Employers Annual Information Return of Tip Income and Allocated Tips (Form 8027); Transmittal of Employer's Annual Information Return of Tip Income and Allocated Tips (Form 8027-T)

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Instructions for Form 8027

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8:13 - 11-SEP-2008

The type and rule above prints on all proofs including departmental reproduction proofs. MUST be removed before printing.

Revisions

References

2008

Department of the Treasury
Internal Revenue Service

Instructions for Form 8027
Employer’s Annual Information Return of
Tip Income and Allocated Tips
Section references are to the Internal Revenue Code unless
otherwise noted.

What’s New

'

Electronic filing. Beginning in tax year 2008, if you file 250
or more Forms 8027, you must file the returns
electronically. See Rev. Proc. 2008-34 (Pub. 1239),
Specifications for Filing Form 8027, Employer1s Annual
Information Return of Tip Income and Allocated Tips,
Electronically, for more information.

Reminders

• Attributed Tip Income Program (ATIP). The IRS
expanded its Tip Rate Determination/Education Program
(TRD/EP), by offering employers in the food and beverage
industry a new alternative: the Attributed Tip Income
Program (ATIP). ATIP was designed to promote compliance
related to reporting tip income while reducing filing and
recordkeeping burdens. There is no contract to sign and
participation is voluntary. Also, participation in ATIP would
eliminate certain employee recordkeeping for participating
employees. To participate in the program, you will need to
check the box marked “Attributed Tip Income Program
(ATIP)” on the front of Form 8027 and notify the IRS. For
complete details on qualifications and recordkeeping
requirements, you must see Rev. Proc. 2006-30, 2006-31
I.R.B. 110 at www.irs.gov/pub/irs-irbs/irb06-31.pdf.
• You must check one of the “Yes” or “No” boxes under
employer’s name and address to indicate whether or not the
establishment accepts credit cards, debit cards, or other
charges. If the “Yes” box is checked, lines 1 and 2 of Form
8027 must be completed. Also see the instructions for lines
1 and 2 on page 4.
• Complete the Worksheet for Determining Whether To File
Form 8027 (below) to determine if you must to file Form
8027.
• You may want to use the Employer’s Optional Worksheet
for Tipped Employees on page 6 as a means of determining
if your employees are reporting all of their tip income to you.

within a single building, and, if gross receipts are recorded
separately, each activity is required to file a Form 8027.
A return is required only for establishments in the 50
states and the District of Columbia.
If you are required to report for more than one
establishment, you must complete and file Form
CAUTION 8027-T, Transmittal of Employer’s Annual
Information Return of Tip Income and Allocated Tips, with
Forms 8027.
A large food or beverage establishment is one to which
all of the following apply:
• Food or beverage is provided for consumption on the
premises.
• Tipping is a customary practice.
• More than 10 employees who work more than 80 hours
were normally employed on a typical business day during
the preceding calendar year.

!

Worksheet for Determining Whether
To File Form 8027
Complete the worksheet below to determine if you had more
than 10 employees on a typical business day during 2007
and, therefore, must file Form 8027 for 2008. It is the
average number of employee hours worked on a typical
business day that determines whether or not you employed
more than 10 employees.
1. Enter one-half of the total employee hours worked
during the month in 2007 with the greatest aggregate
gross receipts from food and beverages . . . . . . . . . .
2. Enter the number of days opened for business during
the month shown in line 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3. Enter one-half of the total employee hours worked
during the month in 2007 with the least aggregate
gross receipts from food and beverages . . . . . . . . . .
4. Enter the number of days opened for business during
the month shown in line 3. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
5. Divide line 1 by line 2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
6. Divide line 3 by line 4. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
7. Add lines 5 and 6. If line 7 is greater than 80 (hours),
you must file Form 8027 for 2008. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

General Instructions
Purpose of Form
Form 8027 is used by large food or beverage
establishments when the employer is required to make
annual reports to the IRS on receipts from food or beverage
operations and tips reported by employees.
All employees receiving $20 or more a month in tips

TIP must report 100% of their tips to their employer.

