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A gratuity (often called a tip) is a sum of money customarily given by a customer to certain
service sector The tertiary sector of the economy, generally known as the service sector, is the third of the three economic sectors in the three-sector model (also known as the economic cycle). The others are the primary sector (raw materials) and the second ...
workers such as hospitality for the service they have performed, in addition to the basic price of the service. Tips and their amount are a matter of social
custom Custom, customary, or consuetudinary may refer to: Traditions, laws, and religion * Convention (norm), a set of agreed, stipulated or generally accepted rules, norms, standards or criteria, often taking the form of a custom * Norm (social), a r ...
and
etiquette Etiquette () is the set of norms of personal behaviour in polite society, usually occurring in the form of an ethical code of the expected and accepted social behaviours that accord with the conventions and norms observed and practised by a ...
, and the custom varies between countries and between settings. In some countries, it is customary to tip
server Server may refer to: Computing *Server (computing), a computer program or a device that provides functionality for other programs or devices, called clients Role * Waiting staff, those who work at a restaurant or a bar attending customers and su ...
s in bars and restaurants,
taxi A taxi, also known as a taxicab or simply a cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choice ...
drivers,
hair stylists A hairdresser is a person whose occupation is to cut or style hair in order to change or maintain a person's image. This is achieved using a combination of hair coloring, haircutting, and hair texturing techniques. A Hairdresser may also be refe ...
and so on. However, in some places tipping is not expected and may be discouraged or considered insulting. The customary amount of a tip can be a specific range or a certain percentage of the bill based on the perceived quality of the service given. It is illegal to offer tips to some groups of workers, such as U.S. government workers and more widely
police officer A police officer (also called a policeman and, less commonly, a policewoman) is a warranted law employee of a police force. In most countries, "police officer" is a generic term not specifying a particular rank. In some, the use of the ...
s; the tips may be regarded as
bribery Bribery is the Offer and acceptance, offering, Gift, giving, Offer and acceptance, receiving, or Solicitation, soliciting of any item of value to influence the actions of an official, or other person, in charge of a public or legal duty. With reg ...
. A fixed percentage
service charge A fee is the price one pays as remuneration for rights or services. Fees usually allow for overhead, wages, costs, and markup. Traditionally, professionals in the United Kingdom (and previously the Republic of Ireland) receive a fee in contra ...
is sometimes added to bills in restaurants and similar establishments. Tipping may not be expected when a fee is explicitly charged for the service. Giving a tip is typically irreversible, differentiating it from the reward mechanism of a placed order, which can be refunded. From a theoretical economic point of view, gratuities may solve the
principal–agent problem The principal–agent problem refers to the conflict in interests and priorities that arises when one person or entity (the "agent") takes actions on behalf of another person or entity (the " principal"). The problem worsens when there is a gre ...
(the situation in which an agent, such as a server, is working for a principal, such as a restaurant owner or manager) and many managers believe that tips provide incentive for greater worker effort. However, studies of the practice in America suggest that tipping is often discriminatory or arbitrary: workers receive different levels of gratuity based on factors such as age, sex, race, hair color and even breast size, and the size of the gratuity is found to be only tenuously related to the quality of service.


Etymology and history

According to the ''
Oxford English Dictionary The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' (''OED'') is the first and foundational historical dictionary of the English language, published by Oxford University Press (OUP). It traces the historical development of the English language, providing a com ...
'', the word "tip" originated as a slang term and its etymology is unclear. According to the '' Online Etymology Dictionary'', the meaning "give a small present of money" began around 1600, and the meaning "give a gratuity to" is first attested in 1706. The noun in this sense is from 1755. The term in the sense of "to give a gratuity" first appeared in the 18th century. It derived from an earlier sense of ''tip'', meaning "to give; to hand, pass", which originated in the
thieves' cant Thieves' cant (also known as thieves' argot, rogues' cant, or peddler's French) is a cant (language), cant, cryptolect, or argot which was formerly used by thieves, beggars, and hustlers of various kinds in Great Britain and to a lesser extent i ...
in the 17th century. This sense may have derived from the 16th-century "tip" meaning "to strike or hit smartly but lightly" (which may have derived from the
Low German : : : : : (70,000) (30,000) (8,000) , familycolor = Indo-European , fam2 = Germanic , fam3 = West Germanic , fam4 = North Sea Germanic , ancestor = Old Saxon , ancestor2 = Middle L ...
''tippen'', "to tap"), but this derivation is "very uncertain"."tip, ''v''.4" ''
Oxford English Dictionary The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' (''OED'') is the first and foundational historical dictionary of the English language, published by Oxford University Press (OUP). It traces the historical development of the English language, providing a com ...
''. 2nd ed. 1989.
Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...
. .
The word "tip" was first used as a verb in 1707 in
George Farquhar George Farquhar (1677The explanation for the dual birth year appears in Louis A. Strauss, ed., A Discourse Upon Comedy, The Recruiting Officer, and The Beaux’ Stratagem by George Farquhar' (Boston: D.C. Heath & Co., 1914), p. v. Strauss notes ...
's play ''
The Beaux' Stratagem ''The Beaux' Stratagem'' is a comedy by George Farquhar, first produced at the Theatre Royal, now the site of Her Majesty's Theatre, in the Haymarket, London, on March 8, 1707. In the play, Archer and Aimwell, two young gentlemen who have falle ...
''. Farquhar used the term after it had been "used in
criminal In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definitions of", in Can ...
circles as a word meant to imply the unnecessary and gratuitous gifting of something somewhat taboo, like a joke, or a
sure bet Betting arbitrage ("sure bets", sports arbitrage) is an example of arbitrage arising on betting markets due to either bookmakers' differing opinions on event outcomes or errors. When conditions allow, by placing one bet per each outcome with diffe ...
, or illicit money exchanges." The etymology for the synonym for tipping, "gratuity", dates back either to the 1520s, from "graciousness", from the French ''gratuité'' (14th century) or directly from Medieval Latin ''gratuitas'', "free gift", probably from earlier Latin ''gratuitus'', "free, freely given". The meaning "money given for favor or services" is first attested in the 1530s. In some languages, the term translates to "drink money" or similar: for example ''pourboire'' in French, ''Trinkgeld'' in German, ''drikkepenge'' in Danish, ''
drinksilver Drinksilver was a kind of tip or gratuity given to artisans in Early Modern Scotland, a sum of money suitable for buying drinks and celebrating. Records of payments give insights into labour, service, and patronage. Payments and contexts Building ...
'' in
Middle Scots Middle Scots was the Anglic language of Lowland Scotland in the period from 1450 to 1700. By the end of the 15th century, its phonology, orthography, accidence, syntax and vocabulary had diverged markedly from Early Scots, which was virtually ...
, and ''napiwek'' in Polish. This comes from a custom of inviting a servant to drink a glass in honour of the guest, and paying for it, in order for the guests to show generosity among each other. The term ''bibalia'' in Latin was recorded in 1372. The practice of tipping began in
Tudor England Tudor most commonly refers to: * House of Tudor, English royal house of Welsh origins ** Tudor period, a historical era in England coinciding with the rule of the Tudor dynasty Tudor may also refer to: Architecture * Tudor architecture, the fin ...
. In medieval times, tipping was a master-serf custom wherein a servant would receive extra money for having performed superbly well. By the 17th century, it was expected that overnight guests to private homes would provide sums of money, known as vails, to the host's servants. Soon afterwards, customers began tipping in London
coffeehouses A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or café is an establishment that primarily serves coffee of various types, notably espresso, latte, and cappuccino. Some coffeehouses may serve cold drinks, such as iced coffee and iced tea, as well as other non-caf ...
and other commercial establishments". The practice was imported from Europe to America in the 1850s and 1860s by Americans who wanted to seem aristocratic. However, until the early 20th century, Americans viewed tipping as inconsistent with the values of an egalitarian, democratic society, as the origins of tipping were premised upon
noblesse oblige ''Noblesse oblige'' (; ; literally “nobility obliges”) is a French expression from a time when French (more specifically, Anglo-Norman) was the language of the English nobility, and retains in English the meaning that nobility extends beyo ...
, which promoted tipping as a means to establish social status to inferiors. Six American states passed laws that made tipping illegal. Enforcement of anti-tipping laws was problematic. The earliest of these laws was passed in 1909 (Washington), and the last of these laws was repealed in 1926 (Mississippi). Some have argued that "The original workers that were not paid anything by their employers were newly freed slaves" and that "This whole concept of not paying them anything and letting them live on tips carried over from slavery." The anti-tipping movement spread to Europe with the support of the labour movement, which led to the eventual abolition of customary tipping in most European countries. Also, proprietors regarded tips as equivalent to bribing an employee to do something that was otherwise forbidden, such as tipping a waiter to get an extra large portion of food. However, the introduction of
Prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic ...
in the US in 1919 had an enormous impact on hotels and restaurants, who lost the revenue of selling alcoholic beverages. The resulting financial pressure caused proprietors to welcome tips, as a way of supplementing employee wages. Contrary to popular belief, tipping did not arise because of servers' low wages, because the occupation of waiter (server) was fairly well paid in the era when tipping became institutionalized.


