Nothing on this page is advice about your job, and no article can be. If you want your own facts looked at, a Minnesota employment attorney can do that — and several of the deadlines described on this site are short enough that waiting is itself a decision.
Also called: gratuity; tip; tips.
“Gratuities” means monetary contributions received directly or indirectly by an employee from a guest, patron, or customer for services rendered and includes an obligatory charge assessed to customers, guests or patrons which might reasonably be construed by the guest, customer, or patron as being a payment for personal services rendered by an employee and for which no clear and conspicuous notice is given by the employer to the customer, guest, or patron that the charge is not the property of the employee.
Minn. Stat. § 177.23, subd. 9. The second half is the operative half. A mandatory service charge the customer could reasonably read as payment for personal service is a gratuity unless the employer gives the customer “clear and conspicuous notice” that the charge is not the employee’s property — the notice runs to the customer, not to the employee.
Where this comes up
- Minnesota Puts Your Rate of Pay in a Signed Document at the Start of Employment — and Gives You Three Ways to Enforce It
- Your Last Paycheck in Minnesota: The 24-Hour Clock Does Not Start Until You Demand It in Writing
- Signing a 1099 agreement does not make you a contractor in Minnesota — being asked to sign one is itself a violation
Sources checked September 8, 2026. Citations independently verified against the primary source September 8, 2026.