Who Must File
If you are an employer who operates a large food or
beverage establishment, you must file Form 8027. If you
own more than one establishment, you must file Form 8027
for each one. There may be more than one establishment
(business activity providing food or beverages) operating

Note. The filing requirement (more than 10 employees) is
based on the total of all employees who provided services in
connection with the provision of food and beverages at the
establishment, not just the number of directly tipped
employees. Include employees such as waitstaff, bussers,
bartenders, seat persons, wine stewards, cooks, and kitchen
help. See Regulations section 31.6053-3(j)(10) for more
information.
A person who owns 50% or more in value of the stock of
a corporation that runs the establishment is not considered
an employee when determining whether the establishment
normally employs more than 10 individuals.
New large food or beverage establishment. File Form
8027 for a new large food or beverage establishment if,
during any 2 consecutive calendar months, the average
number of hours worked each business day by all
employees is more than 80 hours. To figure the average

Cat. No. 61013P

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Instructions for Form 8027

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number of employee hours worked each business day
during a month, divide the total hours all employees worked
during the month by the number of days the establishment
was open for business. After the test is met for 2
consecutive months, you must file a return covering the rest
of the year, beginning with the next payroll period.

Remind all directly and indirectly tipped employees

TIP to include all charged tips and all cash tips received
in the tip amount that they must report to you.
Nonallocable receipts. These are receipts for carryout
sales and receipts with a service charge added of 10% or
more. (Nonallocable receipts generally include all sales on
which tipping is not customary).
Complimentary items. Food or beverages served to
customers without charge must be included in gross receipts
if: (a) tipping for providing them is customary at the
establishment, and (b) they are provided in connection with
an activity that is engaged in for profit and whose receipts
would not be included in the amount on line 5 of Form 8027.
For example, you would have to include in gross receipts
the retail value of the complimentary drinks served to
customers in a gambling casino because tipping is
customary, the gambling casino is an activity engaged in for
profit, and the gambling receipts of the casino are not
included in the amount on line 5.
However, you would not have to include the retail value
of complimentary hors d’oeuvres at your bar or a
complimentary dessert served to a regular patron of your
restaurant in gross receipts because the receipts of the bar
or restaurant would be included in the amount on line 5. You
would not have to include the value of a fruit basket placed
in a hotel room in gross receipts since, generally, tipping for
it is not customary.

Exceptions To Filing
A return is not required for:
• Establishments operated for less than 1 month in
calendar year 2008.
• Fast food restaurants and operations where tipping is not
customary such as cafeterias or operations where 95% of
the total sales are carryout sales or sales with a service
charge of 10% or more.

When To File
File Form 8027 (and Form 8027-T when filing more than one
Form 8027) by March 2, 2009. However, if you file
electronically, the due date is March 31, 2009.
Extension of time to file. Filers of Form 8027 submitted
on paper or electronically may request an extension of time
to file on Form 8809, Application for Extension of Time To
File Information Returns. File Form 8809 as soon as you
know an extension of time to file is necessary, but not later
than March 2, 2009.

Where To File
Mail Form 8027 to:
Department of the Treasury
Internal Revenue Service
Cincinnati, OH 45999
Reporting and filing electronically. If you are the
employer and you file 250 or more Forms 8027, you must
file the returns electronically. For details, see Regulations
section 301.6011-2.
Specifications for filing. See Rev. Proc. 2008-34, for
specifications for filing Form 8027, Employer’s Annual
Information Return of Tip Income and Allocated Tips,
electronically. You can find Rev. Proc. 2008-34 at
www.irs.gov/pub/irs-irbs/irb08-27.pdf.

