Free for workers · Always

You earned it.
You should see it.

Tips are paid by the customer, for you and the people you work with, not for the venue. FairTIP is how you check they reach you, fairly, every week.

Three questions to ask

FairTIP is built with hospitality workers and operators in equal measure. We charge restaurants a small monthly fee for the software, and we’ve committed 5% of every subscription to a hospitality charity partner (we’re finalising a partnership with Hospitality Action now). That’s how we keep it free for you. No catch.

The hidden cost

Tips paid through a proper tronc save you NI.

When tips run through your wage slip, you pay National Insurance on them like any other earnings. When they run through a compliant tronc, with an independent troncmaster, signed-off allocations, and proper records, HMRC treats them as NI-exempt for both you and your employer.

Applies to voluntary tips and voluntary service charges. Mandatory service charges are contractual receipts of the business: subject to NI and VAT, processed through normal payroll.

£400/ month in tips
£50£2,500
£380
extra in your pocket each year

Your boss would also save about £720 a year per worker in employer’s NI, which means a properly-run tronc is a win for both of you.

NI savings apply when tips are paid through a fully NI-exempt tronc with a registered PAYE scheme in the troncmaster’s name. FairTIP helps you set this up end to end. Approximate; uses 2026-27 NI rates (8% employee, 15% employer). Income tax still applies. Assumes voluntary tips and voluntary service charges only — mandatory service charges are contractual receipts of the business and are subject to NI and VAT in full. See HMRC’s guidance on troncs (E24) for the detail.

Three questions

Ask these at your next interview.
Or your next shift.

If they can’t answer all three, the tips probably aren’t reaching you fairly. These are your rights since October 2024. Most workers don’t know that yet.

01.

How are tips split?

A real answer names a method. “Hours worked.” “Hours and role.” “Even split.” If they shrug, that’s your answer.

02.

Who decides?

By law, an owner can’t directly control the split. Someone independent (a troncmaster) has to. Find out who. If it’s the owner, something’s off.

03.

Can I see how mine was calculated?

You’re entitled to your tipping record. A confident “yes, here’s how” is the answer you want. A vague one tells you everything.

★

Got nowhere?

Tell us where you work. We’ll reach out to your venue about FairTIP. Your name stays out of it. No awkward conversations on shift.

How it works

Every week, you see your share.

When your venue is on FairTIP, the tip pool, the method, and every worker’s share are calculated by a designated troncmaster (or the owner, at venues running a basic tronc, FairTIP shows you which) and visible to you. No black box. No vibes-based maths.

01 / Your share

See exactly what you earned

Hours worked, the pool size, the weighting your role gets, the maths. The same view your troncmaster signs off on.

02 / Your history

Three years of records, on tap

Every share, every week, downloadable as a PDF. Useful for mortgage applications, tax returns, and proving trends to yourself.

03 / Your policy

The rule book, in plain English

How your venue splits tips. Which roles get what weighting. When the policy was last reviewed. If it changes, you get told and you get a say.

5%
To Hospitality Action
Where the money goes

Five percent of every subscription, to the people holding the industry up.

Workers shouldn’t pay. Owners shouldn’t skim. Everyone benefits.

Hospitality Action is the UK hospitality industry’s mental health and welfare charity. They run a 24/7 helpline, hardship grants, addiction support, and bereavement help, for everyone working in the trade, free, confidential.

We’re finalising a partnership with them now. From day one of paid subscriptions, 5% will go to a UK hospitality charity: Hospitality Action if the partnership lands, an equivalent organisation if it doesn’t. We’ll publish what was contributed each year, and the receipts.

FAQ

Your rights to fair tips under UK law, answered.

Tipping rules changed in October 2024. Most workers still don’t know how it’s meant to work, what their employer can and can’t do, or what they’re entitled to ask for. Six quick answers.

Can my employer take a cut of my tips?
No. Since October 2024, UK law requires employers to pass tips on to workers without deductions, except limited ones like income tax (PAYE). They cannot withhold tips to cover card processing, breakages, admin, or losses. If your employer is taking any other cut, that is unlawful, and you can ask to see the records they are legally required to keep.
What is a troncmaster?
A troncmaster is a designated person who decides how the tip pool is split between workers. The Tipping Act 2023 doesn't require one — some venues run allocations themselves. But to unlock the National Insurance exemption on tips, an independent troncmaster is required: someone who isn't the business owner, a business partner, or a company director. Usually a senior staff member; sometimes the venue's accountant. Where one is in place, the owner can't override the allocation they sign off.
How should tips be split fairly in a UK restaurant?
There is no single legal formula. But the Employment (Allocation of Tips) Act 2023 requires the method to be fair and recorded in a written policy. Most venues use hours worked, role weightings, or a combination. The crucial thing is that the method is written down, applied consistently, and visible to every worker who receives tips.
Are tips taxed in the UK?
Tips are subject to income tax via PAYE. National Insurance is more nuanced: tips paid through a properly constituted tronc are exempt from both employer and employee NI, provided the troncmaster decides the allocation independently and the tips are voluntary (mandatory service charges don't qualify). See HMRC E24 guidance for the detail. Tips paid as normal wages or controlled by the owner are subject to NI in full.
What can I do if I think tips aren't being split fairly?
You're legally entitled to see your venue's written tipping policy and to request your own tipping records (going back up to three years). If something looks off, raise it with the troncmaster in writing. If that gets nowhere, FairTIP can reach out to your venue on your behalf. Your name stays out of it.
What is FairTIP and is it really free for workers?
FairTIP shows you exactly how your tips are split. Restaurants pay a flat monthly subscription (from £59/month, covering every venue they run). Workers never pay anything. Viewing your share, your history, and your venue's policy is free, forever. 5% of every restaurant subscription goes to a UK hospitality charity.
For owners

Run a venue? You should join.

FairTIP keeps you compliant with the Allocation of Tips Act, including the new consultation duties from October 2026, and your team will love you for it.

For owners →
FairTIP: see how your tips are split. UK hospitality.