Customize and apply automatic gratuity with Square for Restaurants

Before you begin

Automatic gratuity is a fixed percentage tip you can apply to checks manually, automatically, or based on party size. Applying automatic gratuity based on party size requires a Square for Restaurants Plus or Premium subscription. You create automatic gratuity from your service settings in your Square Dashboard and apply them from your Square Restaurants POS app. 

Automatic gratuity may be considered a taxable service charge. For specific tax questions related to your business, be sure to consult with a tax professional.

Enable and customize automatic gratuity

1. Sign in to your Square Dashboard and select Settings > Device Management.

2. Select Service settings > Automatic Gratuity.

3. Select the location where you want to use automatic gratuity.

4. Toggle on Allow Automatic Gratuity. 

5. Enter the Gratuity Amount and select how you want to Apply Automatic Gratuity. If you select On a per-check basis, you can manually add the auto-gratuity to the check during service. If you select To all checks or Based on party size, the automatic gratuity percentage applies automatically. 

6. Select if you want to Tax Automatic Gratuity and the Taxes or Tax Calculation.

7. Select Save.

Apply automatic gratuity

If you select to apply automatic gratuity on a per-check basis, you can select the order during service and apply auto-gratuity before payment.

1. Open your Restaurants POS and select Actions > Auto-Gratuity.

2. Toggle on the automatic gratuity you want to apply to the check.

3. Tap Save.

Next steps

Learn more about Square for Restaurants account and settings from one of these Support Center articles:

• Connect additional payment devices to your restaurant point of sale

• Connect accessories to your restaurant point of sale

• Manage your Square for Restaurants subscription

• Customize checkout settings for Square for Restaurants