Allocation of Tips
You must allocate tips among employees who receive them
if the total tips reported to you during any payroll period are
less than 8% (or the approved lower rate) of this
establishment’s gross receipts for that period.
Generally, the amount allocated is the difference between
the total tips reported by employees and 8% (or the lower
rate) of the gross receipts, other than nonallocable receipts.
Lower rate. You (or a majority of the employees) may
request a lower rate (but not lower than 2%) by submitting
an application to:
Internal Revenue Service
National Tip Reporting Compliance
678 Front Avenue NW, Suite 200
Grand Rapids, MI 49504-5335
Do not mail Form 8027 to this address. See Where To
File discussed earlier.
The burden of supplying sufficient information to allow
the IRS to estimate with reasonable accuracy the actual tip
rate of the establishment rests with the petitioner. Your
petition for a lower rate must clearly demonstrate that a rate
less than 8% should apply. It must include the following:
• Employer’s name, address, and EIN;
• Establishment’s name, address, and establishment
number;
• Detailed description of the establishment that would help
to determine the tip rate. The description should include the
type of restaurant, days and hours of operation, type of
service including any self-service, the person (waiter or
waitress, cashier, etc.) to whom the customer pays the
check, whether the check is paid before or after the meal,
and whether alcohol is available;
• Past year’s information shown on lines 1 through 6 of
Form 8027 as well as total carryout sales; total charge
sales; percentage of sales for breakfast, lunch, and dinner;
average dollar amount of a guest check; service charge, if
any, added to the check; and the percentage of sales with a
service charge;
• Type of clientele; and
• Copy of a representative menu for each meal.

Penalties
The law provides for a penalty if you do not file Form 8027
(and Form 8027-T) on time unless you can show reasonable
cause for the delay. Employers filing late (after the due date
including extensions) should attach an explanation to the
return to show reasonable cause. You may be charged
penalties for each failure to:
• Timely file a correct information return including failure to
file electronically if required.
• Timely provide a correct Form W-2 to the employee.
See Sec. 4, Filing Requirements and Due Dates in Rev.
Proc. 2008-34 if you file electronically.
For more information on penalties for untimely or
incorrect Forms W-2 or 8027, see Sec. 9 Penalties in Rev.
Proc. 2008-34, and the Instructions for Forms W-2 and W-3.

Gross Receipts
Gross receipts include all receipts (other than nonallocable
receipts, see definition below) from cash sales, charge
receipts, charges to a hotel room (excluding tips charged to
the hotel room if your accounting procedures allow these
tips to be separated), and the retail value of complimentary
food or beverages served to customers as explained below.
Also include charged tips in gross receipts, but only to the
extent that you reduced your cash sales by the amount of
any cash you paid to tipped employees for any charged tips
due them. However, if you did not reduce cash sales for
charged tips paid out to employees, do not include those
charged tips in gross receipts. Do not include state or local
taxes in gross receipts.

The petition must contain the following statement and be
signed by a responsible person who is authorized to make
and sign a return, statement, or other document.

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Instructions for Form 8027

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not correct, cross out any errors and print the correct
information. If Form 8027 and/or Form 8027-T does not
have your preprinted information, type or print the name and
address of the establishment. They may be different from
your mailing address, as in the case of employers who have
more than one establishment. If mail is not delivered to the
street address of the establishment, enter the P.O. box
number. The employer identification number (EIN) should be
the same as the number on the Forms W-2 that you give to
the employees and the Form 941, Employer’s QUARTERLY
Federal Tax Return, that you file to report wages and taxes
for employees working for the establishment. Once you
have filed a return, a preaddressed Form 8027 and/or Form
8027-T will be sent to you annually.

“Under penalties of perjury, I declare that I have
examined this application, including accompanying
documents, and to the best of my knowledge and belief,
the facts presented in support of this petition are true,
correct, and complete.”
You must attach to the petition copies of Form 8027 (if
any) filed for the 3 years before your petition. If you are
petitioning for more than one establishment or you want to
know your appeal rights, see Rev. Proc. 86-21, 1986-1 C.B.
560 for additional information. Also include with your petition
a check or money order made payable to the “United States
Treasury” for the amount of the user fee required for
determination letters. For the current user fee amount,
contact the IRS at 1-800-829-1040.
A majority of all the directly tipped employees must
consent to any petition written by an employee. A “majority
of employees” means more than half of all directly tipped
employees employed by the establishment at the time the
petition is filed. Employee groups must follow the
procedures in Regulations section 31.6053-3(h); Pub. 531,
Reporting Tip Income; and Rev. Proc. 86-21.
The IRS will notify you when and for how long the
reduced rate is effective.

