Quebec Tip Laws (2026)
Quebec is the only province with a lower minimum wage for tipped employees: $13.30 an hour from May 1, 2026, against $16.60 for everyone else. Tips belong to the employee who provided the service, and the employer may not impose a tip-sharing arrangement or take part in setting one up: the employees create it, and CNESST says it needs a majority of them. Service charges on the bill are tips, and employees cannot be made to pay card fees.
Last reviewed October 11, 2026.
At a glance
| General minimum wage | $16.60 an hour from May 1, 2026 |
|---|---|
| Tipped minimum wage | $13.30 an hour from May 1, 2026 |
| Who gets the tipped rate | Employees who usually get tips in table-service restaurants, bars, tourist lodging and meal delivery or takeout businesses |
| Who owns tips | The employee who provided the service |
| Tip sharing | Set up by employees only, with majority consent (CNESST) |
| Service charges | Tips; administrative fees are not |
| Card fees taken from tips | Not allowed |
| Tip prompts | Suggested percentages calculated before GST and QST |
Minimum wage
From May 1, 2026, Quebec’s general minimum wage is $16.60 an hour and the rate for employees who receive tips is $13.30 (Regulation respecting labour standards, ss. 3 and 4). The tipped rate applies only to employees who ordinarily receive tips and work in paid tourist lodging, a place serving alcohol on the premises, a business that sells or delivers meals to eat elsewhere, or a restaurant other than one where customers order at a counter and pay before eating. Everyone else gets the general rate, and the tipped rate must be paid in full without counting tips.
Who owns tips
A tip belongs to the employee who provided the service and cannot be mixed with wages; the employer must pay at least the minimum wage without counting tips (Act respecting labour standards, s. 50). Tips the employer collects, including card tips and service charges added to the bill, must be passed on in full to the employee who served. CNESST says the employer cannot keep any part of tips, even as discipline, for example for a till that does not balance or a broken plate.
Tip-sharing arrangements
The employer may not impose a tip-sharing arrangement or take part in any way in setting one up; it must come from the free and voluntary consent of the employees entitled to tips (s. 50). According to CNESST, the arrangement can be verbal or written, applies once a majority (50% plus one) of the tipped employees accept it, can share tips with other workers in the establishment, and binds the employer, who may run the distribution if the workers ask. New employees must follow an arrangement already in force, and joining it can be a condition of hiring. CNESST publishes a model arrangement in French.
Neither the Act nor CNESST says whether managers or supervisors can be beneficiaries of an arrangement.
Service charges and card fees
Service charges added to the bill are tips; administrative fees are not, and the employer must identify them clearly (s. 50). An employer may not make employees pay credit card costs (s. 50.1), which CNESST reads as including the card fee on tips.
Tip prompts on payment terminals
Under consumer protection rules in force since May 7, 2025, a business that suggests tip amounts must calculate percentages on the price before GST and QST, offer an option for the customer to choose the amount, and present the options uniformly (Consumer Protection Act, s. 225.1).
Tip reporting
Employees report their tips to the employer in writing at the end of each pay period, and the employer may not refuse the report (s. 50.2). If reported tips are below 8% of sales, CNESST explains that the employer attributes the difference under the tax rules. Reported and attributed tips are included when calculating some indemnities, such as statutory holiday and annual leave pay.
Quebec tip FAQ
What is the tipped minimum wage in Quebec?
$13.30 an hour from May 1, 2026, for employees who usually receive tips in table-service restaurants, bars, tourist lodging and meal delivery or takeout businesses. Counter-service restaurants where customers pay before eating pay the general $16.60.
Can a Quebec employer require tip pooling?
No. The employer may not impose a tip-sharing arrangement or help set one up. Employees can create one, and CNESST says it applies once a majority of the tipped employees accept it.
Is a service charge a tip in Quebec?
Yes. Service charges added to the bill are tips and must go in full to the employee who served; administrative fees are not tips.
Can a Quebec employer take credit card fees out of tips?
No. Employees cannot be made to pay credit card costs, including the fee on their tips.
Official sources
- Act respecting labour standards, CQLR c. N-1.1
- Regulation respecting labour standards, CQLR c. N-1.1, r. 3
- CNESST: Minimum wage
- CNESST: Wages of employees receiving tips
- CNESST: Tips and tip-sharing arrangement
- CNESST: Model tip-sharing arrangement (French)
- Consumer Protection Act, CQLR c. P-40.1
- Office de la protection du consommateur: Tips
This page summarizes the law for restaurant operators and staff; it is not legal advice. Wages and rules change, and cities can set their own minimums. Check the linked official sources, or ask an employment lawyer, before changing how you handle tips.