Nevada tip pooling laws & tipped minimum wage
Nevada is one of only seven states that ban the tip credit: every tipped worker gets the full minimum wage in cash, and tips are paid on top.
| Regular minimum wage | $12.00/hr |
| Minimum cash wage for tipped workers | $12.00/hr (full minimum) |
| Maximum tip credit | Not allowed |
| 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 Nevada labor department. Not legal advice.
What's specific to Nevada
Nevada bans the tip credit. A single $12.00 rate applies to all employers since July 2024.
Nevada pays one wage to everyone — $12.00, with no tip credit
Nevada does not allow a tip credit. Tipped and non-tipped workers are entitled to the same minimum wage: $12.00 an hour. Any tips you earn are additional income and do not reduce what your employer owes you in wages.
Because your cash wage is already the full $12.00, there is no shortfall to calculate — your pay cannot fall below the minimum on a slow night.
Question 2 ended Nevada’s old two-tier system
Nevada used to have two minimum wage rates: a lower one for employers who offered qualifying health insurance and a higher one for those who did not. Voters approved Question 2 in November 2022, a constitutional amendment that replaced that system with a single $12.00 rate effective July 1, 2024.
Since that flat $12.00 is now written into the state constitution, the old health-insurance tiers no longer apply, and the rate no longer changes each July the way the earlier two-tier schedule did.
With no tip credit, a mandatory tip pool can include back-of-house
Because Nevada employers pay the full $12.00 in cash and take no tip credit, a mandatory tip pool may share tips with kitchen and support staff. Owners, managers, and supervisors may not keep any part of the pool. If you believe tips are being taken improperly, you can contact the Office of the Nevada Labor Commissioner.
Tip pooling in Nevada
Nevada follows the federal baseline for pooling: employers may require tip pooling, and because no tip credit exists, pools may legally include back-of-house workers like cooks and dishwashers. 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 — and several no-tip-credit states restrict that practice too.
What this means for your tip-out
Because Nevada pays the full minimum wage before tips, your base pay does not depend on how the pool splits. 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.
Nevada tip law FAQs
What is the tipped minimum wage in Nevada?
Nevada does not allow a tip credit, so tipped employees must be paid the full minimum wage of $12.00/hr in cash. All tips come on top of that wage.
Is mandatory tip pooling legal in Nevada?
Nevada follows the federal baseline for pooling: employers may require tip pooling, and because no tip credit exists, pools may legally include back-of-house workers like cooks and dishwashers. Managers and supervisors are always excluded.
Can my manager take a share of the tip pool in Nevada?
No. Federal law prohibits managers, supervisors, and owners from keeping any portion of employee tips in every state, including Nevada. A manager may keep only tips they directly and solely earned (e.g., a table they personally served start to finish).
Can a Nevada employer count my tips toward the $12.00 minimum?
No. Nevada does not allow a tip credit. You must be paid the full $12.00 an hour in cash, and your tips are earnings on top of that.
Why did Nevada’s two different minimum wage rates disappear?
Question 2, a 2022 constitutional amendment, replaced the old two-tier system tied to health insurance with a single $12.00 rate as of July 1, 2024.