Why Is My Server Paycheck $0?

Short answer: it's usually normal, and your money isn't missing. You already have most of it. It's the tips in your pocket.

Where the hourly pay goes

In a lot of states, servers make a tipped wage as low as $2.13 an hour. Some states pay more, so check yours. When you report your tips, taxes are owed on those tips too. But the restaurant can't take taxes out of cash you already took home. So it takes them out of the only money it's holding: your hourly pay.

A few nights of good tips can owe more in taxes than your hourly pay covers. That's how the check lands at $0, or a few dollars. Even side work hours at a higher rate usually go toward the same taxes.

Your paycheck isn't your pay. Your tips are your pay. The paycheck is mostly where the taxes on those tips get settled.

What to actually do

• Ask for your pay stub. A lot of places don't hand out a paper check when it's $0, but you can still see the stub.
• Look for your reported tips and the taxes taken out. That's where the hourly pay went.
• Report your tips honestly. It's the law, and it's what counts when you apply for a car loan or an apartment.
• If something still looks off, like hours missing or a check that's $0 during a slow week, ask payroll. Don't guess.

Your restaurant also has to make sure your hourly pay plus tips adds up to at least minimum wage. If a dead week leaves you short, that's worth a question to your manager.

Pay rules change by state and by restaurant. This is the general picture, not tax advice. For your own pay, payroll is the right person to ask.