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.
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A Finder survey of 1,029 respondents revealed just 7% of Aussies – equivalent to 1.5 million people – regularly tip at a restaurant.
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This has fallen significantly from 20% of Australians who always left a tip 4 years ago (May 2021).
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The research found 25% of Aussies only tip at a nice restaurant if they received good service.
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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.
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Rebecca Pike, money expert at Finder, said tipping can sometimes be an awkward interaction.
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"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.
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"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."
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Pike said tipping became less popular in Australia amid the cost-of-living crisis.
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"Most Aussies just want to pay their bill and be done with it.
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"Restaurant owners and staff would rather diners come in and not tip than avoid eating out altogether."
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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.
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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%).
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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 |  |
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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.
Sources
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