Who pockets your money when you leave a tip?
Do you always leave a good tip?
You might think it goes straight to the person you hand it to. In fact, it could be going to the boss, the business chain or a combination of people.
The new "Who Gets the Tip?" campaign urges cafes, hotels, hairdressers and other businesses (where tipping is usual) to give customers and staff clear information about how they distribute tips.
Research from the DBIS suggests 61 per cent of us don't know where our tipping money goes and many of us are too embarrassed to ask.
Who does get your tip?
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Cash tips should legally go to staff. This can be just the person you hand it to or shared between staff.
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Tips left through a card payment legally belong to a business. In practice, card tips often go to the staff with a deduction made by the business to cover the cost of processing the card payment.
Everywhere's different. So if you don't see a tipping policy on the wall, menu or elsewhere, ask.
The DBIS, trade unions, consumer groups and industry want businesses to sign up to their voluntary tipping code of best practice.
They hope that getting more people asking restaurant staff, hairdressers and porters 'Who gets the tip?' will encourage transparency. It follows the people-power model of successful campaigns such as Ask for Fairtrade.
Celebrity chef Antony Worral Thompson said: "The issue of tipping is a big concern for all in the restaurant industry and this government campaign is an excellent way of highlighting it."
It has been illegal for businesses to use tips to make up the National Minimum Wage since October 2009. Many service industry workers still rely on tips to support their families.
Who Gets the Tip? campaign image
Email us with your tipping experiences and recommend places where you're happy to leave tips.