Tipping in North Dakota

Last reviewed October 2026

North Dakota Tipping Laws in 2026: Quick Facts

In effect since July 24, 2009

North Dakota Minimum Wage

$7.25 per hour (same as the federal minimum wage)² ³

North Dakota Tipped Minimum Wage

$4.86 per hour¹

Maximum Tip Credit

33% of the minimum wage ($2.39 per hour)² ³

Who Qualifies as a Tipped Employee?

An employee who serves customers directly and customarily and regularly receives more than $30 per month in tips¹ ²

Are Tip Pools Allowed?

Yes, but only among tipped employees, and a majority of them must vote to approve it²

Are Mandatory Service Charges Tips?

No⁴

Can Employers Keep Employee Tips?

No¹

Can Credit Card Fees Be Taken From Tips?

North Dakota has no specific rule. Under federal law, employers can deduct only the actual card-processing percentage.⁴

North Dakota has its own rules for wages and tips, and its bar blackjack tables, Medora's summer shows, and pheasant hunts create tipping situations many visitors may not be familiar with.

Work in North Dakota? Learn about North Dakota's tipping laws, minimum wage, tip pools, and your rights when it comes to tips.

Visiting North Dakota? Explore popular North Dakota experiences where tipping is common and see what customers and workers report about tipping.

What Is North Dakota's Minimum Wage for Tipped Employees?

A tip credit lets an employer count part of an employee's tips toward the minimum wage, so it can pay a lower hourly wage as long as tips make up the difference.

North Dakota's minimum wage is $7.25 per hour, the same as the federal rate. Employers can count tips for up to 33% of the minimum wage, so tipped employees must be paid at least $4.86 per hour, more than double the federal tipped wage of $2.13.¹ ²

To take the tip credit, employers must tell employees in advance and keep written records showing that wages plus tips reach the full minimum wage.¹ Tips can't count toward the minimum wage for non-tipped work, such as cooking or dishwashing.¹

Who Owns Tips in North Dakota?

In North Dakota, tips belong to the employee, and employers can't keep them.¹

Are Tip Pools Allowed in North Dakota?

A tip pool is an arrangement where employees' tips are combined and shared among a group, such as servers, bussers, and bartenders.

Yes, but North Dakota gives employees a vote:²

Tipped employees only. A tip pool can include only tipped employees.
Majority approval. More than half of all tipped employees must vote to approve a tip pool, and the employer must keep a written record of the vote. Employees can also request a vote.
Gaming exception. Licensed charitable gaming sites can require blackjack dealers to pool tips. Pit bosses and supervisors can share in the pool only while they're dealing.

Are Service Charges Considered Tips in North Dakota?

No. A mandatory service charge, such as an automatic 18% added to a large party's bill, is not a tip under federal law.⁴

The difference comes down to customer choice. A tip is voluntary, and the customer decides how much to leave. A mandatory service charge is part of the required price, and the business decides how to distribute it.

Can Employers Take Credit Card Fees Out of Tips?

North Dakota's rules don't address this, so federal law applies. An employer that pays a percentage-based card fee can deduct that same percentage from a card tip, but nothing more.⁴

Tipping While Visiting North Dakota

North Dakota's badlands, prairie lakes, and small-town traditions create tipping situations many visitors haven't run into before. Medora draws summer crowds near Theodore Roosevelt National Park, and fall brings hunters from across the country.

Whether you're road-tripping through the badlands or fishing Lake Sakakawea, here are popular experiences where travelers often have questions about tipping.

Entertainment

Charitable Gaming

Many North Dakota bars have blackjack tables and pull tabs run by licensed charities. Visitors often aren't sure whether to tip the dealer the way they would at a casino.

Do You Tip a Blackjack Dealer?
Bartender Tipping

Medora Shows and Dinners

Medora's summer musical and outdoor steak dinners are a North Dakota tradition. Guests often wonder whether to tip servers at a dinner included in the ticket price.

Do You Tip at a Dinner Show?

Tours and Outdoor Adventures

Hunting

North Dakota is known for pheasant and waterfowl hunting, often with a guide or at a lodge. Hunters often wonder how to tip the guide, dog handler, and lodge staff.

Do You Tip a Hunting Guide?

Fishing and Ice Fishing

Lake Sakakawea and Devils Lake are known for walleye fishing year-round, including ice fishing in winter. A full day with a guide makes tipping less obvious than at a restaurant.

Do You Tip a Fishing Guide?
Do You Tip an Ice Fishing Guide?

Park and History Tours

Trail rides and guided tours in the badlands, along with historic sites along the Lewis and Clark Trail, are popular with visitors.

Do You Tip a Horseback Riding Guide?
Do You Tip a Tour Guide?

Lodging

Hotels, Cabins, and Lodges

From Fargo hotels to hunting lodges and lake cabins, you may meet several staff members during your stay.

Hotel Housekeeping
Bellhops
Do You Tip Vacation Rental Housekeeping?

Food and Drink

Restaurants, Bars, and Breweries

Restaurants and bars are the most familiar places to tip. North Dakota's supper clubs, breweries, and coffee shops add situations where you may see a tip prompt at the counter.

Restaurant Tipping
Brewery Tipping
Do You Tip for Counter Service?

What Customers and Workers Report

Tipping customs and expectations don't always match people's real-life behavior.

TippingGuide.com collects feedback from both customers and workers to show the two sides of tipping.

Our Customer and Worker Averages compare what customers report tipping for average service with what workers report expecting to receive.

Explore the categories above to see what customers and workers report for different services and tipping situations.

Information about North Dakota wage and tipping laws is provided for informational purposes only and is not legal advice. Laws, regulations, and minimum wages can change. This information was last reviewed in October 2026.

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