How to use the spreadsheet
- Open the CSV in Excel, or import it into Google Sheets. Save your working copy as a spreadsheet so formatting and formulas are preserved.
- Use one row per shift. Enter amounts as numbers in dollars, such as 85.50. Fill in your name, workplace, date, and the tips you received and paid out.
- The net monetary tips column calculates automatically. Record noncash gifts separately; keep wages and mandatory service charges outside the tip columns.
- Save a new copy each month. If you add rows, copy the formula from the row above. Keep checkout slips and payout records alongside your log.
A worked example: $245 in net monetary tips
Suppose you receive $80 cash from customers, $190 in card tips, and $10 from a coworker’s tip share. You pay out $35. Your net monetary tips are $80 + $190 + $10 − $35 = $245.
If the $190 already includes that $10 tip share, leave the separate share column at zero. Otherwise you would count the same money twice. If card tips are paid later, note the earned date and payout date so you can reconcile the records.
What to record for each shift
The template includes your name, employer and business, date, cash tips, card tips, tips received from coworkers, tip-outs, recipient names, and noncash gifts. Notes give you space for payout dates and corrections. Check the IRS Publication 531 daily-record instructions for your record-keeping responsibilities.
Looking for Form 4070A?
Publication 531 identifies Forms 4070 and 4070A as historical and Publication 1244 as obsolete beginning in 2024. This download is a personal worksheet, not an IRS form or a substitute for employer reporting. Read the IRS notice.
When a running shift history is more useful
If you want a calendar, weekly totals, and an hourly breakdown, start a free TipScan record. Enter your tips and hours, review the numbers, and save. CSV export is free. The template is a separate worksheet; spreadsheet import into the app is not currently available.
For a single shift, try the hourly wage calculator. To check what you pay coworkers, use the tip-out calculator.