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Tipping in Dog Grooming: What Groomers Should Know
Tips are a big part of many groomers' pay. How they are given, split and paid out varies more than most people think.
For many groomers, tips are not a bonus. They are a meaningful share of what they earn each week. Yet tipping customs and salon tip policies vary a lot, and it pays to know how yours works.
What owners are usually told
Consumer advice often suggests tipping a groomer in the range of 15 to 20 percent of the service price, more for a difficult or matted dog, and a holiday tip for a regular groomer. Plenty of owners tip less, some tip more, and some do not tip a salon owner who grooms their own dogs. Whatever your clients do, it is useful to track it, because your tips per week tell you a lot about your book.
Cash, card and app tips
Cash tips are simple, but card and app tips are increasingly common. With card tips, ask your salon:
- When are card tips paid out: same day, or on your paycheck?
- Does the salon deduct card processing fees from tips? Rules on this vary by state.
- Do card tips show on your pay stub so you can check them?
Tip splits
Some salons split tips between the groomer and the bather who washed and dried the dog, or pool tips across the team. Splits can be fair when bathers do a large part of the work, but the policy should be written down and applied the same way for everyone. Federal law limits who can share in employee tips, and in particular managers and owners generally cannot keep employees' tips. Check the U.S. Department of Labor and your state for current rules.
Tips and taxes
Tips are taxable income, and employees are expected to report them to their employer. Recent federal changes added a tip deduction for qualifying workers, and groomers are among the occupations covered. Our guide Are Dog Groomer Tips Taxed? explains reporting and the deduction. This is general information, not tax advice.
Why tips matter for your pay comparison
When you compare two jobs, include tips. A salon with a lower commission rate but a loyal, generous client base can pay more overall than one with a higher rate and few tips. In all three calculators on this site, tips are added on top of your pay so you can see the full weekly picture. Start with the commission calculator.