Florida tipped workers earn $10.98 cash today; $11.98 after Sept 30, 2026.
Florida tipped workers earn a direct cash wage equal to the standard minimum minus the federal tip credit ($3.02, frozen since 2003). Today: $14.00 − $3.02 = $10.98 cash. On September 30, 2026: $15.00 − $3.02 = $11.98 cash. If tips plus cash don't reach the standard minimum for the workweek, the employer must true up. Florida does not phase out the tip credit (unlike Chicago) and has no state-level deviation from federal tip-credit mechanics.
Florida Tipped Wage Reconciliation
Calculates whether each tipped worker's cash + tips reaches the standard minimum. Auto-adds make-up pay if short. Cash wage scales automatically with the standard floor.
What those rules do when tips don't reach the floor.
The hero card configuration: Critical on shortfalls, Flag on the make-up line, Block on illegal tip-pool composition.
When a tipped worker's cash wage plus declared tips falls below $14.00/hr ($15.00 after Sept 30, 2026) for the workweek, payroll close surfaces a Critical indicator with the exact dollar shortfall.
The reconciling amount auto-adds to the timesheet as a separate Flag-tagged line: "Tip credit make-up." Payroll runs the line at full minimum without manual input.
Federal law (and FL adoption) prohibits managers and supervisors from participating in tip pools. When an admin tries to add a manager-tagged worker to a tip pool, the action is blocked.
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Federal tip-credit mechanics, scaling Florida cash wage.
Florida adopts federal tip-credit mechanics by reference and applies them against the constitutional state minimum. The cash wage moves with the standard floor, but the $3.02 credit itself doesn't change.
Cash wage = standard minus $3.02
The Florida tipped cash wage is calculated as the standard state minimum minus the 2003 federal tip credit ($3.02). Today: $14.00 − $3.02 = $10.98. After Sept 30, 2026: $15.00 − $3.02 = $11.98. The $3.02 credit is locked at the 2003 federal level by the Florida Constitution — it doesn't move when the federal credit moves (it hasn't, since 2003).
Workweek-level reconciliation
Tip-credit math is calculated per workweek, not per shift. A worker who earned strong tips Saturday automatically uses those toward Wednesday's shortfall — that math works since they're in the same workweek. Across two workweeks (which can fall in one biweekly pay period), each week stands alone.
Teambridge reconciles every workweek and scales cash wages with the floor.
Tip-credit math is the kind of calculation that compounds errors fast. Teambridge runs the math at workweek close and gates the tip-pool composition.
Real-time tip totals per shift.
Tipped workers declare tips through the worker app at end of shift. The total combines with cash wage to compute the effective hourly rate for the workweek.
Cash + tips vs. standard minimum.
At workweek end, Teambridge applies the right floor: $14.00 today, $15.00 after Sept 30, 2026. Cash + declared tips must reach that floor for total hours worked.
Reconciling line added to paycheck.
When tips fall short, Teambridge adds a 'Tip credit make-up' line equal to the shortfall. Payroll processes it as standard wages on the regular paycheck.
Sept 30, 2026 transition automatic.
On Sept 30, 2026, the tipped cash wage automatically rises from $10.98 to $11.98 as the standard floor reaches $15.00. No operator action required.
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