Tipping in Virginia

Quick Facts: Virginia

Avg worker expectation5%-5%

Do workers expect tips?Yes · 100% of workers

Tipping in Virginia

Last reviewed October 2026

Virginia Tipping Laws in 2026: Quick Facts

Rates in effect since January 1, 2026

Virginia Minimum Wage

$12.77 per hour¹

Virginia Tipped Minimum Wage

$2.13 per hour¹

Maximum Tip Credit

$10.64 per hour³

Who Qualifies as a Tipped Employee?

An employee who customarily and regularly receives more than $30 per month in tips¹²

Are Tip Pools Allowed?

Yes, under federal rules⁴

Are Mandatory Service Charges Tips?

No⁴

Can Employers Keep Employee Tips?

No. Tips belong to employees, apart from lawful tip pools.⁴

Can Credit Card Fees Be Taken From Tips?

Yes, with limits. Employers can deduct only the actual card-processing percentage.⁴

Virginia has its own rules for wages and tips, and its historic sites, Blue Ridge wineries, and Virginia Beach oceanfront create tipping situations many visitors may not be familiar with.

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

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

What Is Virginia'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.

Virginia's minimum wage is $12.77 per hour in 2026.¹ Tipped employees can be paid a direct wage of $2.13 per hour, with the employer taking a tip credit of up to $10.64 per hour.¹³ That's one of the largest tip credits in the country, so tips make up most of the minimum wage for many Virginia servers and bartenders.

If an employee's direct wages plus tips don't reach $12.77 per hour, the employer must pay the difference.¹ Under Virginia law, an employee who shows by clear and convincing evidence that they received less in tips than the employer counted is credited only with the tips they actually received.²

An employer also cannot treat a worker as a tipped employee if the law prohibits that worker from asking for tips.²

Virginia's minimum wage is scheduled to rise to $13.75 per hour on January 1, 2027, and to $15.00 per hour on January 1, 2028.²

Who Owns Tips in Virginia?

Virginia has no specific rule on tip ownership. Under federal law, tips belong to the employee.

Employers, managers, and supervisors cannot keep any part of employees' tips, whether or not the employer takes a tip credit.⁴ Managers can keep only tips they receive directly for service they personally provide.

Are Tip Pools Allowed in Virginia?

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

Yes. Virginia has no specific tip pool law, so the federal rules apply:⁴

With a tip credit: When an employer pays the $2.13 tipped wage, the pool can include only employees who customarily and regularly receive tips, such as servers, bartenders, and bussers.
Without a tip credit: When every employee is paid the full minimum wage in direct wages, the pool can also include back-of-house staff, such as cooks and dishwashers.
Managers and owners are out. Managers, supervisors, and owners cannot take tips from the pool.

Are Service Charges Considered Tips in Virginia?

No. Virginia has no specific rule on service charges. Under federal law, a mandatory service charge, such as an automatic 18% added to a large party's bill, is not a tip.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?

Virginia has no specific rule on credit card fees. Under federal law, an employer can deduct only the actual fee. If a card company charges the employer a percentage on each sale, the employer can reduce a card tip by that same percentage.⁴ It cannot deduct more than the transaction fee.

Tipping While Visiting Virginia

Virginia's history, mountains, and coastline create tipping situations many visitors haven't run into before. Colonial Williamsburg, Shenandoah National Park, and the Virginia Beach oceanfront draw millions of visitors each year.

Whether you're touring historic sites or heading to the beach, here are popular experiences where travelers often have questions about tipping.

Tours and Outdoor Adventures

Historic Sites and Ghost Tours

Guided tours of Williamsburg, Jamestown, Monticello, and Old Town Alexandria are popular, along with evening ghost tours. Visitors often wonder whether to tip a guide on a ticketed tour.

Do You Tip a Tour Guide?
Do You Tip on a Ghost Tour?

Mountains and Rivers

Hiking, horseback riding, and river trips are popular in the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Shenandoah Valley.

Do You Tip a Hiking Guide?
Do You Tip a Horseback Riding Guide?
Do You Tip a River Tubing Shuttle Driver?

Fishing Charters and Boat Tours

Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic fishing charters and dolphin-watching cruises are popular along the coast.

Do You Tip a Fishing Charter Crew?
Do You Tip on a Boat Tour?

Wine Country and Theme Parks

Wineries and Breweries

Virginia has hundreds of wineries, many clustered around Charlottesville and Northern Virginia. Visitors often aren't sure whether to tip a tasting room server or a wine tour driver.

Do You Tip at a Wine Tasting?
Do You Tip a Wine Tour Driver?
Do You Tip on a Brewery Tour?

Theme Parks

Williamsburg's theme parks are a popular family stop. Visitors often wonder whether to tip at parks where food is ordered at a counter.

Do You Tip at a Theme Park?

Lodging

Beach Rentals, Hotels, and Inns

Oceanfront hotels, beach rentals, and historic inns are popular places to stay in Virginia.

Hotel Housekeeping
Bellhops
Valet Parking
Do You Tip Vacation Rental Housekeeping?

Food and Drink

Seafood and Restaurants

Restaurants and bars are the most familiar places to tip. Virginia's coastal seafood spots, from oyster bars to crab shacks, are popular with visitors.

Restaurant Tipping
Bartender Tipping
Do You Tip at an Oyster Bar?

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 Virginia 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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