The IRS requires employees to report tips of $20 or more per month to their employer by the 10th of the following month. Your responsibility as the employer is to include those tips in their taxable wages and withhold income tax, Social Security, and Medicare accordingly.

Credit card tips are straightforward because they flow through your POS system and you have documentation. Cash tips are the challenge. Employees are legally required to report them, but without a consistent tracking system, cash tips often go unreported or underreported.

Create a daily tip log that employees fill out at the end of each shift. The IRS provides Form 4070A as a template, but any format works as long as it captures the date, employee name, and tip amount. Have employees sign it. This protects both you and them if questions come up later. Keep these records for at least four years.

When you run payroll, reported tips get added to wages before calculating withholding. Most payroll management systems have a specific field for tips so they’re tracked separately from regular wages. This matters for W-2s at year end and for calculating your tax obligations correctly.

One benefit many employers overlook is the FICA tip credit. You can claim a tax credit for the employer portion of Social Security and Medicare taxes you pay on employee tips above minimum wage. It’s reported on Form 8846. For restaurants with several tipped employees, this credit can offset a meaningful portion of your payroll tax cost.

If you have tip pooling, make sure you’re following the rules. Traditional tip pools can only include employees who customarily receive tips. Cooks and dishwashers typically can’t participate unless you pay full minimum wage instead of taking a tip credit against wages.

The mistakes that cause problems are inconsistent tracking of cash tips, forgetting to run tips through payroll for withholding, and never claiming the FICA tip credit. Working with a bookkeeper near Fayetteville who understands tipped employee payroll helps you stay compliant and actually capture the tax benefits you’re entitled to.