What if the tips don't add up to what you make an hour 2.25?

Answer 1

They're not supposed to add up to $2.25 per hour. According to federal wage laws, a tipped employee must be paid at least the minimum wage, and at least $2.25 of that has to come from the employer. This is why you report your tips. Example time! You're waitstaff at a restaurant. You worked eight hours last night and earned $65 in tips. Add that to the $18 the restaurant has to pay you, and ypu received $83--which is $10.38 per hour. That's above minimum wage, so you're fine. Tonight, you worked the same eight hours but only received $20 in tips--it was a very slow night. Together with your boss's $18 you received only $38 for tonight, which is only $4.75 per hour. That's not minimum wage, so your boss has to pay you another $14.40 to compensate. You'll probably be terminated for substandard performance if you have too many of those nights, so be careful.