Tip Jar Split Calculator
Split a shared tip jar fairly among staff by hours worked, so someone who worked a full shift earns more than a half-shift coworker.
How it works
Per hour = pool ÷ total staff-hours · Share = per hour × that person’s hours
Splitting a tip jar evenly punishes anyone who worked a longer shift, so the fair method is to pay by hours. Add up every worker’s hours to get total staff-hours, divide the pool by that to get a per-hour tip rate, then multiply each person’s hours by that rate. Everyone’s shares add back to the full pool, and someone who worked twice as long earns twice as much. The even-split figure is shown only for comparison.
Worked example
A $480 jar with four staff who worked 8, 8, 8 and 6 hours totals 30 staff-hours, so the rate is $16/hour. The three full-shift workers get $128 each and the 6-hour worker gets $96 — together exactly $480, versus $120 apiece under a blind even split.
Frequently asked questions
Why split by hours instead of evenly?
An even split gives the same tips to someone who worked two hours and someone who worked ten, which most staff consider unfair. Paying by hours ties each share to time actually worked while still distributing the entire pool.
Can I weight by role too?
Yes — some houses give servers a higher point value than bussers or hosts. To do that, multiply each person’s hours by a role factor before summing, then split by those weighted hours. This tool uses equal per-hour value, the most common tip-jar arrangement.
Do the individual shares always add up to the pool?
Yes. Because every share is that person’s hours times the same per-hour rate, and the rate is the pool divided by total hours, the shares sum back to the full pool with only rounding to the cent.
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This calculator is for educational purposes. Double-check important results before acting on them.