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Free tool · Updated August 2026

Tips → Real Hourly Wage Calculator

Base pay + cash + card − tip-out, divided by the hours you actually worked. The number that tells you whether the shift was worth it.

Your real hourly
$39.05/hr
base pay + tips − tip-out, ÷ hours actually worked
Take-home tips$240.00
Total earned this shift$253.85

Federal tipped minimum cash wage is $2.13/hr — but many states require more, and if tips don't bring you to the full minimum wage ($7.25 federal), your employer must make up the difference. Enter your state's tipped minimum as the base wage for an accurate number.

Do this automatically, every shift

TipScan reads your checkout slip with your phone camera — cash, card, tip-out, real hourly, logged in 3 seconds. Free, no ads. Get the app →

Why "real hourly" is the number that matters

Tipped income arrives in three pieces — cash in your pocket tonight, card tips on a paycheck in two weeks, and a tip-out that leaves silently. No single document adds them up. Converting every shift to one number, dollars per hour actually worked, is how you compare a Tuesday lunch to a Friday double, a new job offer to your current section, or serving to any other job.

Count hours honestly

Use clock-in to clock-out — including sidework and the 40 minutes of rollups after close. Your effective hourly drops when you count real hours, and that's the point: it's the honest number.

Track it automatically

Doing this math nightly on a calculator lasts about a week. TipScan reads your checkout slip, grabs your hours, and computes your real hourly for every shift — then shows which days and shifts actually pay.

FAQ

How do I calculate my hourly wage with tips?＋

Add your base pay for the shift (hourly wage × hours) plus cash tips plus card tips, subtract what you tipped out, then divide by the hours you actually worked. That's your effective hourly — the only number that lets you compare shifts, jobs, and offers.

What is the tipped minimum wage?＋

Federally, employers can pay tipped workers a cash wage of $2.13/hr as long as tips bring you to at least $7.25/hr — otherwise they must make up the difference. Many states set higher tipped minimums, and seven states require full minimum wage before tips.

Why does my paystub not show this?＋

Paystubs show base wages and declared tips per pay period — not per shift, not net of tip-outs, and cash tips are often missing entirely. Your real hourly only exists if you track it yourself.

What's a good hourly for a server?＋

It varies hugely by market and shift. Tracking your own effective hourly by day-of-week and shift type for a few weeks tells you more than any national average — that's how you decide which shifts to fight for.

This tool is an estimate for planning purposes only — not tax, legal, or financial advice. Verify against IRS guidance or a tax professional.