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Handling Tips and Service Charge on Card Payments

The rules on card tips changed. Here is how to set up your terminal, distribute fairly and stay on the right side of the law.

12 June 2026 6 min read

Tips must reach staff

UK law requires that qualifying tips, gratuities and service charges are passed to workers in full, without deductions for card processing fees. Your policy must be written and available to staff.

Terminal setup

Enable a tip prompt with sensible preset percentages and a clear 'no tip' option. Aggressive defaults damage customer experience and generate complaints that outweigh the extra revenue.

Tronc and payroll

A properly operated tronc scheme can change the National Insurance treatment of distributed tips. Speak to your accountant before setting one up — the administration only makes sense above a certain volume.

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