Rex says
Money math without the spreadsheet headache. Plug in your numbers and I'll show you exactly where the dollars land.
Try a scenario
Click to load — tweak from there.Inputs
Result
Value per point
$29.22
Server pool payout
$1,168.83
Bartender pool payout
$350.65
Support staff pool payout
$280.52
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How to use this
- 1Enter total tips to distribute ($).
- 2Enter server hours.
- 3Enter server point weight.
- 4Enter bartender hours.
- 5Enter bartender point weight.
- 6Enter support (busser/expo) hours.
- 7Enter support point weight.
- 8Read your value per point on the right — it updates as you type.
- 9Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone.
About this calculator
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.
Worked example
Using the values the calculator loads with:
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
Results
- Value per point: $29.22
- Server pool payout: $1,168.83
- Bartender pool payout: $350.65
- Support staff pool payout: $280.52
What each field means
Inputs
- Total tips to distribute ($)
- The total tips to distribute used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 1800 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Server hours
- The server hours used in the calculation. Starts at 40 so you have a working example on load.
- Server point weight
- The server point weight used in the calculation. Starts at 1 so you have a working example on load.
- Bartender hours
- The bartender hours used in the calculation. Starts at 16 so you have a working example on load.
- Bartender point weight
- The bartender point weight used in the calculation. Starts at 0.75 so you have a working example on load.
- Support (busser/expo) hours
- The support (busser/expo) hours used in the calculation. Starts at 24 so you have a working example on load.
- Support point weight
- The support point weight used in the calculation. Starts at 0.4 so you have a working example on load.
Results
- Value per point
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars and shown as the headline result. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Server pool payout
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Bartender pool payout
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Support staff pool payout
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
FAQ
Is tip pooling legal?
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.
How do I choose point weights?
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.
Hours-based vs. sales-based pooling — which is better?
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.
Do credit card tips need special handling?
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.
Accuracy and 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.
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Cite this calculator
Writing about this topic? Grab a citation — every link helps keep these tools free.
RevenueLab. (2026). Tip Pooling Split Calculator. Retrieved from https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/tip-pooling-split
<p>Source: <a href="https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/tip-pooling-split" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tip Pooling Split Calculator — RevenueLab</a> (2026).</p>
Source: [Tip Pooling Split Calculator — RevenueLab](https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/tip-pooling-split) (2026).