Add the earnings. Add the hours. Then divide.
For each job, add the tips you kept after tip-out and the base wages earned across your recorded shifts, then divide by the total hours worked. Use the same date window and comparable roles or shift types. Keep total earnings beside the hourly figure: one job can pay more per hour while providing fewer hours and less money overall. The result describes those records, not what your next shift will pay.
Build two comparable sets of records
Choose a recent window in which you worked both jobs, and keep a separate set of records for each workplace. Include the ordinary and disappointing shifts along with the good ones. Write down the number of shifts and total hours so a short sample stays visible.
Record hours actually worked, tips before tip-out, tip-out dollars and base wages earned for each shift. Use one definition of hours throughout; do not compare one job’s guest-service hours with another job’s full shift including setup and close. Convert minutes correctly: 5 hours 30 minutes is 5.5 hours, not 5.30.
Use earned amounts belonging to those shifts. A card-tip deposit that arrives later should not become a second tip entry. Keep wages separate from tips, mark wage estimates and reconcile them to pay records. If wages or hours are missing, leave the combined comparison incomplete rather than entering zero as a guess.
- Match the context: weekday, meal period, role, training status and unusual events.
- Use comparable windows, but do not discard real hours just to make the sample sizes equal.
- If the jobs offer different shifts, keep that difference in the result and name it; the records do not isolate the employer’s effect.
A bigger total does not always mean a better hourly return
In this fictional two-week comparison, both jobs have four recorded shifts and a hypothetical flat base wage of $10 per hour. The wage is an arithmetic input, not a legal minimum, typical restaurant rate or recommendation. There are no bonuses, extra fees or other adjustments.
Job A produces $968 in combined earnings over 28 hours. Job B produces $922 over 22 hours. A brings in $46 more total money, but B produces about $7.34 more per worked hour: $41.91 versus $34.57. These are combined earnings after tip-out and before taxes or paycheck deductions, not take-home pay.
B’s higher rate does not replace the six extra hours A provided. At the same time, you cannot assume B would offer six more hours at its observed rate. Keep both measures when deciding which shifts to request. Open the input tables below to check every fictional shift.
| Compare | Job A | Job B |
|---|---|---|
| Recorded shifts | 4 | 4 |
| Hours in these records | 28 | 22 |
| Tips before tip-out | $860.00 | $780.00 |
| Tip-out | $172.00 | $78.00 |
| Tips kept, before taxes | $688.00 | $702.00 |
| Estimated base wages | $280.00 | $220.00 |
| Combined earnings, before taxes | $968.00 | $922.00 |
| Combined earnings per hour | $34.57 | $41.91 |
Check Job A’s four shift records
| Shift | Hours | Tips before tip-out | Tip-out | Estimated wages |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | $200.00 | $40.00 | $60.00 |
| 2 | 8 | $240.00 | $48.00 | $80.00 |
| 3 | 5 | $160.00 | $32.00 | $50.00 |
| 4 | 9 | $260.00 | $52.00 | $90.00 |
Check Job B’s four shift records
| Shift | Hours | Tips before tip-out | Tip-out | Estimated wages |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | $180.00 | $18.00 | $50.00 |
| 2 | 5 | $190.00 | $19.00 | $50.00 |
| 3 | 6 | $200.00 | $20.00 | $60.00 |
| 4 | 6 | $210.00 | $21.00 | $60.00 |
Divide the totals instead of averaging shift rates
Suppose another fictional pair of shifts earns $80 in 2 hours and $180 in 6 hours. Their hourly rates are $40 and $30. Averaging those two rates equally gives $35, but the full 8 hours earned $260: $32.50 per hour. The longer, lower-rate shift accounts for more of your working time.
Adding earnings and dividing by added hours automatically gives each hour the same weight. This is the weighted-mean idea in NIST’s reference, with hours used as weights. Use unrounded earnings and time totals in the calculation, then round the final displayed rate to cents. Do not average already rounded shift rates.
Check the schedule before choosing more shifts
An hourly result answers one question: what did these recorded hours earn? It does not answer how many hours you can count on, whether those hours fit your life or whether the sample will repeat. Four shifts here explain the method; they are not a validated minimum sample size.
Compare like shifts where you can, then look at the actual mix each job offers. A dinner-only sample at one workplace and training lunches at another may explain a gap. A special event or unusually short shift deserves a note, not automatic removal. Repeat the comparison as you collect more ordinary shifts and record whether the conclusion changes.
List commute time, travel costs, schedule changes and predictability alongside the earnings figures. Keep that personal decision separate from the worked-hour rate. If you subtract personal costs, label the result as your own planning estimate so it cannot be confused with wages or take-home pay.
- How many shifts and hours can each job actually offer, and which are only possible?
- Are the duties, breaks, shift lengths and cancellation patterns workable for you?
- Which inputs are still missing or estimated, and what would change your decision?
Use the worksheet to make the comparison repeatable
Print the two-job sheet, enter your own records and total each workplace separately. Four rows are a starting layout, not a reason to leave records out; continue on another sheet when needed. Keep the same date window and definitions when you repeat the exercise.
Write one next action underneath the figures: confirm a missing wage amount, compare dinners with dinners, ask about available hours or gather another week of records. A useful result can be that you need better evidence before changing your schedule.
Need help with one shift first? Use the hourly earnings calculator. Keep the inputs consistent with the end-of-shift checklist.
Keep each workplace’s history in Tips Coach
Tips Coach: Tip Tracker lets you record tips, hours and tip-outs across multiple workplaces, with saved history and edits in the free local tools. Add notes or tags for a role, meal period or unusual event so you can understand the context behind a shift later.
The app distinguishes net tips after tip-out from estimated base wages. Pro adds deeper comparisons and PDF/CSV exports of self-reported earnings. Those optional paid features can support reviewing your history; this worksheet’s method does not require Pro. Neither the app nor this comparison predicts future earnings or verifies an employer’s payroll.
Sources: Tips Coach: Tip Tracker — official App Store listing
About this guide
Prepared by TipsCoach with AI assistance for research, writing, calculations and original explanatory artwork. The examples are fictional; no workers were interviewed and no customer records were used. Approved for publication by Jimmy. AI assistance does not constitute independent expert verification.
Published by TipsCoach, operated by Xstream Networks, LLC. Questions or corrections: contact support.
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