Tips from checks written for over the amount

[Salon4]

Customers often write checks for over the amount as a tip. How can I seamlessly track my tips? I have seen the work-around to add "tips" as an item and include in the sale, but that necessitates a) knowing in advance that the customer will use a check and will tip, and b) doing math on the fly when I'm busy and people are waiting. Any other ways? I am solo and can wait to do it at the end of the day if necessary.

If the work-around is the only option, can someone lay out a step by step on how that transaction would go? Below is what I *think* would have to happen, but I'm unsure.

1) ring up items

2) tell customer their total BEFORE clicking "Charge"

3) evaluate their payment type and whether they tipped

4) if anything other than a check, click "Charge" and proceed with transaction

5) if check and written for over the amount, use an external calculator to figure out the tip

6) add item "tip" to the sale with the appropriate tip amount

7) click "Charge" and designate as a check

8 ) at end of day do a cash out for the total amount of my manually created "tips" item and take that amount from the drawer

9) then find the "Tips (Non-cash)" that is automatically calculated for all credit/debit sales and take that amount out as well. This does not need a cash-out.

Is that correct? Seems unnecessarily complicated. Please tell me there is an easier way!

[Donnie-M]

@Salon4 I had this problem before and what I did was just look at the transaction amount and pull the tip out of the cash at the end of the day.  I just added the actual cash + Check + credit card and had my total collected for the day.  Basically the drawer balances when you remove the excess cash.  There isn't a line on a normal restaurant bill for tips as cash anyway..people just leave extra.

[Salon4]

Thank you for your reply, @Donnie-M. I think I understand this approach for cash and check. 

Does the "Total Collected" amount on the Sales Report include credit card tips? I would assume it includes the cash sales amounts (not including cash tips), sales total from checks (not including tips), and sales total from credit cards. But does that "Total Collected" amount include credit card tips? 

How do I know how much to pull out for credit card tips and how do I do that? 

[Donnie-M]

@Salon4 Total collected really is just that.  It is the total amount of all cash collected, checks, cash app, and credit cards you took in.  It is separate from the other numbers of course.

There is a line on the report for tips.  When I have a check I just have to manually take the check/other payment line under total collected and deduct that from the check face amount since the register will not record a higher $$ amount than the transaction.  This tells me what to pull out cash.  Then when I add my actual cash, +credit card tips, +other it should still equal total collected (this is assuming it balances in the first place).  Other wise you would just see that you have more than the total collected.

If you are pulling the cash out ahead of time for credit card tips to pay out, that is a little different.  You would take the overage from the check and then pull out cash from the tips line on the report.  The check will not affect the tip line as the tips is ONLY credit card tips unless you are using restaurants and declaring cash tips.