{
  "slug": "tip-pooling-split",
  "title": "Tip Pooling Split Calculator",
  "heading": "Restaurant Tip Pooling Split Calculator",
  "category": "financial",
  "url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/tip-pooling-split",
  "summary": "Distribute pooled tips across roles by hours worked or point weighting.",
  "description": "Tip pooling combines all gratuities from a shift and redistributes them across eligible staff, either by hours worked or by a point system that weights different roles (servers might get 1.0 point per hour, bussers 0.5, bartenders 0.75, expo 0.4). This calculator supports the point-weighted method, which is the most common structure for pools that include both front-of-house and back-of-house-adjacent roles like bussers and expo. Enter total tips, then hours and point weight for each of up to a few roles, and it calculates the per-point value and payout per role. Federal law (FLSA) restricts who can be included in a mandatory tip pool — historically only customarily-tipped employees unless the employer pays full minimum wage without taking a tip credit, and even then back-of-house inclusion rules vary by state, so always verify against current state law before implementing any structure that includes cooks or dishwashers.",
  "formula": "Points per role = hours × weight. Value per point = total tips ÷ total points. Payout = role points × value per point.",
  "dateModified": "2026-09-30",
  "run_url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/api/public/calc?tool=tip-pooling-split",
  "inputs": [
    {
      "id": "totalTips",
      "label": "Total tips to distribute",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 1800,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "serverHours",
      "label": "Server hours",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 40,
      "unit": null,
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "serverWeight",
      "label": "Server point weight",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 1,
      "unit": null,
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "bartenderHours",
      "label": "Bartender hours",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 16,
      "unit": null,
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "bartenderWeight",
      "label": "Bartender point weight",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 0.75,
      "unit": null,
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "supportHours",
      "label": "Support (busser/expo) hours",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 24,
      "unit": null,
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "supportWeight",
      "label": "Support point weight",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 0.4,
      "unit": null,
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    }
  ],
  "outputs": [
    {
      "id": "valuePerPoint",
      "label": "Value per point",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": true
    },
    {
      "id": "serverPayout",
      "label": "Server pool payout",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "bartenderPayout",
      "label": "Bartender pool payout",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "supportPayout",
      "label": "Support staff pool payout",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    }
  ],
  "worked_example": {
    "inputs": [
      "Total tips to distribute: 1800 $",
      "Server hours: 40",
      "Server point weight: 1",
      "Bartender hours: 16",
      "Bartender point weight: 0.75",
      "Support (busser/expo) hours: 24",
      "Support point weight: 0.4"
    ],
    "outputs": [
      "Value per point: $29.22",
      "Server pool payout: $1,168.83",
      "Bartender pool payout: $350.65",
      "Support staff pool payout: $280.52"
    ]
  },
  "how_to": {
    "title": "How to use this",
    "steps": [
      "Enter total tips to distribute ($).",
      "Enter server hours.",
      "Enter server point weight.",
      "Enter bartender hours.",
      "Enter bartender point weight.",
      "Enter support (busser/expo) hours.",
      "Enter support point weight.",
      "Read your value per point on the right — it updates as you type.",
      "Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone."
    ]
  },
  "scenarios": [
    {
      "name": "Conservative",
      "description": "Lower-end numbers — what if things land soft?",
      "values": {
        "totalTips": 1075,
        "serverHours": 24,
        "serverWeight": 0.6,
        "bartenderHours": 10,
        "bartenderWeight": 0.44999999999999996,
        "supportHours": 14,
        "supportWeight": 0.24
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Typical",
      "description": "Defaults — the most common real-world setup.",
      "values": {
        "totalTips": 1800,
        "serverHours": 40,
        "serverWeight": 1,
        "bartenderHours": 16,
        "bartenderWeight": 0.75,
        "supportHours": 24,
        "supportWeight": 0.4
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Ambitious",
      "description": "Higher-end numbers — what if things really pop?",
      "values": {
        "totalTips": 2875,
        "serverHours": 64,
        "serverWeight": 1.6,
        "bartenderHours": 26,
        "bartenderWeight": 1.2000000000000002,
        "supportHours": 38,
        "supportWeight": 0.6400000000000001
      }
    }
  ],
  "limitations": [
    "Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.",
    "Rates are treated as fixed for the whole period — variable-rate products will drift from this projection.",
    "This is educational maths, not financial advice. Check anything contractual with the lender or your accountant."
  ],
  "faq": [
    {
      "q": "Is tip pooling legal?",
      "a": "Yes, but with restrictions. Under the FLSA, mandatory tip pools can only include customarily tipped employees unless the employer pays full minimum wage and takes no tip credit, in which case back-of-house staff can sometimes be included. Managers and supervisors can never receive tip pool funds under federal law. Check your state's rules too, since several states are stricter."
    },
    {
      "q": "How do I choose point weights?",
      "a": "Weight roughly by degree of guest-facing service and tip-generating responsibility: servers typically get full weight (1.0), bartenders slightly less if they don't manage full tables (0.6-0.8), and support roles like bussers or food runners lower (0.3-0.5). Document the rationale and apply it consistently."
    },
    {
      "q": "Hours-based vs. sales-based pooling — which is better?",
      "a": "Hours-based (used here) is simpler and standard for roles that don't directly generate sales, like bussers. Sales-based percentage pooling (each server contributes a % of their own sales into a pool split among support staff) is more common when tipping directly tracks individual server performance."
    },
    {
      "q": "Do credit card tips need special handling?",
      "a": "Yes — processing fees on credit card tips can legally be deducted before distribution in most states, and tips must be paid out by the next scheduled payday at the latest, though many restaurants pay out same-day or same-pay-period."
    }
  ],
  "related": [
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/labor-cost-percentage",
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/staff-scheduling-hours",
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/seat-turnover-calculator"
  ],
  "license": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "citation": "RevenueLab — Tip Pooling Split Calculator (https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/tip-pooling-split)"
}