Type of establishment. Check the box (check only one
box) on the form that best describes the food or beverage
operation at this establishment:
• An establishment that serves evening meals only (with or
without alcoholic beverages).
• An establishment that serves evening and other meals
(with or without alcoholic beverages).
• An establishment that serves only meals other than
evening meals (with or without alcoholic beverages).
• An establishment that serves food, if at all, only as an
incidental part of the business of serving alcoholic
beverages.

Reporting Allocated Tips To
Employees

Employer’s name and address. Enter the name and
address of the entity or individual whose EIN is shown
above. Enter foreign addresses as follows: city, province or
state, and country. Do not abbreviate the name of the
country.

Give each employee who has been allocated tips a Form
W-2 that shows the allocated amount in box 8. The form
must be furnished to the employee by January 31 of the
following year. If employment ends before the end of the
year and the employee asks for the Form W-2, a tip
allocation is not required on the early Form W-2. However,
you may include on the early Form W-2 the employee’s
actual tip allocation or a good-faith estimate of the
allocation. Signify a good-faith estimate by writing “estimate”
next to the allocated amount in box 8 of the Form W-2.
If no allocation was shown on the early Form W-2 or if the
estimated allocation on the early form differs from the actual
amount by more than 5%, give the employee Form W-2c,
Corrected Wage and Tax Statement, during January of the
next year.
If you allocate tips among employees by the methods
described in the instructions for lines 7a through 7c, you are
not liable to any employee if any amount is improperly
allocated. However, if the allocation shown on the
employee’s Form W-2 differs from the correct allocation by
more than 5%, you must adjust that employee’s allocation
and must review the allocable amount of all other
employees in the same establishment to assure that the
error did not distort any other employee’s share by more
than 5%. Use Form W-2c to report the corrected allocation.
You do not need to send to the IRS separate copies of
Forms W-2 showing allocated tips. The IRS will use the
information shown on the Forms W-2 that you file with the
Social Security Data Operations Center.
Tip allocations have no effect on withholding income or
social security or Medicare taxes from employees’ wages.
Allocated tips are not subject to withholding and are not to
be included in boxes 1, 3, 5, and 7, of Form W-2.

Establishment number. Enter a five-digit number to
identify the individual establishments that you are reporting
under the same EIN. Give each establishment a separate
number. For example, each establishment could be
numbered consecutively, starting with 00001.
Attributed Tip Income Program (ATIP). Check this box
for the election to participate in ATIP. You can elect to
participate in ATIP by filing Form 8027 even if you are not
required to do so under current regulations. See Who Must
File on page 1. If you do not meet the requirements for filing
Form 8027, but wish to participate in ATIP, you must check
the ATIP box on Form 8027 to notify the IRS of your
participation in ATIP, complete lines 1 through 5, and send
Form 8027 to the IRS. If you have more than one
establishment, you must satisfy the requirements for each
establishment that is going to participate.
To qualify, at least 20 percent of your establishment’s
gross receipts from the sale of food or beverages for the
prior calendar year must come from charged receipts that
show charged tips. Also, at least 75% of the tipped
employees at your establishment must agree to participate
in ATIP. You must see Rev. Proc. 2006-30 for complete
details on qualifications and requirements for participating in
ATIP and notifying the IRS.

Lines 1 Through 8
Credit card sales. If the credit or debit charge receipts
reflect tips, then you must enter on lines 1 and 2 the
appropriate amounts shown on the credit card or debit card
charge statements. See instructions for line 1 below.

Specific Instructions

Rounding off to whole dollars. You may round off cents
to whole dollars on your return and schedules. If you do
round to whole dollars, you must round all amounts. To
round, drop amounts under 50 cents and increase amounts
from 50 to 99 cents to the next dollar. For example, $1.39
becomes $1 and $2.50 becomes $3.

File a separate Form 8027 for each large food or beverage
establishment. Use Form 8027-T, Transmittal of Employer’s
Annual Information Return of Tip Income and Allocated Tips,
when filing more than one Form 8027. Do not attach any
unrelated correspondence.
Name and address of establishment and employer
identification number. If your preprinted name, EIN, or
address information on Form 8027 and/or Form 8027-T is

If you have to add two or more amounts to figure the
amount to enter on a line, include cents when adding the
amounts and round off only the total.