Reasons for tipping

Tipping researcher Michael Lynn identifies five motivations for tipping: * Showing off * To supplement the server's income and make them happy * For improved future service * To avoid disapproval from the server * A sense of duty A 2009 academic paper by Steven Holland calls tipping "an effective mechanism for risk sharing and welfare improvement" which reduces the risk faced by a service customer, because the customer can decide whether or not to tip. Tipping is sometimes given as an example of the
principal–agent problem The principal–agent problem refers to the conflict in interests and priorities that arises when one person or entity (the "agent") takes actions on behalf of another person or entity (the " principal"). The problem worsens when there is a gre ...
in economics. One example is a restaurant owner who engages servers to act as agents on his behalf. In some cases, " mpensation agreements anincrease worker effort ..if compensation is ..tied to the firm's success" and one example of such a compensation agreement is waiters and waitresses who are paid tips.Robert J. Graham. ''Managerial Economics for Dummies''. John Wiley & Sons, Feb 14, 2013 Studies show however that, in the real world, the size of the tip is only weakly correlated with the quality of the service and other effects dominate.


Tronc

A tronc is an arrangement for the pooling and distribution to employees of tips, gratuities and/or service charges in the hotel and catering trade. The person who distributes monies from the tronc is known as the troncmaster. Where a tronc exists in the UK, responsibility for deducting
pay-as-you-earn tax A pay-as-you-earn tax (PAYE), or pay-as-you-go (PAYG) in Australia, is a withholding tax, withholding of taxes on income payments to employees. Amounts withheld are treated as advance payments of income tax due. They are refundable to the extent th ...
es from the distribution may lie with the troncmaster rather than the employer. The word "tronc" has its origins in the French for collecting box. In June 2008, the Employment Appeals Tribunal ruled in a UK test case (
Revenue and Customs Commissioners v Annabel’s (Berkeley Square) Ltd ''Revenue and Customs Commissioners v Annabel's (Berkeley Square) Ltd'' 009EWCA Civ 361is a UK labour law case regarding the treatment of tips under the National Minimum Wage Act 1998. It led to the abolition of tips being considered part of wag ...
) that income from a tronc cannot be counted when assessing whether a wage or salary meets the national minimum wage.


Mandatory tipping

Tipping may not be expected when a fee is explicitly charged for the service. A
service charge A fee is the price one pays as remuneration for rights or services. Fees usually allow for overhead, wages, costs, and markup. Traditionally, professionals in the United Kingdom (and previously the Republic of Ireland) receive a fee in contra ...
is sometimes added to bills in restaurants and similar establishments. Attempts to hide service charge by obscuring the line on the receipt have been reported. A service charge, or fee assessed, is determined by and paid directly to the company. The charges may be for services rendered, administrative fees, or processing cost. In the United States, criminal charges were dropped in two separate cases over non-payment of mandatory gratuities. Courts ruled that automatic does not mean mandatory. Some cruise lines charge their patrons US$10 per day in mandatory tipping; this does not include extra gratuities for alcoholic beverages.


By region


Africa


Nigeria

In
Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
tipping is common at upscale hotels and restaurants but a service charge is usually included in the bill, though the employees rarely get this as part of their wages.


Madagascar

In
Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...
, tipping is not expected. Morocco In
Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...
tipping (تْدْوِيرَة , Romanized : Tedwira) isn't mandatory, but rounding up the bill and leaving tips at restaurants and cafes, or to the service providers is a standard practice and appreciated.


Asia


China

In
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
, traditionally there is no tipping. However, hotels that routinely serve foreign tourists allow tipping, as do tour guides and associated drivers. In cities bordering Hong Kong like
Shenzhen Shenzhen (; ; ; ), also historically known as Sham Chun, is a major sub-provincial city and one of the special economic zones of China. The city is located on the east bank of the Pearl River estuary on the central coast of southern province ...
, some restaurants and hotels also started to charge gratuity since the 1980s.


