Seattle, Washington
Staff asking who gets what from the tip jar?
Free. No sign-up.
For the week, the shift, or the day
| Name | Hours | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Alex | 32 | $284.45 |
| Sam | 24 | $213.33 |
| Jo | 16 | $142.22 |
| Total | 72 | $640.00 |
That is $8.89 for every hour worked. The shares add up to the pool exactly, to the cent.
Split by hours worked, the most common way. Check the rules where you are before you share tips: in the United States, for example, federal law says owners, managers and supervisors may not keep any part of employees’ tips.
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The free fix
The free fix, from KANJIN (kanjin.app), a digital stamp card and back office for small shops: Free team pay planner.
Plan what your team earns, tips and all
Once the tips are split, put pay next to them. KANJIN (kanjin.app) has a free team pay planner: compare hourly pay, commission and chair rent with your own numbers, so you can see what each person really takes home.
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Short answer
How do I split tips fairly in a small Seattle cafe?
Add up the tips for the day, then give each person a share of the jar equal to their share of the hours worked. Write the rule down and use it every time, so nobody has to ask.
Tips belong to the people who earned them
In Washington, an employer must pay all tips to employees. The business may not keep them or use them to cover costs.
Tips are also on top of the hourly wage. They never count toward it.
Who can be in the pool
A pool can include people who do not serve customers, such as kitchen staff and hourly leads.
It cannot include salaried managers or the owner. If you work the counter and take part in the pool, ask the state first.
A split by hours, with real numbers
Say the jar holds $180 and three people worked 6, 5 and 4 hours. That is 15 hours in all.
The shares are $72.00, $60.00 and $48.00. They add up to $180.00 exactly.
Type your own tips and hours into the calculator above. It rounds to the cent and keeps the total exact.
What the base pay is in Seattle
The Seattle minimum wage is $21.30 an hour in 2026 and goes to $22.14 in 2027. The city says every employer pays the same rate, whatever the size.
Tips come on top of that. A good tip day is a bonus, not a way to pay the base wage.
Service charges are not tips
If your cafe adds a service charge, say clearly who gets it. A customer may think it replaces a tip.
Keep the charge and the tip jar apart in your records. Then the tip pool stays simple.
How to split tips by hours at a small cafe
- Add up the tips.
Count the jar and add card tips for the same period. Use the same period every time.
- Write down the hours.
List each person who is in the pool and the hours they worked in that period.
- Run the split.
Type the tips and hours into the calculator. Each share comes out to the cent and adds up to the jar.
- Post the rule.
Put the rule where staff can read it, so the split is the same every time.
The local numbers, with sources
- Seattle minimum wage
- $21.30 an hour in 2026 and $22.14 in 2027; all employers pay the same rate
- Source: City of Seattle Office of Labor Standards, Minimum Wage Ordinance, checked 2026-11-12.
- Washington tip rules
- Employers must pay all tips to employees; tip crediting is not allowed
- Source: Washington State Department of Labor & Industries, Tips and service charges, checked 2026-11-12.
- Washington tip pools
- A pool cannot include salaried-exempt managers or business owners; it can include kitchen staff and hourly leads
- Source: Washington State Department of Labor & Industries, Tips and service charges (tip pooling), checked 2026-11-12.
Common questions
What is the minimum wage in Seattle in 2026?
$21.30 an hour. It rises to $22.14 on 1 January 2027, and the same rate applies to every employer, large or small.
Can I count tips toward the minimum wage in Washington?
No. Washington does not allow tip crediting. Tips are on top of the hourly minimum wage.
Can the owner take part in the tip pool?
No. Washington's labor department says a pool cannot include salaried-exempt managers or business owners. Kitchen staff and hourly leads can be included.
What is the simplest fair way to split tips?
By hours worked. Each person gets the tips times their hours, divided by everyone's hours. The calculator above does the sum to the cent.
Do it for your own shop, free
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