United States
Tipping is a widely practiced social custom in the United States. A gratuity of 15 to 20 percent of the amount of a customer’s check is customary when good service is provided. Tips are generally given for services provided in table dining, golf course, casino, hotels, food delivery, taxi cab and salons. The US Government recognizes tips as allowable expenses for federal employee travel. For most of the 20th century it was considered inappropriate to offer tips to the owner of an establishment, and while this is still considered the standard etiquette rule, the concerns have mostly vanished as tipping has become ubiquitous for certain types of services. This etiquette applies to bar service at weddings and any other event where one is a guest as well. The host should provide appropriate tips to workers at the end of an event; the amount may be negotiated in the contract.
The Fair Labor Standards Act defines tippable employees as individuals who customarily and regularly receive tips of $30 or more per month. Employers may not allocate tips to themselves. Federal law permits employers to include tip wage towards satisfying the difference between employees' hourly wage and minimum wage. A tip pool cannot be allocated to employees who do not customarily and regularly receive tips. These non-eligible employees include dishwashers, cooks, chefs, and janitors.
Laws in the states of Alaska, California, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, Oregon and Washington; and Guam do not recognize differences between tipped vs non-tipped employees in minimum wage determination.[46]