Hong Kong, China

In
Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...
, tipping is not typically expected at hotels or restaurant establishments, where a "service charge" of 10% is added to a bill instead of expecting a gratuity. Taxi drivers in Hong Kong may also charge the difference between a fare and a round sum as a "courtesy fee" to avoid making change for larger bills.


Japan

As a
service charge A fee is the price one pays as remuneration for rights or services. Fees usually allow for overhead, wages, costs, and markup. Traditionally, professionals in the United Kingdom (and previously the Republic of Ireland) receive a fee in contra ...
is typically included as part of bills at hotels and restaurants, tipping is generally not practiced in
Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
. In addition, Japan has a set of traditions and customs regarding giving money as a gift, so tipping may cause confusion or be considered rude if the money is given without being placed in a special gift
envelope An envelope is a common packaging item, usually made of thin, flat material. It is designed to contain a flat object, such as a letter or card. Traditional envelopes are made from sheets of paper cut to one of three shapes: a rhombus, a shor ...
first. Like many other countries in East Asia, Japanese people see tipping as insulting.


India

In India tipping is not normal in hotels and restaurants, but may be appreciated. If eating a casual meal—breakfast or snack—with a bill total less than 1000, then a 10% tip is expected and appreciated. If small bills are handy, tips can be in multiples of ₹10 notes.


Malaysia

In
Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
, tipping is not the norm and is not expected for any service. Instead restaurants can add a service charge of 10% to the bill. In Malaysia the people are familiar with tipping, so if a person does leave a tip then it is accepted and appreciated. Tips, when given, usually take the form of rounding up the bill.


Pakistan

Tipping is not an obligation, and it is not considered rude not to tip, though workers will be pleased if tipped. Normally in low to medium-end restaurants, the bill is rounded up to the nearest
Rs. Rupee is the common name for the currencies of India, Mauritius, Nepal, Pakistan, Seychelles, and Sri Lanka, and of former currencies of Afghanistan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, the United Arab Emirates (as the Gulf rupee), British East Africa, B ...
100 or 1000 and the change is given as tip either directly to the waiter or left on the table. In more formal settings, hotels and restaurants add a 10% service charge to the bill, which is paid along with the bill itself.


Philippines

Tipping is not customary in most areas and is not generally expected. In upscale restaurants, if a service charge is added, tipping is not needed nor expected. Among smaller side street restaurants, service charge is usually not included and tip amount may vary from loose changes to not at all (most do not give tips). The customer in this case can give any amount he/she wishes. Fastfood areas (McDonald's, Jollibee, Popeyes, etc.) are not tipping locations and staffs are reluctant to accept money. Hotels bellboys are generally provided tips but amount is not fixed and may depend on the customer. Taxis are not provided tips but customer may pay extra to avoid loose change (usual range of 10 to 30 pesos). App based vehicles (Grab etc.) are usually paid tips via app and therefore under the discretion of the customer. There are establishments that strictly implement a "No tipping policy". There are establishments that can accept tips but must be placed in designated tipping containers.


Korea

Tipping is not customary in
Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...
n culture, and tipping is not expected in the general service industry. Some people even regard tipping as an inappropriate behavior. High-end hotels and restaurants often include a service charge of between 10% to 15%, but it is always included in the bill and customers are not expected to leave an additional gratuity for servers.


Singapore

In
Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
, bars and restaurants typically add a 10% service charge, which is subject to the 7% Goods & Services Tax. Excess tipping is not practiced and is rarely expected in most instances. Tips may be regarded as an insult or mistaken for illegal bribery. Taxi drivers given a tip will mistake it for overpayment, and return the exact change.


Taiwan

In
Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
, tipping is not customary, but all mid and high end restaurants include a mandatory "10% service charge", which is not given to the service staff, but rather considered by Taiwanese law as general revenue, as reported by the ''
Taipei Times The ''Taipei Times'' is the only printed daily English-language newspaper in Taiwan, and the third established there. Online competitors include the state-owned ''Focus Taiwan'' and ''Taiwan News''; ''The China Post'' was formerly a competit ...
'' in "False Gratuity" on July 9, 2013.


Nepal

In Nepal, tipping is not compulsory but people working on tourism sectors and hotel area always look for a tip. Mostly the guide and porters who walk many days with clients to make their adventure successful. All the trekking company in Nepal also advice clients to tip guide and porters. Some company advice to tip high some advice to tip low cost.


Europe


Albania

Tipping ('' bakshish'') in
Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...
is very much expected almost everywhere. In recent times it has become more common, as many foreigners and Albanians living abroad visit Albania. Leaving a tip of around 10% of the bill is customary in restaurants; even porters, guides and chauffeurs expect tips. Duty-free alcohol is often used as a type of tip for porters, bellhops and the like, though some people (such as Muslims) can find it offensive.


Austria

Tipping is not required but often expected, particularly in restaurants where roughly 5% to 10% is common. This depends on the service one received and the restaurant level (low, medium, high prices). In standard restaurants it is OK to round up to the next euro. Another common setting where tipping is customary is taxis, where bills may be rounded up to the next euro.


Croatia

Even though most people in the service industry are paid a living wage, tips (in Croatian: ''napojnica'', ''manča'') are quite common. 10% (or more, depending on the service) is expected in restaurants. Absence of a tip is generally interpreted as dissatisfaction with the food and/or service. In clubs and café bars, it is common to round up the bill (e.g. to 10 kn if the bill is more than 5 kn, or 100 kn if the bill is 88 kn). Tips are always expected in cash, even when the bill is paid by credit card. If a customer leaves a tip with a credit card, the employee does not receive any of it. It is not common to tip hairdressers, but the rounding-up method is common for taxi drivers.


Denmark

Tips (''drikkepenge'', lit. "drinking money") are not required in
Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...
since service charges must always be included in the bill by law. Tipping for outstanding service is a matter of choice, but is not expected.


Estonia

In
Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...
, tipping (''jootraha'') is not required and never expected.


Finland

In
Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...
, tipping is never expected. Rounding the bill in restaurant, hairsalon or in taxi is not frowned upon. If service is great one can give a tip, usually around 10%.


France

Tips (''pourboires'', lit. "for drinking") in France are neither required nor expected, and should only be offered after the customer received outstanding service. Waiters are paid a living wage and do not depend on tips, and cafés and restaurants are required by law to include a service charge (usually 15%) on the bill. Tipping is better received in venues accustomed to tourists, but can be treated with disdain in smaller food establishments and those in more rural areas. Should one decide to tip after experiencing excellent service, it is customary to round up to the next Euro for small bills, and up to 5% for larger ones. Anything over 5% is considered very generous. For superior service in higher-end eating establishments, a more generous (10% or more) tip would not be out of place. Tips should always be offered in cash, as credit card terminals don't include a tipping option. Attending a performance in a private theater may be the only case in France where a tip is expected (generally €1), even though it is illegal.


