---
title: "Tip pooling and tip-out rules in Washington"
description: "Washington lets employers set up tip pools or require tip-outs, including kitchen staff. Owners and salaried-exempt managers can’t be in the pool."
url: https://www.tipmaxapp.com/us/answers/washington/tip-pooling
language: en
publisher: TipMax (Entermaurs Incorporated)
date_published: 2026-09-23
last_verified: 2026-09-23
---

# Can my employer make me tip out the kitchen in Washington?

**Short answer:** **Yes, it can.** Washington L&I says employers may set up tip pools or require you to tip out other employees, and a pool can include staff who don’t serve customers directly, like kitchen staff and hourly lead workers. Business owners and salaried-exempt managers can’t be in it. You can’t be required to put in more than you got in tips, and every tip must go to employees.

## The rules in Washington

| Rule | What it says |
| --- | --- |
| Tips belong to | Employees. The employer can’t take tips for company use or to pay wages. |
| Pools and tip-outs | Employers may set up tip pools or require employees to tip out other employees. |
| Who can be in the pool | Staff who don’t serve customers directly, such as kitchen staff and hourly lead workers. |
| Who can’t | Salaried-exempt managers and business owners. |
| Contribution cap | You can’t be required to put more into a mandatory pool than you received in tips. |

> “Employees cannot be required to contribute more than they received in tips to a mandatory tip pool.” (Washington L&I: tips and service charges, https://lni.wa.gov/workers-rights/wages/tips-and-service-charges)

## What’s different in Washington

Under federal law, whether cooks can share a required pool turns on your cash wage. In Washington that question mostly goes away, because the state allows no tip credit: you earn the full $17.13 an hour first, and L&I says outright that kitchen staff can be in the pool.

The line on managers is drawn differently. L&I excludes salaried-exempt managers and owners, and names hourly lead workers as eligible. The cap on contributions protects a slow night: a pool based on sales can’t take more than you actually made in tips. Service charges have their own rule too; if the house doesn’t clearly disclose where a charge goes, the whole charge goes to the worker who served.

## Official sources

- [Washington L&I: tips and service charges](https://lni.wa.gov/workers-rights/wages/tips-and-service-charges)

## Last verified

September 23, 2026. Checked the agency pages linked above.

## About TipMax

Washington caps a required tip-out at what you actually received, so logging tips and tip-outs side by side shows any night the pool took too much.

TipMax is an iPhone app for servers and bartenders that tracks tips and tip-outs and turns a restaurant menu into study flashcards.

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.