Age bands hit bar staff hardest
A lot of bar staff are 18 to 20, where the legal minimum is £10.85 an hour, against £12.71 at 21 and over. On a 25-hour week that's a gap of £46.50. Many pub groups pay everyone the same rate whatever their age, but they don't have to. Check your rate goes up in the pay period after your 21st birthday.
Closing down is working time
Last orders isn't the end of the shift. Clearing tables, washing glasses, cashing up and cleaning the bar are all work. If the rota says you finish at midnight and you leave at 12:45, those 45 minutes are working time.
Over a month of four late shifts a week, an unpaid 45 minutes each time is 12 hours, worth £152.52 at £12.71.
Tips and tronc
Since 1 October 2024, employers must pass on all tips and service charges to workers in full and share them fairly, under a written policy. Tips are paid on top of your wage and can't be used to reach the minimum wage.
If tips go through a tronc run by an independent troncmaster, they're taxed but no National Insurance is due. Tips paid through payroll by the employer usually have both. Ask how your venue does it.
Do you need a licence?
No. Bar staff don't need a personal licence. The premises has a designated premises supervisor who holds one and authorises staff to sell alcohol. You may be asked to do training on Challenge 21 or Challenge 25 and refusing sales. If it's required, it's working time.
Track it shift by shift
Keep a dated record of every shift on your phone with Shiftaan. It's the evidence you'll want if your pay is ever wrong. Try it.
Common questions
Do bar staff get to keep their tips?
Yes. All tips and service charges must be passed on to workers and shared fairly under the law in force since 1 October 2024.
Is cashing up after closing paid?
Yes. Any task you're required to do after the bar closes is working time.
Do I need a personal licence to work behind a bar?
No. Only the designated premises supervisor needs one.