Tip Pool Calculator
Split a pool of tips among staff by hours worked, by points (role weight × hours) or in equal shares, rounded to the cent with any leftover cents handed out by a fixed rule.
Result…
How it's calculated
By hours: share = pool × hours ÷ total hours By points: share = pool × (points × hours) ÷ Σ(points × hours) Equal: share = pool ÷ number of people Rounding: round each share down to the unit (0.01), then give the leftover units one at a time to the largest remainders, earlier name first on a tie
A tip pool gathers tips and shares them among the staff by a rule. Splitting by hours gives everyone the same rate per hour worked. Splitting by points weights each role: a server might carry more points than a runner, and each person's share is their points × hours over the total. Equal shares ignore hours. Each share is rounded down to the cent (or the unit you choose), and the cents left over go one each to the people with the largest remainders, so the shares always add up to the pool and the same inputs always give the same answer. The points for each role are your workplace's decision.
Your numbers, step by step
About the Tip Pool calculator
This tip pool calculator shares out a pot of tips among the staff on a shift. List each person on a line with the hours they worked, and choose how to split: by hours, so everyone earns the same rate per hour; by points, where each role carries a weight and a share is points × hours over the total; or in equal shares. Each share is rounded down to the cent, or to 0.05, 0.10 or a whole unit for currencies without small coins, and the leftover cents go one at a time to the people with the largest remainders. That means the shares always add up to the pool and the same list always gives the same answer. The working lists every person's sum, which makes the split easy to post or check.
How to use it
- Enter the “Tips in the pool” after anything taken out first.
- Choose “Split by”: “Hours worked”, “Points × hours” or “Equal shares”.
- In “Staff: name, hours, points”, write one person per line, such as Ana 8 3.
- Pick what to “Round each share to”: 0.01 for cents, or 1 for whole units.
- Read each share, the rate per hour and the check that the shares add up.
Worked example
A pool of 500 split by hours between Ana (8 h), Ben (6 h), Cara (5 h) and Dev (4 h). That is 23 hours, or 500 ÷ 23 = 21.74 per hour. Ana gets 500 × 8 ÷ 23 = 173.913, Ben 130.435, Cara 108.696 and Dev 86.957. Rounded down to cents they total 499.98, so the 2 spare cents go to the largest remainders, Dev and Cara: Ana 173.91, Ben 130.43, Cara 108.70, Dev 86.96, which add up to 500.00.
Updated
Questions people ask
How do you split a tip pool by hours?
Add up everyone's hours, divide the pool by that total for a rate per hour, then multiply each person's hours by the rate. The shares then add back to the pool, apart from rounding.
How does a points-based tip pool work?
Each role gets a number of points set by the workplace, and each person's weight is their points × hours. A share is the pool × that weight ÷ the total of all the weights.
What happens to the leftover cents?
Every share is rounded down first, then the spare cents go one each to the people with the largest remainders, the earlier name winning a tie. It is a fixed rule, so no cents are lost or invented.
Can managers or owners take part in a tip pool?
That depends on the law where you work and on your employer's policy, and it differs by country, state and province. Check the rules that apply to you before setting up the pool.
Should tips be split before or after card fees?
Practice and law differ by country and by employer, so agree it in advance and enter the amount actually being shared. For splitting a single bill among diners, the tip calculator is the better fit.
Is this tip pool split tax or legal advice?
No. It is arithmetic on the numbers you enter. How tips are taxed and who may share them is set locally, so ask an accountant or your local labour authority if you are unsure.