Tip Jar Split Calculator

Split pooled tips by hours worked.

Total tips in pool

Total staff hours

hrs

Your hours worked

hrs

Results update as you type.

Your tip share

—

Tips per hour—

How it works

Many restaurants, cafes, and bars pool tips and split them among staff by hours worked, and this calculator finds a fair share. You enter the total tips in the pool, the total hours worked by all staff sharing the pool, and your own hours, and it returns your share and the tips earned per hour. The method divides the total tip pool by the combined staff hours to get a per-hour tip rate, then multiplies by your hours — so someone who worked more hours gets a proportionally larger share, which is widely considered the fairest approach for a shift or period. This is simpler and often fairer than splitting tips equally regardless of hours, since it rewards those who worked longer. Tip pooling is common in the service industry and, where practiced, is often required or structured by workplace policy and local law, which govern who can be included in a pool (for example, rules about managers or back-of-house staff vary by jurisdiction). Some workplaces use point systems that weight roles differently rather than pure hours; this calculator handles the straightforward hours-based split. It works for a single shift or a longer period as long as the hours and tips cover the same window. Enter the total tips, total hours, and your hours to find your share.

Formula

Your share = total tips × (your hours ÷ total staff hours)

In an hours-based tip pool, tips are shared in proportion to hours worked. Dividing the total tips by the total staff hours gives the tips earned per hour, and multiplying that rate by your own hours worked gives your fair share of the pooled tips.

Source:Tip pooling arithmetic

We review all our tools from time to time to ensure accuracy.

Worked example

Total tips in pool:800Total staff hours:40Your hours worked:10

$800 ÷ 40 hrs = $20/hr; × 10 hrs = $200 your share.

How to use this calculator

1
Enter your values
Enter total tips in pool, total staff hours and your hours worked.
2
Adjust the options
Fine-tune any options to match your situation.
3
Read your result
Your tip share updates instantly as you type — no button to press.

Frequently asked questions

How are pooled tips split by hours?

Divide the total tip pool by the total hours worked by all participating staff to get a per-hour rate, then multiply by each person's hours. With $800 in tips over 40 total staff hours, that is $20 per hour, so someone who worked 10 hours receives $200. Longer hours earn a proportionally larger share.

Why split tips by hours instead of equally?

Splitting by hours rewards staff in proportion to the time they worked, which is generally fairer than an equal split when people work different lengths of shifts. Someone who worked a full shift contributes more to the pool's earning period than someone who worked briefly, so an hours-based share reflects each person's actual contribution of time.

Who can be included in a tip pool?

It depends on workplace policy and local law, which vary. Rules often govern whether managers, supervisors, or back-of-house staff like cooks can share in a pool, and these regulations differ by country and jurisdiction. Employers must follow the applicable labor laws when structuring tip pools, so the participants depend on where you work and the rules there.

What is a point system for tips?

Some workplaces distribute pooled tips using a point system that assigns different weights to roles or seniority, rather than splitting purely by hours. For example, servers might get more points per hour than bussers. This calculator handles the simpler hours-based split; for a point system, you would weight each person's hours by their points before dividing.

Does this work for a whole week or just one shift?

It works for any period, as long as the total tips and total hours cover the same window. For a single shift, use that shift's tips and hours; for a week, use the week's totals. Just make sure everyone's hours and the tip total correspond to the same time frame for an accurate, fair split.