As a restaurant owner in California, you must understand the tipping laws. Ensuring compliance, meeting employee satisfaction, and maintaining a fair work environment is not easy. On top of that, California has tipping laws that differ from federal guidelines and other states. 

Restaurant owners have a lot on their plate. From managing inventory to meeting customer demands, there is too much to do. Naturally, it is difficult to stay updated with the ever-changing laws and be well-versed in the regulations to avoid legal penalties. 

Tipping laws are best understood by professionals, such as a restaurant CPA in Oakland. Therefore, having one of them in your business can go a long way. 

An overview of California law on tips 

California’s tipping laws were designed to protect the interests of employees and ensure fair treatment. The Labor Code Section 351 prohibits employers from keeping tips or gratuities for employees. Tips solely belong to the employees. 

Tips received by employees via credit cards must be paid to them immediately the next day. Additionally, the employer cannot deduct credit card processing fees, if any, from the tips. Unlike many other states, California does not allow a tip credit against the minimum wage. 

Compliance with these laws requires employers to have transparent communication with their employees. Restaurant owners should implement techniques for tracking tips, and this should be accessible to everyone. 

How minimum wage laws affect tipping practices in California

The basic rule of a tip is that it belongs to the employee. No part of it should go to the authorities. 

In some other states, such as Texas, the government allows employers to pay less than the minimum wage as long as the employee earns the amount back in tips. This is known as tip credit. However, California does not allow this. 

If you are a restaurant owner in California, you must pay each employee their respective minimum wage and distribute tips fairly. Employers cannot force or compel their employees to share tips with owners, managers, or supervisors. 

Best practices for restaurants: Tip pooling laws

How does a restaurant ensure that it is being fair in distributing tips among its employees? The answer is tip pooling. 

Tip pooling involves gathering all the employees to pool together all of their tips, which are then distributed among them. 

Tip pooling is generally legal in California as long as it is fair and reasonable. For example, only a certain type of employee should be included in the pool. These employees must be involved in the “chain of service” leading to the tip (bartenders, waiters, bussers).

Accounting for tips 

Once you have figured out how to distribute tips fairly, the next challenge is accounting. For some restaurants, tips are a substantial form of income. It is important to account for them properly, or you may end up in legal trouble. 

To manage tips efficiently, you can use a cloud-based Point-of-Sale (POS) system to track and import your tip data into your cloud accounting and payroll software. Not only does it streamline the process, but it greatly reduces the risk of errors. 

Additionally, you should have a company policy that includes how to record tips. Every employee should report their tips at the end of their shifts. Your company policy should also be periodically reviewed for updates and changes. 

When it comes to payroll taxes, you must accurately take tips into account. Follow these measures:

1. Make sure every employee reports their tips. 
2. Calculate the total amount of tips earned. 
3. Withhold federal income and FICA taxes before paying your employees. 
4. Make sure to pay the withheld amount during tax season. 

Stay proactive!

Being aware and proactive can help you stay out of trouble. Tracking income, tips, updating the books, analyzing financial statements, etc., can become overwhelming for the business owner. Hire a CPA to ease your burden today!