It’s not as customary to tip in the UK as the minimum wage is £6.31 ($9.66 so more than 3 times as much as in the USA) per hour and most earn more.

Taxis: don’t need to be tipped, but a lot of people will pay in notes only and tell them to keep the change. If they have loaded and unloaded your luggage for you or done something else helpful, then you should tip.

Waitresses and other food service: if there is a tip jar, you should put something in to match or raise, not everyone does, but unless the service was noticeably below average, you probably should. (Don’t put a couple of copper coins into a jar with 1 and 2 pound coins(1.5-2 dollars apiece) but feel free to put silvers in a jar filled mainly with coppers.

With takeaway in the UK, if you collect it DON’T TIP unless there is a jar, it’s kind of inappropriate, some people might be okay with it, but most would be either bewildered or offended….. If they bring it to you, tipping is optional, telling them to keep the change from a £10 note for an £8.50 order is fine, alternatively just tip a small amount. If you make a really big order, or you need them to help you carry it because you can’t balance everything(kind of a faux-pas, but easily rectified with a nice tip) you should tip, even if only a little.

Restaurants fall into different categories:
Fast-food: Tip jar if they have one, otherwise no tip, it is weird/inappropriate to tip in this situation.
Casual (no dedicated waiter or waitress): Tip jar, or not usually more than a pound or two per person if in a group, if alone 2-3 pounds unless you ordered a lot, if you intend it for a specific person, hand it to them, otherwise anyone who waited your table.

Any restaurant where you/your group have your own waiter/waitress who is the one who brings you things and takes your order etc. 10+%, just the service charge, or service charge plus extra.

If ‘Service not included’ is anywhere, that’s a polite request for a tip, ~10%
Don’t tip bartenders you don’t know, if you’ve had the same one on several visits and you want to tip (it’s pretty unusual) when you order, say and ‘one for yourself’, this is a tip of about a pound (generally) if they’re allowed to drink on the job, they could have a drink instead.

I don’t tip by card, and will often ask to pay the automatic service charge, plus a little extra tip in cash (there isn’t always a service charge and it might not be optional).

Basically, you intend to tip the person/people who served you, however, the restaurant can, and some do, keep up to 100% of the tip you put on your card for that nice waiter who was incredibly helpful.

If there is a service charge that IS the tip, if the service is mediocre, don’t tip on top, if the service is not bad, don’t feel obligated, if the waiter was incredibly helpful or you have a wailing baby, or an unpleasant friend with you, you should tip.

Cash handed to a waiter, or clearly intended for them is their legal property, so they are guaranteed to get the tip they earned.

Also, tipping isn’t always expected, I tend to just stick some in the jar in casual situations, or tell them to keep the change, at a high-class restaurant, you should probably tip at least 10%.

If it’s someone who performs a regular service and you’re not sure if it’s appropriate to tip, the occasional gift card to somewhere popular/you know they use fills in the gap between gift, bonus. and tip very conveniently. It’s appropriate for pretty much anyone who works for you on a regular basis, especially if they put a lot of effort in. (housekeeper, babysitters, delivery people……)

Tour guides that say: “I hope you enjoyed your tour.” and don’t immediately hurry off, generally want a tip.

Hairdressers, 10%, other people like masseurs/masseuses generally aren’t tipped.

Nobody tipped. Contractors, homeowners, boy scouts (who we gave free wood to and loaded it for them), nobody. We still did our job. It’s not like we could load one less 2×4 or cut a board 1/2″ too short, we still did a good job.

Over the two years I worked there, I only got tipped once. It was $2 and it made my week just to see that someone appreciated the help I gave them.

So I have kind of a unique relationship with tipping: I always tip because I know how important it is, but I am tired of hearing restaurant workers complain about tipping issues and how it affects your level of service. Everyone should do a good job all the time, regardless of the customer. And you should definitely tip the guy who helps you load up a few sheets of plywood or a couple 2x4s at home depot.

Just an observation!
Cheers!

I’ve worked in restaurants for a long time, been in every position, and now currently am a part owner and manager in one.

1. Servers DO make minimum wage. It is illegal not to pay them minimum wage. They are not paid 2.13 an hour. What does happen is that the store can claim a tip credit up to 5.12 an hour against their wages. But the server must be working in a position in which they can receive tips (i.e. not a cleaning shift, staff meeting, etc) and they must actually receive enough tips to cover the tip credit. Otherwise the tip credit can not be taken, or it can only be taken partially. Also, the server can not be performing more than 20% of his/her time on sidework or other non-tipped work. IN NO CIRCUMSTANCES can the server be allowed to earn less than minimum wage.

2. Servers are taxed on their actual tips. There is no “taxed on 12%” or anything like that. That is for reporting purposes only, if the IRS sees that a restuarants servers are reporting under 8% tips in sales then it sends off a red flag to the IRS that all is not well at that business. But that is all that happens. The server is only taxed on the tips that are actually reported as being earned…never on some estimated amount based on sales.

Sorry for being a grumpy gus on this, but the disinformation I see about server wages and taxes gets to me. I know servers want their tips, I’ve waited tables plenty myself, but I don’t need to spread falsehoods in order to make people feel sorry for me so that I can get better tips. Just want to clear the air on that is all…