Germany

Tipping (''Trinkgeld'') is not seen as obligatory. In the case of waiting staff, and in the context of a debate about a minimum wage, some people disapprove of tipping and say that it should not substitute for employers paying a good basic wage. But most people in Germany consider tipping to be good manners as well as a way to express gratitude for good service. It is illegal, and rare, to charge a service fee without the customer's consent. But a tip of about 5% to 10%, depending on the type of service, is customary. For example, Germans usually tip their waiters. As a rule of thumb, the more personal the service, the more common it is to tip. Payments by card can include the tip too, but the tip is usually paid in cash when the card is handed over. At times, rather than tipping individually, a tipping box is set up. Rounding up the bill in Germany is commonplace, sometimes with the comment ''stimmt so'' ("keep the change"), rather than asking for all the change and leaving the tip afterwards. Or the customer says how much he will pay in total, including the tip: thus if the basic price is €10.50, the customer might, rather generously but not unusually, say ''zwölf'' ("twelve"), pay with a €20 note and get €8 in change. When paying a small amount, it is common to round up to the nearest euro (e.g. €1.80 to €2.00). Sometimes a sign reading ''Aufrunden bitte'' ("round up please") is found in places where tipping is not common (like supermarkets, or clothing retailers). This requests that the bill be rounded up to the nearest €0.10. This is not to tip the staff, but a charity donation (fighting child poverty), and completely voluntary. In Germany tips are considered as income, but they are tax free according to § 3 Nr. 51 of the German Income Tax Law.


Hungary

The Hungarian word for tip is (literally "intended for wine", a loose
calque In linguistics, a calque () or loan translation is a word or phrase borrowed from another language by literal word-for-word or root-for-root translation. When used as a verb, "to calque" means to borrow a word or phrase from another language wh ...
from german: Trinkgeld) or colloquially (from fa, بخشش ''bakhshesh''), often written in English as backsheesh. Tipping is widespread in Hungary; the degree of expectation and the expected amount varies with price, type and quality of service, and also influenced by the satisfaction of the customer. As in Germany, rounding up the price to provide a tip is commonplace. The typical value of a tip is 10 percent in Hungary. Depending on the situation, tipping might be unusual, optional or expected. Almost all bills include a service charge; similarly, some employers calculate wages on the basis that the employee would also receive tips, while others prohibit accepting them. In some cases a tip is only given if the customer is satisfied; in others it is customary to give a certain percentage regardless of the quality of the service; and there are situations when it is hard to tell the difference from a
bribe Bribery is the offering, giving, receiving, or soliciting of any item of value to influence the actions of an official, or other person, in charge of a public or legal duty. With regard to governmental operations, essentially, bribery is "Corr ...
. Widespread tipping based on loosely defined customs and an almost imperceptible transition into bribery is considered a main factor contributing to corruption. A particular example of a gratuity is ("gratitude money") or , which is the very much expected – almost obligatory even though illegal – tipping of state-employed physicians. ( Hungary's healthcare system is almost completely state-run and there is an obligatory social insurance system.)


Iceland

In
Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...
, tipping ('' þjórfé'', lit. "serving money") is not customary and never expected. Foreign tourists sometimes still tip without thinking because that is the custom in their home country. Tourist guides in Iceland also sometimes encourage their guests to tip them, but there is no requirement to do so.


Ireland

It is uncommon for Irish people to tip cleaning staff at hotel. Tips are sometimes given to reward high quality service or as a kind gesture, particularly during the Christmas holiday season. Tipping is most often done by leaving small change (5–10%) at the table or rounding up the bill, or for a taxi driver. However, some people may choose to tip in restaurants and for food deliveries. Hairdressers are expected to be tipped for a good job, usually 5–20 euro.


Italy

Tips (''la mancia'') are not customary in Italy, and are given only for a special service or as thanks for high quality service, but they are very uncommon. Almost all restaurants (with the notable exception of those in Rome) have a service charge (called ''coperto'' and/or ''servizio''). As restaurants are required to inform customers of any fees they charge, they usually list the ''coperto''/''servizio'' on the menu.


Netherlands

Tipping (''fooi'') in the Netherlands is not obligatory by law as all the service cost are included in the listed price for the products and the income of the staff is not depending on the provided (amount or quality of) service. However everybody is free to donate. It is illegal to charge (an extra) service fee without the customer's consent.


Norway

It is uncommon for Norwegians to tip taxi drivers or cleaning staff at hotels. In restaurants and bars it is more common, but not expected. Tips are often given to reward high quality service or as a kind gesture. Tipping is most often done by leaving small change (5–15%) at the table or rounding up the bill. ''Oslo Servitørforbund'' and ''Hotell- og Restaurantarbeiderforbundet'' (The Labor Union for Hotel and Restaurant Employees) has said many times that they discourage tipping, except for extraordinary service, because it makes salaries decrease over time, makes it harder to negotiate salaries and does not count towards pensions, unemployment insurance, loans and other benefits.


Romania

The amount of the tip (''bacşiş'') and method of calculating it will vary with the venue and can vary from 1–2 RON to 10% of the bill. The tips do not appear on bills and are not taxed. If paying by card, the tip is left in cash alongside the bill. While tipping is not the norm, servers, taxi drivers, hairdressers, hotel maids, parking valets, tour guides, spa therapists et al. are used to receiving tips regularly, and are likely to consider it an expression of appreciation for the quality of the service (or lack of it). If offering a tip, 5–10% of the bill is customary, or small amounts of 5, 10 or 20 RON for services which are not directly billed. For other types of services it depends on circumstances; it will not usually be refused, but will be considered a sign of appreciation. For instance, counter clerks in drugstores or supermarkets are not tipped, but their counterparts in clothing stores can be. Tipping can be used proactively to obtain favors, such as reservations or better seats. However, care should be taken for it not to be seen as a bribe, depending on circumstances. While tipping is overlooked in Romania, bribery is a larger issue which may have legal consequences. There is an ongoing aversion about both giving and receiving tips in coins, due to the low value of the denominations. It is best to stick to paper money. Offering coins can be considered a rude gesture and may prompt sarcastic or even angry remarks. On the other hand, the coin handling aversion has resulted in the widespread practice of rounding payments. This is not technically a tip, and as such is not aimed primarily at the individual at the counter, but rather at the business. Nevertheless, if done with a smile it can be seen as a form of appreciation from the customer towards the clerk. Etiquette demands that one of the parties offers the change, but the other can choose to tell them to keep all or part of it. Small businesses may sometimes force the issue by just claiming they are out of change, or offering small value products instead, such as sticks of gum; this is considered rude and it is up to the customer to accept or call them out for it. The reverse can also happen, where the clerk does not have small change to make for the customer's paper money, but chooses to return a smaller paper denomination and round down in favor of the customer, in exchange for getting them through faster. The latter usually happens only in the larger store chains.


