Server Paycheck Calculator
Enter your hours, cash wage and the tips you keep — see your weekly paycheck, whether your employer owes a top-up, and your true hourly rate.
By the TippedPay editorial team · Updated $1
Key numbers at a glance
| Busy week | Slow week | |
|---|---|---|
| Cash wages (30 h × $2.13) | $63.90 | $63.90 |
| Tips kept | $450 | $90 |
| Top-up owed | $0 | $63.60 |
| Total pay | $513.90 | $217.50 |
Federal defaults: $2.13 cash wage, $7.25 minimum. Many states differ — check yours on the DOL tipped minimum wage table and enter your state's numbers. Taxes on tips are not deducted here.
How it's calculated
Cash paycheck = hours × cash wage. Total pay must reach hours × full minimum — if tips fall short, the employer must top up the difference ("make-up pay"). Your effective hourly = total pay ÷ hours, which is the number to compare against any other job.
A worked example
30 hours at $2.13 cash wage: $63.90 from the employer. Tips kept after tipping out the bar and busser: $450. Total: $513.90 for the week — $17.13/hour effective. Health check against the minimum: hours × full minimum = $217.50; cash + tips ($513.90) clears it easily, so no top-up is owed. Now the slow week: same 30 hours, only $90 in tips. Cash + tips = $153.90 — below $217.50 — so the employer must add $63.60 of make-up pay. Your floor is full minimum for every hour worked, every week, no exceptions and no averaging over the month.
That busy-versus-slow pair side by side — same server, same 30 hours, only the tips change:
| Busy week | Slow week | |
|---|---|---|
| Cash wages (30 h × $2.13) | $63.90 | $63.90 |
| Tips kept | $450 | $90 |
| Top-up owed | $0 | $63.60 |
| Total pay | $513.90 | $217.50 |
| Effective hourly | $17.13 | $7.25 |
What to check on every paycheck
Reported vs. actual tips. Paycheck math runs on what you reported; under-reporting doesn't just risk audits, it shrinks the top-up you're owed and your future Social Security credit.
Tip-outs come off the top, correctly. Mandatory tip-outs to support staff reduce your tips for top-up purposes only if your state's rules say so — several states count them differently. When in doubt, your state labor department answers this question for free.
Overtime weeks break simple math. OT is computed on the full minimum, not your cash wage — see the overtime calculator before accepting extra shifts.
Tip credit mechanics, step by step
The whole system in one walk-through, using federal numbers. Step 1: your employer pays $2.13/hour in cash wages — that's the tipped minimum. Step 2: your tips arrive and are yours; the employer may count up to $5.12 of them per hour as a "tip credit" toward the $7.25 full minimum. Step 3: the check — if your cash wage plus kept tips average at least $7.25 for every hour of the workweek, the employer owes nothing extra. Step 4: the safety net — if a slow week leaves the average short, the employer must pay the difference as make-up pay, bringing every hour to full minimum.
Now the parts people miss. The tip credit is computed per workweek, not per shift or per pay period — a great Saturday cannot legally subsidize a dead Tuesday within the same week. The credit only applies to tips you keep; money that goes into a valid tip pool for support staff still counts, but tips kept by managers void the employer's tip credit entirely. And the clock's friend: if your combined average beats minimum comfortably, your "effective hourly" is the honest number to compare against any other job offer — a $2.13 base with $30/hour in tips is a $32/hour job wearing a confusing costume.
FAQ
What is the tipped minimum wage?
Federally, employers may pay $2.13/hour cash if tips bring the worker to the full $7.25 minimum — the difference is the tip credit. Many states require a higher cash wage or the full state minimum before tips.
Does my employer count my tips against my wage?
Only under a valid tip credit, and only up to the gap between your cash wage and the full minimum — never beyond. Tips above that gap are yours; mandatory tip-outs to support staff are separate.
Why is my paycheck so small when I make hundreds in tips?
Your cash check is built on the $2.13 cash wage, and withholding on your reported tips often consumes all of it. Tips are income, so the taxes follow them — the check is small because the tips already reached you.
How do I calculate my effective hourly rate?
Add total wages (cash wage × hours, plus any top-up) to the tips you kept, then divide by hours worked. That single number is the honest way to compare this job against any other offer.
Can my employer deduct walkouts or register mistakes from my tips?
Federal rules bar employers from keeping your tips, and deductions for customer walkouts or cash-register shortages are heavily restricted. State rules vary — several states prohibit these deductions outright, so check with your state labor department before accepting one.