A tip distribution spreadsheet, done for you
Skip building a tip spreadsheet template. Drop your timesheet export and download a payroll CSV — or, with Pro, an Excel workbook with every pool, every shift, roles and settings.
Why spreadsheets go wrong
- Rounding: shares that add up to $599.98 or $600.03 instead of $600.00. Tiptrail splits to the cent with largest-remainder rounding.
- Copy-paste errors when a week has 200 shifts.
- Shifts after midnight landing on the wrong day.
- Formulas that break when someone adds a row.
What the downloads contain
- Payroll CSV (free): one row per employee with hours, card tips, cash tips, gratuities and total tips.
- Excel audit workbook (Pro): Payroll, Pools, Shifts, Roles and Settings sheets, so anyone can trace a share back to the shift.
- Employee statements (Pro): a printable page per person.
All text cells are protected against spreadsheet formula injection.
How it works
- Export your timesheet for the pay period from Toast, Square, 7shifts, Homebase or When I Work (where to find it).
- Set your pool rules once: pool period, points per role, who contributes, group percentages. They're remembered.
- Pay out: download the payroll CSV, print the report, or (Pro) the Excel workbook and employee statements.
FAQ
Is it really private?
Yes. Your file is read by JavaScript running in your browser tab; its contents — names, hours, tips — are never sent over the network. You can verify this in your browser's developer tools (Network tab), or go offline after the page has loaded.
Which files work?
Toast Time Entries and payroll exports, Square timecards, 7shifts time punches, Homebase timesheets, When I Work timesheets, and most other timesheet exports with an employee, a date and hours or clock-in/out times — CSV, TXT, XLSX, XLS or ODS. Columns are detected automatically and you can change any of them; your choice is remembered for that layout.
How are tips split?
Each pool's tips are divided by hours worked × the points you give each role. Optionally the pool is first split between groups (e.g. front and back of house) by percentage. Cents are allocated by largest remainder, so shares always add up exactly.
My export has no tip columns. Can I still use it?
Yes. Type each pool's tips into the Add tips box; the split uses the hours from your file.
Is it legal advice?
No. Tiptrail does the arithmetic with the rules you set. Who may share in a tip pool depends on federal, state and local law — see our tip pooling rules overview and check with your state labor department or an employment lawyer.
What's free?
Everything, one file at a time, for reports covering up to 7 business days — the full split, checks, payroll CSV and printable report. Pro removes the limit for whole pay periods, combines several files or locations, and adds the Excel audit workbook, shift-by-shift CSV and employee statements.