Russia

In Russian language, a gratuity is called ''chayeviye'' (чаевые), which literally means "for the tea". Tipping small amounts of money in Russia for people such as waiters, cab drivers and hotel bellboys was quite common before the Communist Revolution of 1917. During the Soviet era, and especially with the Stalinist reforms of the 1930s, tipping was discouraged and was considered an offensive capitalist tradition aimed at belittling and lowering the status of the working class. So from then until the early 1990s tipping was seen as rude and offensive. With the fall of the Soviet Union and the dismantling of the Iron Curtain in 1991, and the subsequent influx of foreign tourists and businessmen into the country, tipping started a slow but steady comeback. Since the early 2000s tipping has become somewhat of a norm again. However, still a lot of confusion persists around tipping: Russians do not have a widespread consensus on how much to tip, for what services, where and how. In larger urban areas, like Moscow and St Petersburg, tips of 10% are expected in high-end restaurants, coffee shops, bars and hotels, and are normally left in cash on the table, after the bill is paid by credit card; or as part of cash payment if a credit card is not used. Tipping at a buffet or any other budget restaurant, where there are no servers to take one's order at the table (called ''stolovaya'') is not expected and not appropriate. Fast food chains, such as Vkusno & Tochka, Chaynaya Lozhka, Teremok and so on, do not allow tipping either. Tipping bartenders in a pub is not common, but it is expected in an up-market bar. Metered taxi drivers also count on a tip of 5–10%, but non-metered drivers who pre-negotiate the fare do not expect one. It should also be noted that the older Russians, who grew up and lived most of their lives during the Soviet era, still consider tipping an offensive practice and detest it. In smaller rural towns, tipping is rarely expected and may even cause confusion.


Slovenia

Tipping is common in Slovenia, but most locals do not tip other than to round up to the nearest euro. Absence of a tip is generally interpreted as dissatisfaction with the food and/or service. Since about 2007, areas visited by many tourists have begun to accept tips of around 10–20%.


Spain

Tipping (''propina'') is not generally considered mandatory in Spain, and depends on the quality of the service received. In restaurants the amount of the tip, if any, depends mainly on the kind of locale: higher percentages are expected in upscale restaurants. In bars and small restaurants, Spaniards sometimes leave as a tip the small change left on their plate after paying a bill. Outside the restaurant business, some service providers, such as taxi drivers, hairdressers and hotel personnel, may expect a tip in an upscale setting. In 2007 the Minister of Economy, Pedro Solbes, blamed excessive tipping for the increase in the inflation rate.


Sweden

Tipping (''dricks'') is commonly not expected, but is practiced to reward high quality service or as a kind gesture. Tipping is most often done by leaving small change on the table or rounding up the bill. This is mostly done at restaurants (less often if payment is made at the desk) and in taxis (some taxis are very expensive as there is no fixed tariff, so they might not be tipped). Less often hairdressers are tipped. Tips are taxed in Sweden, but cash tips are not often declared to the tax authority. Cards are heavily used in Sweden as of the 2010s, and tips paid by cards in restaurants are regularly checked by the tax authority.


Turkey

In
Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
, tipping, or ''bahşiş'' (lit. gift, from the
Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...
word بخشش, often rendered in English as "
baksheesh ''Baksheesh'' or ' (from fa, بخشش ) is tipping, charitable giving, and certain forms of political corruption and bribery in the Middle East and South Asia. Etymology and usage ''Baksheesh'' comes from the Persian word (), which originat ...
") is usually optional and not customary in many places. Though not necessary, a tip of 5–10% is appreciated in restaurants, and is usually paid by "leaving the change". Cab drivers usually do not expect to be tipped, though passengers may round up the fare. A tip of small change may be given to a hotel porter.Tipping in Turkey


United Kingdom

Tipping is not expected in Britain the way it is in some other countries; however, for the majority of people tipping in some circumstances is customary as a sign of appreciation. Workers do not officially have to rely on their tips to live, and all staff in the UK must be paid at least the
National Minimum Wage The National Minimum Wage Act 1998 creates a minimum wage across the United Kingdom.. E McGaughey, ''A Casebook on Labour Law'' (Hart 2019) ch 6(1) From 1 April 2022 this was £9.50 for people age 23 and over, £9.18 for 21- to 22-year-olds, £6. ...
. This varies by age: it is £8.91 for those aged 23 and over, £8.36 for those aged 21 to 22, £6.56 for those aged 18 to 20 and £4.62 for those under 18. Employers are also banned from topping up wages with tips from customers. However rounding up a bill is acceptable (but not required) at restaurants with table service, and also for barbers, hairdressers and taxi drivers. Sometimes, more often in London than in other areas, or at expensive restaurants, a service charge may be included in the bill, or added separately. 12.5% is reported as a common amount. Since it is a legal requirement to include all taxes and other obligatory charges in the prices displayed, a service charge is compulsory only if it is displayed, or the trader makes it clear verbally, before the meal. Even so, if the level of service is unacceptable, and in particular it falls short of the requirements of the
Supply of Goods and Services Act 1982 The Supply of Goods and Services Act 1982c 29 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that requires traders to provide services to a proper standard of workmanship ("''with reasonable care and skill''"). Furthermore, if a definite compl ...
, the customer can refuse to pay some or all of a service charge.


