Off the table: Just 7% of Aussies regularly tip their waitstaff
Very few Australians are prepared to tip on top of their bill, according to new research by Finder.
A Finder survey of 1,029 respondents revealed just 7% of Aussies – equivalent to 1.5 million people – regularly tip at a restaurant.
This has fallen significantly from 20% of Australians who always left a tip 4 years ago (May 2021).
The research found 25% of Aussies only tip at a nice restaurant if they received good service.
Among those who tip at fancy restaurants, the average tipping amount sits at 8%, while 1 in 8 (12%) tippers simply leave a set amount of money (e.g. $20) regardless of how much the bill was.
Rebecca Pike, money expert at Finder, said tipping can sometimes be an awkward interaction.
"The majority of households are stretched to their limits financially at the moment – so finding an extra 5-20% on top of a bill is out of the question for many.
"In the U.S., restaurant waitstaff often rely on tips, and there are still 14 states where servers earn as little as $3.55 (US$2.13) per hour, unlike Australia's minimum wage of more than $24."
Pike said tipping became less popular in Australia amid the cost-of-living crisis.
"Most Aussies just want to pay their bill and be done with it.
"Restaurant owners and staff would rather diners come in and not tip than avoid eating out altogether."
Pike added that there are other ways to save on a night out, such as organising pre-drinks, taking advantage of daily specials like buy-one-get-one-free deals, or having a snack before dining.
Finder's research shows consistent tipping is even less common at other service providers such as beauty services (4%), massages (4%) and when catching a taxi (5%).
How much do you normally tip?
| Never/loose change (under $5) | 61% |
| I just leave a set amount of money (e.g. $10, $20) | 12% |
| Around 5% | 9% |
| Around 10% | 8% |
| Less than 5% | 6% |
| Around 15% | 2% |
| Around 20% | 1% |
| More than 20% | 0% |
| Source: Finder survey of 1,029 respondents, February 2025 |  |
Methodology
- Finder's Consumer Sentiment Tracker is a monthly recurring nationally representative survey of more than 60,000 respondents.
- Figures in this release are based on 1,029 respondents from February 2025.
- The Consumer Sentiment Tracker is owned by Finder and operated by Qualtrics.
- The survey has been running monthly since May 2019.
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