Missouri tip pooling laws & tipped minimum wage
In Missouri, employers can pay tipped workers $7.50/hr as long as tips bring them to the $15.00 minimum — here's how that works and who can legally share your tips.
| Regular minimum wage | $15.00/hr |
| Minimum cash wage for tipped workers | $7.50/hr |
| Maximum tip credit | $7.50/hr |
| Tips belong to | Employees — always |
A tip credit lets an employer count your tips toward the minimum wage it owes you. Rates reviewed July 2026. Rates change — confirm with the Missouri labor department. Not legal advice.
What's specific to Missouri
Missouri’s tipped cash wage is set at 50% of the state minimum, which rose to $15.00 under Proposition A.
Proposition A raised Missouri to $15.00 — but the inflation escalator was repealed
Missouri voters passed Proposition A in November 2024, which lifted the state minimum wage to $15.00 an hour effective January 1, 2026. Tipped workers must be paid a cash wage of at least 50 percent of the minimum, which is $7.50 an hour, and your employer must add enough to bring your total to at least $15.00 in every workweek.
Proposition A originally called for the minimum to keep rising with the cost of living after 2026. In July 2025 the legislature passed House Bill 567, which kept the $15.00 rate but repealed those automatic inflation adjustments. So the $15.00 floor and the $7.50 tipped cash wage stay fixed unless lawmakers change them again — they do not rise automatically each year.
Missouri blocks its cities from setting a higher wage
St. Louis and Kansas City both approved local minimum wage increases in the 2010s, and both were undone. Missouri law at Section 285.055 of the Revised Statutes bars any city or county from requiring employers to pay a minimum wage above the state rate.
The practical result is one statewide number: your tipped cash wage is $7.50 and your full minimum is $15.00 no matter which Missouri city you work in.
If your tips fall short of $15.00, the difference is owed to you
The 50 percent tipped wage is not a ceiling on what you must earn. In any week where your $7.50 cash wage plus tips do not average at least $15.00 an hour, your employer must make up the gap in that paycheck. If that does not happen, you can contact the Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, Division of Labor Standards.
Tip pooling in Missouri
Missouri follows the federal baseline: employers may require tip pooling. If your employer takes the tip credit (pays $7.50/hr cash), the pool may only include customarily tipped workers — servers, bussers, bartenders, runners, hosts. Back-of-house can only be included if everyone is paid full minimum wage with no tip credit. Managers and supervisors are always excluded.
One federal rule applies everywhere: managers and supervisors can never take from a tip pool. Separately, credit card processing fees may only be deducted from tips where state law allows it.
What this means for your tip-out
Because part of your legal wage in Missouri comes from tips, the employer's tip credit assumes those tips reached you. Use the tip-out calculator to split a shift by your house's percentages or by hours, and see standard tip-out percentages to check whether your house's rates are typical.
Missouri tip law FAQs
What is the tipped minimum wage in Missouri?
Employers in Missouri may pay tipped employees a cash wage of $7.50/hr and claim a tip credit of up to $7.50/hr toward the $15.00 minimum wage. If tips don't close the gap in a workweek, the employer must make up the difference.
Is mandatory tip pooling legal in Missouri?
Missouri follows the federal baseline: employers may require tip pooling. If your employer takes the tip credit (pays $7.50/hr cash), the pool may only include customarily tipped workers — servers, bussers, bartenders, runners, hosts. Back-of-house can only be included if everyone is paid full minimum wage with no tip credit. Managers and supervisors are always excluded.
Can my manager take a share of the tip pool in Missouri?
No. Federal law prohibits managers, supervisors, and owners from keeping any portion of employee tips in every state, including Missouri. A manager may keep only tips they directly and solely earned (e.g., a table they personally served start to finish).
Does Missouri’s minimum wage still go up with inflation each year?
No. Proposition A had set annual cost-of-living increases starting in 2027, but House Bill 567 (2025) repealed them. The wage stays at $15.00 and the tipped cash wage at $7.50 until the legislature or voters change it again.
Can a Missouri city like St. Louis or Kansas City require a higher tipped wage?
No. Section 285.055 of the Missouri Revised Statutes prevents any political subdivision from mandating a wage above the state rate, so the $7.50 tipped cash wage and $15.00 minimum apply statewide.