Staff | Hours | Points | Weighted | Payout |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alex, server | 6 | 1 | 6 | $150.00 |
| Jordan, bartender | 4 | 1 | 4 | $100.00 |
| Sam, busser | 4 | 0.5 | 2 | $50.00 |
| Total | 14 | 12 | $300.00 |
That's $300 ÷ 12 weighted hours = $25 per weighted hour. Split equally per hour instead, the same pool pays $21.43 an hour: Alex $128.57, Jordan $85.72 and Sam $85.71. The extra penny goes to Jordan so the total is exactly $300.00.
Press Load an example above to see this split in the calculator.
Frequently asked questions
How do you split a tip pool by hours worked?
Add up the hours everyone in the pool worked, divide the pool by that total to get the tips per hour, then multiply by each person's hours. A $300 pool over 15 hours is $20 an hour, so someone who worked 6 hours gets $120.
What are role points in a tip pool?
Role points weight each role's hours. Weighted hours are hours times points, and each person's payout is the pool times their weighted hours divided by everyone's weighted hours. You set the points from your own house policy. The calculator does not recommend values.
Can managers or supervisors share in the tip pool?
Not under federal law. The Fair Labor Standards Act bars employers, managers and supervisors from receiving tips from an employee tip pool, whether or not the employer takes a tip credit. A manager or supervisor may keep tips they receive directly from a customer for service they directly and solely provide. Who counts as a manager or supervisor depends on their duties, not their job title.
Can kitchen staff be part of a tip pool?
It depends. Under federal rules, if you take a tip credit, a mandatory tip pool can include only employees who customarily and regularly receive tips. If you pay everyone at least the full federal minimum wage in cash and take no tip credit, the pool can also include staff such as cooks and dishwashers. State and local law can be stricter, so check yours. This calculator doesn't add anyone automatically.
Why is one payout a penny different?
Splitting money rarely comes out in whole cents. The calculator rounds every payout down to the cent, then gives the leftover cents one at a time to the people with the largest rounding remainders, so the payouts always add up to the pool exactly.
Is the information I enter saved?
No. Everything is calculated in your browser. Nothing you type is sent to Blue Ridge Technologies or saved after you leave the page.
More free tools: Labor Cost Calculator and Plate Costing & Menu Price Calculator. Questions? Call 954-969-4911 or email sales@blueridgepos.com.