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Deleted the word
"total" from Lines 1, 2,
3, and lines 4a & b.

New

Line 1. Charged tips for calendar year 2008. Enter the
total amount of tips that are shown on charge receipts for
the year.
Line 2. Charge receipts showing charged tips. Enter the
total sales (other than nonallocable receipts as defined on
page 2) from charge receipts that had a charged tip shown.
Include credit card charges and other credit arrangements
and charges to a hotel room unless your normal accounting
practice consistently excludes charges to a hotel room. Do
not include any state or local taxes in the amounts reported.
Line 3. Total amount of service charges of less than
10% paid as wages to employees. Enter the total amount
of service charges of less than 10% that have been added
to customers’ bills and have been distributed to your
employees for the year. In general, service charges added
to the bill are not tips since the customer does not have a
choice. These service charges are treated as wages and are
includible on Form W-2. For details, see Rev. Rul. 69-28,
1969-1 C.B. 270.
Line 4a. Tips reported by indirectly tipped employees.
Enter the total amount of tips reported for the year by
indirectly tipped employees, such as cooks, bussers, and
service bartenders. Indirectly tipped employees generally
receive their tips from other tipped employees and not
directly from the customer
Line 4b. Tips reported by directly tipped employees.
Enter the total amount of tips reported for the year by
directly tipped employees, such as bartenders and waitstaff.
Line 4c. Total tips reported. Add the amounts on lines 4a
and 4b and enter the result on line 4c. (This amount cannot
be a negative amount.)

which you may allocate tips. Check the box on line 7a, b, or
c to show the method used.
Line 7a. Hours-worked method. Establishments that
employ fewer than the equivalent of 25 full-time employees
(both tipped and nontipped employees) during a payroll
period may use the hours-worked method to allocate tips.
You will be considered to have employed fewer than the
equivalent of 25 full-time employees during a payroll period
if the average number of employee hours worked (both
tipped and nontipped employees) per business day during a
payroll period is less than 200 hours.
To allocate tips by the hours-worked method, follow the
steps explained in Line 7b. Gross receipts method below.
However, for the fraction in step 3 of the gross receipts
method, substitute in the numerator (top number) the
number of hours worked by each employee who is tipped
directly, and in the denominator (bottom number) the total
number of hours worked by all employees who are directly
tipped for the payroll period. See Regulations sections
31.6053-3(j)(19) and 31.6053-3(f)(1)(iv) for details.
If you use the hours-worked method, be sure to enter in
line 7a the average number of employee (both tipped and
nontipped) hours worked per business day during the payroll
period. If the establishment has more than one payroll
period, you must use the payroll period in which the greatest
number of workers (both tipped and nontipped) were
employed.
Line 7b. Gross receipts method. If no good-faith
agreement (as explained below) applies to the payroll
period, you must allocate the difference between total tips
reported and 8% of gross receipts using the gross receipts
method (or hours-worked method (line 7a)) as follows (see
the example on page 5).
1. Multiply the establishment’s gross receipts (other than
nonallocable receipts) for the payroll period by 8% (.08) or
the lower rate.
2. Subtract from the amount figured in step 1 the total
amount of tips reported by employees who were tipped
indirectly for the payroll period. This difference is the directly
tipped employees’ total share of 8% (or the lower rate) of the
gross receipts of the establishment. Indirectly tipped
employees do not receive tips directly from customers.
Examples are bussers, service bartenders, and cooks.
Directly tipped employees, such as waitstaff and bartenders,
receive tips directly from customers. Employees, such as
maitre d’s, who receive tips directly from customers and
indirectly through tip splitting or pooling, are treated as
directly tipped employees.
3. For each employee who is tipped directly, multiply the
result in step 2 by the following fraction: the numerator (top
number) is the amount of the establishment’s gross receipts
attributable to the employee, and the denominator (bottom
number) is the gross receipts attributable to all directly
tipped employees. The result is each directly tipped
employee’s share of 8% (or the lower rate) of the gross
receipts for the payroll period.
4. From each directly tipped employee’s share of 8% or
the lower rate of the gross receipts figured in step 3,
subtract the tips the employee reported for the payroll
period. The result is each directly tipped employee’s shortfall
(if any) for the period.
5. From the amount figured in step 1, subtract the total
tips reported by both directly and indirectly tipped
employees. The result is the amount that has to be allocated
among the directly tipped employees who had a shortfall for
the payroll period as figured in step 4.
6. For each directly tipped employee who had a shortfall
for the period as figured in step 4, multiply the amount in
step 5 by the following fraction: the numerator is the
employee’s shortfall (figured in step 4), and the denominator
is the total shortfall of all directly tipped employees. The
result is the amount of allocated tips for each directly tipped
employee.

