Tipped workers · 2026 state rates · Free
Am I being paid correctly?
Four checks in 60 seconds — your state's tipped cash wage, the minimum-wage top-up rule, overtime math, and who's dipping into the tip pool. Rates come straight from the U.S. Department of Labor.
Fill in your numbers to run the audit.
KNOW YOUR NUMBERS · KEEP YOUR RECORDS
If you found a red flag
What to do next — in this order
1. Write things down first
Dates, shifts, hours, tips, and pay stubs. Wage claims are won with records. Even a simple daily log counts as evidence.
2. Ask your employer to walk you through the math
A lot of underpayment is bad spreadsheet math, not malice — especially tipped overtime. Showing the correct calculation often fixes it on the spot.
3. File with the Department of Labor — free and confidential
The Wage and Hour Division investigates tipped-wage violations: dol.gov/agencies/whd or 1-866-487-9243. Your state labor agency works too. Firing or punishing you for filing is itself illegal.
4. Back pay adds up
Minimum-wage and overtime shortfalls are recoverable — often for up to 2–3 years back, sometimes doubled as damages. A few dollars a shift is real money over a year.
Frequently asked
Tipped pay FAQ
My paycheck is tiny or even $0. Is that automatically illegal?
Not by itself. With a tip credit, taxes on your reported tips are withheld from a small cash wage, so near-zero checks happen. What matters is the math: your cash wage must meet your state floor, and cash + tips must average at least the full minimum wage. That second part is what this tool checks.
What if my tips never bring me up to minimum wage?
Your employer is legally required to make up the difference for that workweek. If they don’t, that’s wage theft — you can recover it.
Can my manager take a cut of the tip pool?
No. Federal law bars owners, managers, and supervisors from keeping any portion of employee tips — regardless of the tip-pool policy, and whether or not a tip credit is taken.
How should overtime be calculated on a tipped wage?
From the full minimum wage, not your tipped cash wage. The overtime cash rate is 1.5 × the minimum wage minus the tip credit. Computing it as 1.5 × your $2.13-style cash wage is a common violation.
What do I do if this shows a red flag?
First, keep records: shifts, hours, tips, pay stubs. Then raise it with your employer — much underpayment is sloppy math, not malice. If that goes nowhere, file a free, confidential complaint with the Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (1-866-487-9243) or your state labor agency. Retaliation for filing is itself illegal.
My city has a higher minimum wage. Does this tool know that?
Not yet — we check state-level rates. Cities like NYC, Chicago, Seattle, Denver, and many in California set higher local minimums, so if your city has one, your real floor is higher than what we show.
Records win wage claims
If you ever have to prove it, a tip log is your best friend.
TipShield logs your daily tips and hours in 30 seconds — the exact records that turn "he said, she said" into back pay.
Rate changed in your state? Something look off? Wage rules move every January — tell us and we'll fix it fast.
Report an issueSources & method
State rates: DOL — Minimum Wages for Tipped Employees (2026 table). Tip credit, tip pooling, and overtime rules: DOL Fact Sheet #15. We check state-level rates only — city minimums (NYC, Chicago, Seattle, Denver…) can be higher, and some states vary rates by region, industry, or employer size (noted per state). This is an educational screening tool, not legal advice or a legal determination.