What to Do If Your Boss Steals Your Tips or Breaks Tip-Sharing Laws

August 18, 2025

What to Do If Your Boss Steals Your Tips or Breaks Tip-Sharing Laws

For many workers in Kansas City, tips make up a significant portion of their income. Whether you’re a server, bartender, barista, or other service employee, you rely on those tips to cover essential expenses. Unfortunately, some employers unlawfully withhold tips, force improper tip pooling, or violate federal and state wage laws. Knowing your rights is the first step to protecting your hard-earned money.


Federal and Missouri Tip Laws


Under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), tips are considered the property of the employee, not the employer. Employers cannot take tips for themselves or force employees to share tips with managers or supervisors. However, they may require employees to participate in a valid tip pool, but only with other workers who customarily receive tips.


In Missouri, employers who take a “tip credit” toward the minimum wage must ensure that employees’ combined wages and tips equal at least the state’s minimum wage. If your tips and hourly pay do not meet this threshold, your employer is required to make up the difference.


Signs Your Employer May Be Breaking the Law


  • Managers or owners keep part of your tips.
  • You’re forced to share tips with employees who do not normally receive tips, such as kitchen staff or supervisors.
  • Your paycheck plus tips does not meet the minimum wage.
  • Your employer deducts business expenses, such as broken dishes or customer walkouts, from your tips.


What You Can Do If Your Boss Steals Your Tips


  1. Keep Records – Document your hours worked, tips received, and any tip-sharing arrangements. Written evidence can be crucial.
  2. Address It Internally – If you feel safe, raise the issue with your employer or HR department. Sometimes problems result from misunderstanding the law.
  3. File a Complaint – You can report wage theft to the U.S. Department of Labor or the Missouri Department of Labor.
  4. Seek Legal Guidance – Employment law attorneys can help you evaluate your claim, file a complaint, or pursue compensation through legal action.


Losing tips is more than an inconvenience—it’s wage theft. Workers should not be left struggling because an employer has ignored the law.


How LG Law LLC Can Help


At LG Law LLC, we provide legal assistance to the Kansas City public in matters of wage theft, tip disputes, and employment law violations. If your boss has stolen your tips or broken tip-sharing laws, our team can review your situation, explain your rights, and guide you through the next steps.

Two people shaking hands over a white table with a laptop, phone, paper, and pens.
October 17, 2025
If HR protects an abusive boss instead of helping you, you still have options. Learn what Missouri employees can do when HR covers for workplace abuse. LG Law LLC helps Kansas City workers protect their rights.
Scales of justice on wooden table; a gavel is next to it near a window.
September 22, 2025
Learn about Missouri paid sick leave laws, what benefits you may be owed, and how to claim them. LG Law LLC helps Kansas City workers protect their rights.
A judge 's gavel is sitting on a wooden table next to a person writing on a piece of paper.
July 22, 2025
Worried about being fired for reporting unsafe work conditions in Missouri? Learn your rights and how LG Law LLC in Kansas City can help protect them.
A person is signing a document with a fountain pen.
June 18, 2025
Learn what to look for in a Missouri severance agreement before signing. LG Law LLC helps Kansas City employees protect their rights and negotiate fair terms.
A scale of justice is sitting on a wooden table next to a gavel.
May 13, 2025
Learn what legal protections whistleblowers have under federal and Missouri law. LG Law LLC in Kansas City helps workers report wrongdoing without fear of retaliation.
A scale of justice is sitting on a wooden table next to a gavel.
April 25, 2025
Learn what qualifies as workplace sexual harassment in Missouri, your legal rights, and how LG Law LLC in Kansas City can help you pursue justice.
February 17, 2025
Understanding Wage and Hour Laws in Missouri: Are You Being Paid Fairly?
January 23, 2025
Can I Receive Compensation If I Am the Victim of Workplace Discrimination in Kansas City?
December 19, 2024
Religious discrimination in the workplace is an issue that affects many employees across various industries. While federal and state laws protect workers from religious bias, employers face challenges when balancing the rights of employees to practice their religion with the need to maintain business efficiency. A key aspect of this balance is determining when reasonable accommodation can be made and when it might impose an undue hardship on the employer. Understanding Religious Accommodation Under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, employers must accommodate an employee's religious beliefs or practices unless doing so would cause significant difficulty or expense. This means employers may need to allow flexible work hours for religious observances, allow employees to wear religious clothing or symbols, or provide time off for religious holidays. The goal is to enable employees to maintain their religious practices without facing discrimination or retaliation. What Constitutes Undue Hardship? While employers must make reasonable accommodations, there are limits. An accommodation may be denied if it causes an undue hardship to the employer. According to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), undue hardship refers to an accommodation that results in significant difficulty or expense in relation to the size of the business, the resources available, and the nature of the operation. For example, if accommodating an employee's religious practice requires restructuring the work schedule to disrupt the workflow or impose significant additional costs, the employer might not be required to provide that accommodation. Balancing Religious Accommodation and Business Needs Employers must engage in an interactive process with employees to determine whether a reasonable accommodation is possible. It’s important to consider all options and to explore creative solutions that can satisfy both the employee’s religious needs and the business’s operational needs. Clear communication and a commitment to fairness are key to finding solutions that work for everyone involved. Religious discrimination in the workplace is a complex issue, but employers can avoid legal pitfalls by understanding the requirements for religious accommodation and the limits placed by undue hardship. Employers should carefully assess each situation, considering the needs of their business and the rights of their employees. In doing so, they can foster an inclusive, respectful environment that supports both business success and religious diversity.
November 7, 2024
What is Considered Workplace Harassment in Missouri?