Do baristas get tips at Starbucks?
Typically they range between $1.20 and $1.80 an hour, but this varies by store and even the staff that is working. Tips are split up among baristas and shift supervisors, but not given to managers, shift managers, or assistant managers.
The tip pool is then divided between the number of baristas working that day. For a good week, Starbucks baristas say that they can expect to make up to $1.60 extra per hour in tips. It can be as low as $0.40 per hour extra in a not-so-great week. On average, baristas earn an extra $1.00 per hour from tips.
Their salaries aren't dependent on tips to bring up their hourly wage. However, while tipping isn't necessary or required, it's still a very generous thing to do, especially if you have a complex or large order. Baristas appreciate every extra penny they can get in their paychecks.
Some people have philosophical qualms with tipping, rooted in their feeling that wages should be high enough that tipping isn't needed to ensure a livable wage. Unfortunately, that is not the reality at most coffee shops in the United States, and many baristas rely on the extra income from tips.
Starbucks customers have long been able to tip in cash or on the app. But more recently, a tip prompt on credit card payments has been added as well. Customers have to respond to the prompt — if only to select “no tip” — in order to complete the transaction.
Job Title | Range | Average |
---|---|---|
Job Title:Barista | Range:$9 - $15 | Average:$12 |
Retail Shift Supervisor | Range:$11 - $19 | Average:$14 |
Customer Service Supervisor | Range:$12 - $20 | Average:$15 |
Team Leader, General | Range:$10 - $24 | Average:$15 |
Tips are collected from one whole week and are distributed amongst all workers on a specific day of the week. Everyone gets their fair share based off of how many hours they worked and so on and so forth. Tips differ from store to store and are split evenly between whole crew weekly.
While there is no standard barista tipping calculator, there are some basic guidelines that are good to follow. Typically, it is recommended to tip waiters and waitresses 16% if their service is great and there are no issues. Most people tend to stick to the range of 10-20% when eating out at restaurants.
Every year, Starbucks receives over a million job applications and hires just 10% of these. That makes the odds of being selected competitive, but far from impossible. The volume of applicants also varies with position and level, with the majority of applications being for retail level.
One, for example, Tweeted: "As a Starbucks barista, the tip goes to a pool and that is distributed among all the Starbucks partners at the store. Sure, the person taking your payment might not have made your drink, but the tip is for the whole team. We make every drink from scratch so please consider this."
How many tips do baristas get?
Tipping can add to a barista salary:
Patrons tip normal to above average (50%-90%) of the time. The average tip is $1.00*
As a general rule, the amount of tips is not specifically reported to Starbucks by the employees. That kind of pooled tipping practice is common at restaurants and bars. By law, all tips you receive – even those in a tip-sharing arrangement – are reportable as income and are subject to federal income tax.

Average Starbucks Barista hourly pay in Georgia is approximately $11.53, which is 11% below the national average.
References
- https://www.indeed.com/cmp/Starbucks/salaries/Barista/Georgia
- https://www.forbes.com/sites/kellyphillipserb/2016/11/04/starbucks-lawsuit-challenging-imputed-wages-tax-on-barista-tips-headed-back-to-state/
- https://www.careeraddict.com/get-hired-by-starbucks
- https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/coffee-starbucks-require-tip-new-prompt-sparks-misplaced-outrage-rcna60952
- https://www.payscale.com/research/US/Employer=Starbucks_Corporation/Hourly_Rate
- https://yourdreamcoffee.com/starbucks-barista-hourly-salary/
- https://etip.io/tipping-your-barista/
- https://www.zdnet.com/article/hey-starbucks-how-much-should-i-tip-for-10-seconds-of-service/
- https://www.foodandwine.com/coffee/baristas-reveal-how-they-feel-when-you-dont-tip
- https://www.indeed.com/cmp/Starbucks/faq/i-would-like-to-know-approximately-how-much-can-one-expect-to-make-in-tips-on-an-ordinary-day-average-are-they-split-between-all-staff-front-of-house?quid=1af2creg3as2abvc&start=10
- https://drivinvibin.com/2023/01/01/should-you-tip-at-starbucks/
- https://www.baristatrainingacademy.net/how-much-do-baristas-make/