North America and the Caribbean


Canada

Tipping is practiced in Canada in a similar, but often less vigorous manner than the United States. Though a 10-15% gratuity is fairly common when food is served, tipping is not otherwise as widespread as in American culture. This has led to concerns in American border cities, where businesses relying on Canadian tourists often suffer. In Canadian provinces other than Quebec, a deeply entrenched practice is "tipping out", in which servers' tips are shared with kitchen staff, a practice that would be illegal in the United States. Another custom in some restaurants is "house tipping", in which the manager or owner takes a share of the tips, a practice that is permitted in some provinces and forbidden in others. Canadian Federal tax law considers tips as income. Workers who receive tips are legally required to report the income to the
Canada Revenue Agency The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA; ; ) is the revenue service of the Canadian federal government, and most provincial and territorial governments. The CRA collects taxes, administers tax law and policy, and delivers benefit programs and tax credit ...
and pay
income tax An income tax is a tax imposed on individuals or entities (taxpayers) in respect of the income or profits earned by them (commonly called taxable income). Income tax generally is computed as the product of a tax rate times the taxable income. Tax ...
on it. In July 2012, ''The Toronto Star'' reported that CRA is concerned with tax evasion. An auditing of 145 servers in four restaurants by CRA mentioned in the report uncovered that among 145 staff audited, C$1.7 million was unreported. In 2005, The CRA was quoted that it will closely check the tax returns of individuals who would reasonably be expected to be receiving tips to ensure that the tips are reported realistically.


Caribbean

Tipping in the Caribbean varies from island to island. In the Dominican Republic, restaurants add a 10% gratuity and it is customary to tip an extra 10%. In St. Barths, it is expected that a tip be 10% to 15% if gratuity is not already included.


Mexico

Workers in small, economy restaurants usually do not expect a tip. However, tipping in Mexico is common in larger, medium and higher end restaurants. It is customary in these establishments to tip not less than 10% but not more than 15% of the bill as a voluntary offering for good service based on the total bill before value added tax, "IVA" in English,
VAT A value-added tax (VAT), known in some countries as a goods and services tax (GST), is a type of tax that is assessed incrementally. It is levied on the price of a product or service at each stage of production, distribution, or sale to the en ...
. Value added tax is already included in menu or other service industry pricing since Mexican Consumer Law requires the exhibition of final costs for the customer. Thus, the standard tip in Mexico is 11.5% of the pre-tax bill which equates to 10% after tax in most of the Mexican territory, except in special lower tax stimulus economic zones. Tips to taxi drivers are unusual in Mexico, but drivers used to ask for them from tourists, knowing that is common in other countries. Locally, taxi drivers are only tipped when they offer an extra service, like helping with the luggage or similar help. A gratuity may be added to the bill without the customer's consent, contrary to the law, either explicitly printed on the bill, or by more surreptitious means alleging local custom, in some restaurants, bars, and night clubs. However, in 2012, officials began a campaign to eradicate this increasingly rampant and abusive practice not only due to it violating Mexican consumer law, but also because frequently it was retained by owners or management. If a service charge for tip ("propina" or "restaurant service charge") is added, it is a violation of Article 10 of the Mexican Federal Law of the Consumer and Mexican authorities recommend patrons require management to refund or deduct this from their bill. Additionally, in this 2012 Federal initiative to eliminate the illegal add-ons, the government clarified that contrary even to the belief of many Mexicans, that the Mexican legal definition of tips ("propinas") require it be discretionary to pay so that an unsatisfied client is under no obligation to pay anything to insure the legal definition of a tip is consistent with the traditional, cultural definition, and going as far to encourage all victims subject to the increasing illicit practice report the establishments to the
PROFECO The Procuraduría Federal del Consumidor, or Office of the Federal Prosecutor for the Consumer (PROFECO, for short), is an organization of the Mexican government led by on the Attorney General. Mexico became the second Latin American nation to pas ...
, the Office of the Federal Prosecutor for the Consumer, for prosecution.


United States

Tipping is a practiced social custom in the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
. Tipping by definition is voluntary – at the discretion of the customer. In restaurants offering traditional table service, a gratuity of 15–20% of the amount of a customer’s check (before tax) is customary when good to excellent service is provided. In
buffet A buffet can be either a sideboard (a flat-topped piece of furniture with cupboards and drawers, used for storing crockery, glasses, and table linen) or a system of serving meals in which food is placed in a public area where the diners serve ...
-style restaurants where the server brings only beverages, 10–15% is customary. Higher tips may be given for excellent service, and lower tips for mediocre service. In the case of bad or rude service no tip may be given, and the restaurant manager may be notified of the problem. Tips are also generally given for services provided at golf courses, casinos, hotels, spas, salons, and for concierge services, food delivery, and taxis. This etiquette applies to service at weddings where the host should provide appropriate tips to workers at the end of an event; the amount may be negotiated in the contract. The
Fair Labor Standards Act The Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA) is a United States labor law that creates the right to a minimum wage, and "time-and-a-half" overtime pay when people work over forty hours a week. It also prohibits employment of minors in "oppres ...
defines tippable employees as individuals who customarily and regularly receive tips of $30 or more per month. Federal law permits employers to include tips towards satisfying the difference between employees' hourly wage and minimum wage. Federal minimum wage for tipped employees in the United States is $2.13 per hour, as long as the combination of tips and $2.13 hourly wage exceed the standard minimum wage of $7.25 per hour, although some states and territories provide more generous provisions for tipped employees. For example, laws in Alaska, California, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, and Guam specify that employees must be paid the full minimum wage of that state/territory (which is equal or higher than the federal minimum wage in these instances) before tips are considered. However, a report in 2012 from the Department of Labor's and Wage and Hours Division (WHD) uncovered that 84% of the 9,000 restaurants they investigated disobeyed the subminimum wage system. In the end the WHD found "1,170 tip credit infractions that resulted in nearly $5.5 million in back wages." Before 2018, a tip pool could not be allocated to employers, or to employees who do not customarily and regularly receive tips. These non-eligible employees included dishwashers, cooks, chefs, and janitors. In March 2018 an amendment was added to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) that allowed restaurants in a majority of states to split the split tips between front and back of house workers. Before this legislation passed there was concern of income inequality and the ability to pay rents between front and back of house workers. Over the span of 30 years since 1985 back of house workers in New York City restaurants had a compensation increase of about 25%. Meanwhile, their front of house counterpoints saw an increase of 300% in compensation. In 2015 the average wage of cooking staff in New York was $10–12, many of whom dealt with high monthly rent payments and also debt from culinary school. As seemingly low skilled front of house workers were making more money than the skilled back of house chefs, many cooks decided to switch over into serving instead. There is only limited information available on levels of tipping. A study at Iowa State University provided data for a suburban restaurant surveyed in the early 1990s. The mean tip was $3.00 on a mean bill of $19.78. As such, the mean tip rate was 16.1%, and the median tip rate was about 15%. In a 2003 research study at Brigham Young University, the sample restaurants had an average tip percentage ranging from 13.57 to 14.69% between 1999 and 2002. A 2001 study done at Cornell University exploring the relationship between tip amount and quality of service has shown that quality of service is only weakly related to the amount the server is tipped by the guest. This study suggests that servers who provide amazing service are tipped marginally better, if not better at all, than servers who provide standard service. According to the
National Restaurant Association The National Restaurant Association is a restaurant industry business association in the United States, representing more than 380,000 restaurant locations. It also operates the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation. The associ ...
, only a handful of restaurants in the United States have adopted a no-tipping model and some restaurants who have adopted this model returned to tipping due to loss of employees to competitors.


