What percentage do servers tip out bartenders?

Commonly 1–3% of the server's alcohol sales, though some houses use total sales instead. Your employer sets the rule.

What does a bartender tip out to a barback?

Often 10–20% of the bartender's own tips, or a percentage of the bar's sales. It varies by house and by how the bar is staffed.

Why alcohol sales rather than total sales?

Because alcohol sales are the drinks the bar actually made. Using total sales is simpler, but it means a server with a dry section subsidises the bar and a server pushing cocktails pays less than the bar earned them.

For bartenders

Bartender tip out calculator

Both directions across the bar, in one place.

Saved setupsSave tonight’s rules and next shift is two taps.

Tonight

Total tips

Total sales

Food sales

Alcohol sales

Cash and credit, declared tips

Track cash and credit tips separately

Take “% of total tips” rules from a declared figure instead

Who you tip out

3 rules

Role or name
gets
Barback rate
of
$0.00
Role or name
gets
Busser rate
of
$0.00
Role or name
gets
Food runner rate
of
$0.00

You keep

$0.00

$0.00 tipped out

Where it goes

Barback$0.00needs that sales figure

Busser$0.00needs that sales figure

Food runner$0.00needs that sales figure

Total tips$0.00

TYPTAPP does the math. Your workplace is responsible for making sure its tip policies follow applicable laws. More

Two directions, two setups

The bar tip out runs both ways and it is worth keeping them separate.

Server to bar. A percentage of that server's alcohol sales, commonly 1–3%. If you are the bartender collecting it, run each server's alcohol sales through a one-rule setup; if you are the server paying it, it is one line among your others.

Bartender to barback. Usually a percentage of your own tips rather than sales — often somewhere between 10% and 20%. Add a rule, set the base to Total tips, and it comes off the right number.

Working a service bar

If most of your volume comes through servers rather than across the bar, your own tips are largely other people's tip outs, and your sales figures will not look like a front-bar night. Enter the tips you actually received as cash and credit — the rules still apply cleanly, and the You keep figure is still the one that matters.

Cash on a bar shift

Bars run more cash than dining rooms, and the cash in your drawer at the end of the night is not the same as what you earned. Open Declared tips and cash handling, say whether tip outs come out of cash or off the credit side, and TYPTAPP will tell you what is left in the apron and what is coming on the paycheck. If the cash comes out short, it says so rather than showing a number that cannot happen.

TYPTAPP does the math. Your workplace is responsible for making sure its tip policies follow applicable laws.

Common questions

What percentage do servers tip out bartenders?: Commonly 1–3% of the server's alcohol sales, though some houses use total sales instead. Your employer sets the rule.
What does a bartender tip out to a barback?: Often 10–20% of the bartender's own tips, or a percentage of the bar's sales. It varies by house and by how the bar is staffed.
Why alcohol sales rather than total sales?: Because alcohol sales are the drinks the bar actually made. Using total sales is simpler, but it means a server with a dry section subsidises the bar and a server pushing cocktails pays less than the bar earned them.