--- title: "How to Ask for a Shift Swap or Cover (Texts)" description: "Find your cover first, then ask your manager to approve it in writing. Texts for asking a coworker, posting in the group chat, and getting the swap approved." url: https://www.tipmaxapp.com/us/answers/how-to-ask-to-swap-a-shift language: en publisher: TipMax (Entermaurs Incorporated) date_published: 2026-09-23 last_verified: 2026-09-23 --- # How do I ask a coworker to cover my shift, or ask my manager to approve a swap? **Short answer:** **Find your cover first, then ask your manager to approve it, in writing.** Text the coworker the exact date and hours, and offer a shift back if you can. Once they say yes, text the manager both names and both shifts. If your restaurant requires approval, the shift is still yours until the manager says yes. Screenshot the approval. ## Copy-paste texts Names and shifts are made up. | Who | Text | | --- | --- | | A coworker, straight cover | “Hey Jordan, any chance you could take my Saturday dinner (5 to close)? I have a family thing. I’d owe you one.” | | A coworker, trade | “Hey Jordan, want to trade? You take my Saturday dinner and I take your Tuesday lunch.” | | The group chat | “Anyone want my Saturday 6/13 dinner, 5 to close? Can trade for a weekday. Text me.” | | The manager, for approval | “Hi, it’s Sam. Jordan agreed to take my Saturday 6/13 dinner and I’ll take her Tuesday 6/16 lunch. Can you approve the swap?” | | Confirming after approval | “Thanks. So I’m off Saturday 6/13 and on Tuesday 6/16 lunch. Jordan’s on Saturday dinner.” | 1. **Check the house rule.** Some places use a scheduling app for swaps; some want a text to the manager. 2. **Ask the coworker** with the exact date and hours. 3. **Get the manager’s OK** with both names and both shifts. 4. **Screenshot it** and check the posted schedule once it updates. **Not tax or legal advice.** These are wording suggestions. Your restaurant’s swap rules come first. ## Plain English ### Why the manager’s OK matters If your restaurant requires manager approval, a swap you arranged with a coworker isn’t done until the manager agrees. Until then, if your coworker doesn’t show, it’s your shift that was missed. A screenshot of the approval settles any mix-up later. ### Watch your hours for the week Picking up a shift can push you over 40 hours. Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, covered workers get overtime of at least one and a half times their regular rate for hours over 40 in a workweek. DOL’s Fact Sheet #15 says that for a tipped employee paid a lower cash wage, overtime is figured on the full minimum wage, not the lower cash wage. See [Overtime for tipped employees](https://www.tipmaxapp.com/us/answers/overtime-for-tipped-employees). DOL says the workweek is a fixed, recurring 7-day period that can start on any day, and hours can’t be averaged over two or more weeks. So a double in one week and a light week after don’t cancel out. DOL’s guide also says the FLSA doesn’t limit how many hours you can be scheduled if you’re at least 16. ### Write down what you actually worked IRS Publication 531 asks you to keep a daily tip record for each workday. After a swap, your notes should match the shift you worked, not the one on the old schedule. See [How do I keep track of my tips?](https://www.tipmaxapp.com/us/answers/how-to-keep-track-of-tips) ### Your state may have more rules Your state may have stricter rules. DOL keeps a [list of state labor offices](https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/state/contacts). ## Common mistakes - Assuming a swap is done because a coworker said yes. - Not checking the posted schedule after the swap. - Picking up shifts without counting your hours for the week. - Posting a shift in the group chat without the date and times. ## Official sources - [U.S. Department of Labor, Fact Sheet #23: Overtime Pay Requirements of the FLSA](https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/fact-sheets/23-flsa-overtime-pay) - [U.S. Department of Labor, Fact Sheet #15: Tipped Employees Under the FLSA (overtime problems)](https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/fact-sheets/15-tipped-employees-flsa) - [U.S. Department of Labor: Handy Reference Guide to the Fair Labor Standards Act](https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/compliance-assistance/handy-reference-guide-flsa) - [IRS Publication 531, Reporting Tip Income (daily tip record)](https://www.irs.gov/publications/p531) - [U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division: State Labor Offices](https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/state/contacts) ## Last verified September 23, 2026. Checked DOL Fact Sheets #23 and #15, DOL’s Handy Reference Guide to the FLSA (revised November 2023), IRS Publication 531 (revised December 2024), and DOL’s state labor offices list. **Still open:** State and local scheduling laws aren’t covered here. ## Related - [What should I text my manager?](https://www.tipmaxapp.com/us/answers/what-to-text-your-manager) - [Overtime for tipped employees](https://www.tipmaxapp.com/us/answers/overtime-for-tipped-employees) - [How do I ask for time off?](https://www.tipmaxapp.com/us/answers/how-to-ask-for-time-off-as-a-server) - [How do I keep track of my tips?](https://www.tipmaxapp.com/us/answers/how-to-keep-track-of-tips) ## How TipMax helps with this After a few swaps it’s easy to lose track of which shifts you worked; a shift log settles it. TipMax is an iPhone app for servers and bartenders that tracks tips and tip-outs and turns a restaurant menu into study flashcards. - Log cash and card tips per shift in seconds. - Weekly, monthly, and pay-period totals. - Track multiple jobs, each with its own fields. Download TipMax free: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/tipmax-study-track-earn/id6744850146 --- TipMax Answers explains public government guidance on pay and workplace rules in plain English for tipped workers. It is **not legal, tax, or accounting advice**. Rules change and local rules can add to them. Confirm with the agency linked on this page or a qualified professional. TipMax the app helps you track tips and pay; it doesn’t enforce wage law or decide disputes.