= Service charges

= Service charges are mandatory payments, typically added by caterers and banqueters. A service charge is not to be confused with a tip or gratuity which is optional and at the discretion of the customer. Restaurants commonly add it to checks for large parties. Some bars have decided to include service charge as well, for example in Manhattan, New York. Disclosure of service charge is required by law in some places, such as in State of Florida A standard predetermined percent, often ~18%, is sometimes labeled as a "service charge".


=Taxation

= Tips are considered income. The entire tip amount is treated as earned wages with the exception of months in which tip income was under $20. Unlike wages where payroll tax (Social Security and Medicare tax) are split between employee and employer, the employee pays 100% of payroll tax on tip income and tips are excluded from worker's compensation premiums in most states. This discourages no-tip policies because employers would pay 7.65% additional payroll taxes and up to 9% worker's compensation premiums on higher wages in lieu of tips. Research finds that consistent tax evasion by waitstaff due to fraudulent declaration is a concern in the US. According to the
IRS The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is the revenue service for the United States federal government, which is responsible for collecting U.S. federal taxes and administering the Internal Revenue Code, the main body of the federal statutory tax ...
, between 40% and 50% of tips to waiters are not reported for taxation. Employers are responsible for Federal Unemployment Insurance premiums on tips paid directly from customers to employees, and this encourages employers to collaborate in under reporting tips.


=Employee taxation responsibilities

= The IRS states that employees making income from tips have three main responsibilities. # Keep a daily tip record. # Report tips to the employer, unless less than $20. # Report all tips on an individual income tax return. Tips should be reported to employers by the 10th of the month after the tips were received unless the 10th ends up landing on a weekend day or a legal holiday. In that case the tips should be reported on the next available day that is not a weekend or a legal holiday. If the employee does not report the tips earned to their employer the employer will not be liable for the employer share of social security and Medicare taxes on the unreported tips. Employers will also not be liable for withholding and paying the employee's share of social security and Medicare taxes.


=Employer taxation responsibilities

= Employers that hire employees that make tips for their income have 5 main responsibilities with the IRS. # Retain employee tip reports. # Withhold employee income taxes. # Withhold employee share of social security and Medicare taxes. # Report this information to the IRS. # Pay the employer share of social security and Medicare taxes based on the reported tip income. Employers should distinguish between service charges and tipped income and file and report the two separately. An employer operating a large food or beverage establishment will need to file a specific Form 8027 for each establishment they operate. A business that is recognized as a large food or beverage establishment must fall into all four categories shown below: # The food or beverage operation must be based in one of the 50 states in the United States or the District of Columbia. # Food and beverage is served for consumption on the premises. This does not include fast food operations. # Customers tipping employees at the food or beverage operation must be a common practice. # In the last year the operation employed over 10 employees on a typical business day regularly.


=US federal employees

= The US Government recognizes tips as allowable expenses for federal employee travel. However, US law prohibits federal employees from receiving tips under Standards of Ethical Conduct. Asking for, accepting or agreeing to take anything of value that influences the performance of an official act is not allowed. A 2011 rule issued by the US Department of Labor which prohibited employers from tip pooling employees who were paid at least the federal minimum wage and who don't "customarily and regularly" receive tips was repealed in 2018. Instead, workers will have more rights to sue their employers for stolen tips, with assistance from the US Department of Labor.


=Ride sharing

= In the past ride sharing companies in the US were against the implementation of a tipping system. Uber wanted to prioritize quick transactions through their app and believed a tipping system would lead to an inconvenient experience for users. In 2017 Uber started its "180 days of change" to improve relations with its drivers. Part of the PR campaign included adding a tipping option to the app. The data shows that given the option to tip, close to 60% of Uber users never tip their drivers and only 1% will consistently tip their drivers. Only 16% of rides will result in the driver being tipped and the average tip amount in 2019 was $3.11.


= Discrimination

= A study from 2005 showed that average tips varied depending on the race of New Haven cab drivers. The average tip for white cab drivers was 20.3%, while black cab drivers received 12.6%, and cab drivers of other races received 12.4%. Both the study with cab drivers and another study about a southern restaurant showed that both white and black customers tipped black workers less on average than their white counterparts.


=Possible elimination of subminimum wage

= In 2019, the US House of Representatives passed a bill that would increase the minimum wage to $15 by 2025. If the bill was passed it would also eliminate the subminimum wage system. This would mean employers would have to pay their tipped workers $15 instead of the $2.13 right now. Many workers argue this would bring financial stability for many the 13% of tipped workers that live in poverty. Others workers who make a large amount of their money from tips believe the removal of a subminimum wage would lower their income from tips. The US Senate is expected to vote on the bill after the 2020 election.


South America


Bolivia

Service charges are included with the bill. A tip of around 5% or so is sometimes given, and is considered polite.
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.
Cultural Tips
." ''How to Ship Internationally''.


Brazil

Most restaurants include a non-obligatory service charge on the bill, which under standard practice is 10% (so much so that "10%" is used in Brazilian Portuguese as a synonym for "tip"). There is no legal obligation to pay, however it is really expected by the staff, and declining to pay it can cause distress and confusion, since it is considered part of the salary. Currently, due to tax law changes, restaurants some times charge 12%, while expensive restaurants can charge up to 15% (or more). However, paying less than 10% would be seen as a complaint. "Caixinha" (literally "little box") is a gratuity left at juice shops or other places that sell food or beer but are not full restaurants. This is not expected and can be just the coins from the change. Usually the change is dropped in a box besides the cashier. This box is festively decorated during the Christmas period. Taxi drivers do not receive tips. Delivery was tipped, but now is usually charged and most people no longer tip. A lot of small services can be tipped with anything from 1 to 5 reals, or even more in a luxury establishment, like parking drivers, luggage carriers, gas station attendants that did any job beyond filling one's tank, etc. Usually, if one pay for these services, they do not tip.


Paraguay

Service charges are included with the bill and tipping is uncommon.


