Your tipping policy

Yes, if customers tip at your venue more than now and then. You need a written policy for each place of business, and every worker must be able to see it. Fairpool starts every venue you add with a template policy. Workers can see it as soon as the venue exists, so replace the parts marked “[Manager:” and publish your own version straight away.

• Whether you ask or encourage customers to tip, and whether you add a service charge.
• Which tips it covers: card tips, cash you pool, service charges and vouchers.
• That 100% goes to workers, with nothing taken off except tax and National Insurance.
• Who shares in tips, including agency workers and people who leave.
• How tips are shared: the factors you use (in Fairpool, hours and role weight) and the weight for each role.
• When tips are paid.
• How workers can see their records and raise questions.

Write it in plain English. If a worker with a disability asks for another format, such as large print, you must provide it.

1. Open the venue and press Edit & publish under Written policy.
2. Read the draft. It already covers everything above.
3. Replace every line that starts “[Manager:” with your own details, such as your service charge and who staff should contact. The page warns you while any are left.
4. Make the role weights in the policy match the weights you set for your team.
5. If you've asked your team about it (see below), fill in When did you ask the team? and Anonymous summary of what people said.
6. Press Publish new version.

Each time you publish, Fairpool keeps the old version on file, so you have a record of what the policy said and when.

The official Code of Practice says you should ask your workers whether the way tips are shared feels fair, reasonable and clear. Their agreement must be genuine, not pressured.

• Explain the policy at a team meeting, or share a draft.
• Give people a way to comment privately, such as an anonymous form.
• Listen, and change anything that's unfair.
• Record when you asked and a short summary of what people said on the policy page, when you publish or review. Workers see the summary with the policy, so leave out names and anything that shows who said what.

A new law (section 14 of the Employment Rights Act 2025) will make asking staff a legal duty before your first policy and at every review. The government expects it to start by the end of 2026.

It's good practice to look at your policy once a year, and sooner if your team or the way you work changes a lot. The law doesn't require a yearly review, but Fairpool's template promises one, so change that line if you won't do it. Each time, check that tips aren't being shared in a way that leaves any group worse off.

Once the new law starts, you must review your policy at least every 3 years and ask your staff each time. The first 3 years count from when you first shared your policy, even if that was before the new law started.

1. Open the policy page. Review and consultation shows when it was last reviewed and when a yearly review is suggested.
2. Read the policy and check it still matches how you share tips, including the role weights.
3. If something has changed, edit the text and press Publish new version.
4. If nothing needs to change, fill in the consultation details if you asked the team, then press Reviewed, no changes.

The Act checklist on your Dashboard shows whether the team was asked about each venue's policy, and, as a recommendation, whether it was reviewed in the last year.

Every worker must be able to see the current policy, including agency workers and anyone who starts at short notice. When you change it, everyone must be able to see the new version from the day it takes effect.

• Each worker's private link always shows the latest version, with a note for 30 days after it changes. See Sharing records with workers.
• The venue policy link shows the current policy to anyone who has it, with no login: ideal for agency workers and short-notice staff. Its page has a QR code and prints neatly for the staff room.
• Print it for the staff room, or give a copy to each new starter.
• For agency workers, give them the venue policy link or a printed copy yourself, or send it to the agency to pass on.

1. Open the venue's Tipping policy page and find Venue policy link.
2. Choose Create venue policy link, then Copy link. It's shown once only, so copy it before you leave the page.
3. Open the link and use Print this page to print the policy with its QR code.

The page shows the venue's name and current policy, when it was last updated, and how to raise a question. It never shows anyone's tips. Replace with a new link or Turn off link stops the old link, and any printed QR code, working straight away. Archiving the venue turns it off too. The Dashboard shows how many active workers have no personal link.