Tipping in Italy

Is service included?

Many restaurants add a per-person cover charge called "coperto" for bread and the table setting; it goes to the restaurant, not the server. Some bills also include service, shown as "servizio" or "servizio incluso". If service is already included, there is no need to add much more.

How much to tip in Italy

Amounts are in the local currency (EUR). They are common customs, not rules: tip more for great service and less where it was poor.

How to tip

Tip in cash and hand it to the server, as card slips rarely have a tip line and cash is the surest way for staff to receive it. Cards are widely accepted for the bill itself.

What to avoid

Do not treat the coperto as the tip; it goes to the restaurant.

Tipping by card

Tips are mostly given in cash, even when the bill is paid by card, and many terminals do not have a tip step. Some restaurants in big cities show a tip option on the terminal, so ask first if you want the tip to go on the card.

Useful phrases

Tips and the law in Italy

Who keeps the tips

There is no general Italian statute on who keeps tips or how they are shared, and I found no official rule. For tax purposes, tips that customers give to workers in hotels and in food and drink businesses are treated as employment income, whether they are paid in cash or electronically.

Are tips taxed?

Under the Budget Law 2023 (Law 197/2022, article 1, paragraphs 58 to 62), tips given voluntarily by customers to private-sector workers in accommodation and food and drink businesses, in cash or by electronic payment, are employment income. They are taxed at a flat 5% substitute tax (IRPEF and local surtaxes), applied by the employer unless the worker waives it in writing, instead of ordinary rates. The tips are excluded from the pay used to work out social security contributions and from severance pay. The regime applies up to a ceiling tied to the worker's income from that work and to a maximum worker income, and those two limits have been raised since 2023, so the current figures should be checked on the Agenzia delle Entrate site before publishing.

This is general information, not legal or tax advice.

Work out a tip

The tip calculator is set to Italy and the local currency: enter the bill, pick a percentage and split it between the table.

Tipping with no cash

When you have no local cash, ask whether a tip can go on the card. More and more guides, drivers and performers show a QR code instead: point your phone camera at it and you can tip by card, Apple Pay or Google Pay without installing anything. Workers in Italy can read how QR code tipping works in Italy.

Street performers

Tipping a busker is always optional. If you enjoy the show, a coin or a note in the case is the custom, and more performers now show a QR code so you can tip by card. Rules for buskers by city:

• Busking in Bologna
• Busking in Florence
• Busking in Genoa
• Busking in Milan
• Busking in Naples
• Busking in Rome
• Busking in Venice

Sources

• Money, payments and tipping in Italy (Italia.it, official tourism site)
• Tipping in Europe (Rick Steves)
• Tipping in Italy: The Italy Tipping Guide (SmarterTravel)
• Circolare n. 26/E del 29 agosto 2023: tassazione delle mance

Checked in October 2026 against the sources above. Customs change and vary between cities and venues.

Common questions