Oceania


Australia

Tipping is not expected or required in Australia. The minimum wage in Australia is reviewed yearly, and as of 2017 it was set at A$17.70 per hour (A$22.125 for casual employees) and this is fairly standard across all types of venues. Tipping at cafés and restaurants (especially for a large party), and tipping of taxi drivers and home food deliverers is again, not required or expected. However many people tend to round up the amount owed while indicating that they are happy to let the worker "keep the change". There is no tradition of tipping somebody who is just providing a service (e.g. a hotel porter).
Casino A casino is a facility for certain types of gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos are also known for hosting live entertai ...
s in Australia—and some other places—generally prohibit tipping of gaming staff, as it is considered
bribery Bribery is the Offer and acceptance, offering, Gift, giving, Offer and acceptance, receiving, or Solicitation, soliciting of any item of value to influence the actions of an official, or other person, in charge of a public or legal duty. With reg ...
. For example, in the state of
Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...
, the Gaming Control Act 1993 states in section 56 (4): "It is a condition of every special employee's licence that the special employee must not solicit or accept any gratuity, consideration or other benefit from a patron in a gaming area". There is concern that tipping might become more common in Australia.


New Zealand

Tipping is not a traditional practice in New Zealand, though has become more common in recent years, especially in finer establishments. Tipping in New Zealand is likely the result of tourists visiting from tipping cultures (such as the United States) who may follow their own tipping customs. It is still extremely rare among locals, especially among the working and middle-class. The minimum wage in New Zealand is reviewed yearly, and as of April 2022 was set at NZ$21.20 per hour for employees 18 and over. Where tipping does occur among New Zealanders it is usually to reward a level of service that is far in excess of the customer's expectations, or as an unsolicited reward for a voluntary act of service. A number of websites published by the New Zealand government advise tourists that "tipping in New Zealand is not obligatory – even in restaurants and bars. However, tipping for good service or kindness is at the discretion of the visitor". A Sunday Star-Times reader poll in 2011 indicated 90% of their readers did not want tipping for good service to become the norm in New Zealand.


Criticisms


Inconsistency of percentage-based gratuities

In countries where tipping is the norm, some employers pay workers with the expectation that their wages will be supplemented by tips. Some have criticized the inherent "social awkwardness" in transactions that involve tipping, the inconsistency of tipping for some services but not similar ones, and the irrationality of basing tips on price, rather than the amount and quality of service (a customer pays a larger tip to a server bringing a lobster rather than a hamburger, for example). Also in countries where tips are not paid by most but where many do, managers tell new waiters that the salary might not be so high but there will be tips, meaning that waiters get little reward for serving customers who do not pay a tip.


Travellers following home rather than local customs

Some nationalities, such as people from the United States, are used to paying tips, and often do so even when they visit countries where this is less of a norm. In contrast, tourists from such countries may neglect to pay tips when they visit countries such as the US where tips are expected. This is particularly common in American cities along the Canadian border, and is seen as a problem by many in the hospitality sector.


Discomfort

Tipping might be discomforting to some people because it adds the necessity of figuring out the tip amount each time, which is made harder by the fact that the tip amount the service provider is hoping to receive, is in general unknown to the customer. As lack of, or too low, tip might offend the service provider this adds the discomfort of fear of creating an unpleasant social encounter to each service purchase transaction the customer suspects might involve the expectation of tipping. Tipping might be discomforting also to some service providers as they might view it as derogating to their occupation, as "a token of inferiority". William Scott in his ''The Itching Palm'' study wrote: "The relation of a man giving a tip and a man accepting it is as undemocratic as the relation of master and slave. A citizen in a republic ought to stand shoulder to shoulder with every other citizen, with no thought of cringing, without an assumption of superiority or an acknowledgment of inferiority".


Discrimination

In the episode of the ''
Freakonomics ''Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything'' is the debut non-fiction book by University of Chicago economist Steven Levitt and ''New York Times'' journalist Stephen J. Dubner. Published on April 12, 2005, by Will ...
''
podcast A podcast is a program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. For example, an episodic series of digital audio or video files that a user can download to a personal device to listen to at a time of their choosing ...
Lynn found that "attractive waitresses get better tips than less attractive waitresses. Men’s appearance, not so important". Lynn's research also found that "blondes get better tips than brunettes. Slender women get better tips than heavier women. Large breasted women get better tips than smaller breasted women.” A woman server interviewed for the podcast episode stated: "lost my job because my manager said that I didn’t fit the look of the company, or the restaurant. So I don’t know if it was because I’m a lot more curvier than the other girls or because my skin is darker. I don’t know". Lynn states of tipping: "It’s
discriminatory Discrimination is the act of making unjustified distinctions between people based on the groups, classes, or other categories to which they belong or are perceived to belong. People may be discriminated on the basis of race, gender, age, relig ...
. Yes, and the
Supreme Court A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...
has ruled that even neutral business practices that are not intended to discriminate, if they have the effect of adversely impacting a
protected class A protected group, protected class (US), or prohibited ground (Canada) is a category by which people qualified for special protection by a law, policy, or similar authority. In Canada and the United States, the term is frequently used in connec ...
are illegal. And so it’s not inconceivable to me that there will be a
class-action lawsuit A class action, also known as a class-action lawsuit, class suit, or representative action, is a type of lawsuit where one of the parties is a group of people who are represented collectively by a member or members of that group. The class action ...
on the part of ethnic minority waiters and waitresses claiming discrimination in terms of employment. And it’s conceivable that tipping might be declared illegal on that basis.”


Bribery and corruption

Bribe Bribery is the offering, giving, receiving, or soliciting of any item of value to influence the actions of an official, or other person, in charge of a public or legal duty. With regard to governmental operations, essentially, bribery is "Corr ...
ry and
corruption Corruption is a form of dishonesty or a criminal offense which is undertaken by a person or an organization which is entrusted in a position of authority, in order to acquire illicit benefits or abuse power for one's personal gain. Corruption m ...
are sometimes disguised as tipping. In some developing countries,
police officers A police officer (also called a policeman and, less commonly, a policewoman) is a warranted law employee of a police force. In most countries, "police officer" is a generic term not specifying a particular rank. In some, the use of the ...
, border guards, and other
civil servants The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil servants hired on professional merit rather than appointed or elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leaders ...
openly solicit tips, gifts and dubious fees using a variety of local
euphemisms A euphemism () is an innocuous word or expression used in place of one that is deemed offensive or suggests something unpleasant. Some euphemisms are intended to amuse, while others use bland, inoffensive terms for concepts that the user wishes t ...
.


References


Further reading

*


External links


Collection of research papers on tipping
by Michael Lynn
The Trouble with Tipping




''New York Times'' article about San Diego restaurant which stopped accepting tips {{Authority control Customer service Food and drink terminology Hotel terminology Household income Services sector of the economy