A tip, or gratuity, is money given to an employee by a customer or client that is in addition to the cost of the bill for the service that was provided. A tip can be given via cash, check, or credit card. If it's considered a tip, it belongs to the employee, not the employer. Employees cannot be required to give their tips or any part of those tips to the company, unless as part of a valid tip pooling policy. And, even when tip pooling occurs, the employer cannot be part of the pool; only employees may participate.