Tipping in West Virginia

Last reviewed October 2026

West Virginia Tipping Laws in 2026: Quick Facts

Rates in effect since January 1, 2016

West Virginia Minimum Wage

$8.75 per hour (employers with six or more employees at one location)¹

West Virginia Tipped Minimum Wage

$2.62 per hour²³

Maximum Tip Credit

$6.13 per hour (70% of the minimum wage)²

Who Qualifies as a Tipped Employee?

A service employee who customarily receives tips or gratuities in connection with their work²

Are Tip Pools Allowed?

Yes, among tipped employees only²

Are Mandatory Service Charges Tips?

No⁴

Can Employers Keep Employee Tips?

No. Tips belong to employees, apart from lawful tip pools.²⁴

Can Credit Card Fees Be Taken From Tips?

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

West Virginia has its own rules for wages and tips, and its New River Gorge rafting trips, ski resorts, and historic resort hotels create tipping situations many visitors may not be familiar with.

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

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

What Is West 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.

West Virginia's minimum wage is $8.75 per hour.¹ Employers can take a tip credit of up to 70% of the minimum wage, or $6.13 per hour, so tipped employees must be paid a cash wage of at least $2.62 per hour.²

West Virginia's rules have a few details that differ from many states:²

Employer size: The state minimum wage and 70% tip credit apply only when an employer has six or more non-exempt employees at one location.¹² Smaller employers follow federal rules.

The 20% rule: If a tipped employee spends more than 20% of the workweek on work that doesn't earn tips, the employer must pay the full $8.75 per hour for that time.

Signed tip records: To take the tip credit, the employer must keep written tip records completed and signed by the employee.

If an employee's cash wage plus tips doesn't reach $8.75 per hour for the workweek, the employer must make up the difference.²

Who Owns Tips in West Virginia?

Tips belong to the employee. Employers cannot receive any share of employees' tips, including through a tip pool.² Under federal law, managers and supervisors also cannot keep employees' tips.⁴

Are Tip Pools Allowed in West Virginia?

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

Yes, but West Virginia limits who can share in them:²

Tipped employees only: Pooled tips can be divided only among service employees who customarily receive tips, and among dual-job employees while they're working in a tipped role.
Non-service employees are out. Employers and employees who don't customarily receive tips cannot share in the pool.
Individual reporting: Each employee must report the tips they pay out to the pool.

Are Service Charges Considered Tips in West Virginia?

No. West 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?

West 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 West Virginia

West Virginia's rivers, mountains, and historic resorts create tipping situations many visitors haven't run into before. New River Gorge National Park, the Monongahela National Forest, and the state's ski areas draw visitors throughout the year.

Whether you're rafting the Gauley River or staying at a historic mountain resort, here are popular experiences where travelers often have questions about tipping.

Tours and Outdoor Adventures

Whitewater Rafting

The New and Gauley rivers are known for some of the best whitewater rafting in the East. Rafting guides often rely on tips, and guests often wonder how much to tip at the end of a trip.

Do You Tip a Rafting Guide?

Zip Lines and Adventure Tours

Zip lines, rock climbing, and guided mountain biking are popular around the New River Gorge.

Do You Tip a Zip Line Guide?
Do You Tip a Rock Climbing Guide?
Do You Tip a Mountain Bike Guide?

Fishing and Hunting Guides

Guided trout fishing and hunting trips are popular in the state's rivers and national forest.

Do You Tip a Fishing Guide?
Do You Tip a Hunting Guide?

Winter Sports

Ski Resorts

West Virginia's ski resorts, including Snowshoe Mountain, draw skiers from across the Mid-Atlantic. Visitors often have questions about tipping ski instructors and rental shop techs.

How Much Do You Tip a Ski Instructor?
Do You Tip a Ski Tech?

Lodging and Wellness

Historic Resorts and Spas

West Virginia is home to historic resort hotels known for their spas, golf, and mineral springs. Guests often have questions about tipping resort staff, caddies, and spa providers.

Hotel Housekeeping
Bellhops
Do You Tip at a Spa?
Do You Tip a Golf Caddie?

Cabins and Vacation Rentals

Cabin rentals near the New River Gorge and the ski areas are a popular way to stay. Guests often aren't sure whether to tip housekeeping when a cleaning fee is already on the bill.

Do You Tip Cabin Rental Housekeeping?

Food and Drink

Restaurants and Bars

Restaurants and bars are the most familiar places to tip, from small-town diners to brewpubs in Charleston and Morgantown.

Restaurant Tipping
Bartender Tipping

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 West 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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