Line 4a
+ Line 4b
Line 4c

In figuring the tips you should report for 2008, do not
include tips received by employees in December
CAUTION 2007, but not reported until January 2008. However,
include tips received by employees in December 2008, but
not reported until January 2009.
Line 5. Gross receipts from food or beverage
operations. Enter the total gross receipts from the
provision of food or beverages for this establishment for the
year.
If you do not charge separately for providing food or
beverages along with other goods or services (such as a
package deal for food and lodging), make a good-faith
estimate of the gross receipts from the food or beverages.
This estimate must reflect the cost to the employer for
providing the food or beverage plus a reasonable profit
factor.
Line 6. Enter the result of multiplying line 5 by 8% (.08) or
a lower rate (if the establishment was granted a lower rate
by the IRS).
If a lower percentage rate was granted, write the rate in
the space provided and attach a copy of the IRS
determination letter.

!

The 8% rate (or lower rate) is used for tip allocation
purposes only. Using this rate does not mean that
CAUTION directly tipped employees must report only 8%. They
should report the amount of actual tips received.

!

If you have allocated tips using other than the

TIP calendar year, put an “X” on line 6 and enter the
amount of allocated tips (if any) from your records on
line 7. This may occur if you allocated tips based on the time
period for which wages were paid or allocated on a quarterly
basis.
Line 7. Allocation of tips. If the amount shown on line 6 is
more than the amount of tips reported by your employees on
line 4c, you must allocate the excess to those employees.
Enter the excess on line 7. There are three methods by

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Line 7c. Good-faith agreement. An allocation can be
made under a good-faith agreement. This is a written
agreement between you and at least two-thirds of the
employees of each occupational category of employees who
receive tips (for example, waitstaff, bussers, and maitre d’s)
working in the establishment when the agreement is
adopted. The agreement must:
1. Provide for an allocation of the difference between
total tips reported and 8% of gross receipts among
employees who receive tips that approximates the actual
distribution of tip income among the employees;
2. Be effective the first day of a payroll period that begins
after the date the agreement is adopted, but no later than
January 1 of the next year;
3. Be adopted when there are employees in each
occupational category who would be affected by the
agreement; and
4. Allow for revocation by a written agreement adopted
by at least two-thirds of the employees in occupational
categories affected by the agreement when it is revoked.
The revocation is effective only at the beginning of a payroll
period.

mechanical device, or computer software program. For
details and required documentation, see Rev. Proc.
2005-39. You can find Rev. Proc. 2005-39, 2005-28 I.R.B.
82 at www.irs.gov/pub/irs-irbs/irb05-28.pdf.
Example for Line 7b. Gross receipts method. A large
food or beverage establishment has gross receipts for a
payroll period of $100,000 and has tips reported for the
payroll period of $6,200. Directly tipped employees reported
$5,700, while indirectly tipped employees reported $500.

1.
2.

Line 8. Total number of directly tipped employees.
Enter the total number of directly tipped employees who
worked at the establishment during 2008. This is the
cumulative total of all directly tipped employees who worked
at the establishment at any time during the year. If you have
a large turnover of directly tipped employees, this number
may be large. Do not use this number to determine if you
must file Form 8027. Instead, see the Worksheet for
Determining Whether To File Form 8027 on page 1.

Directly
tipped
employees

Gross receipts
for payroll
period

A
B
C
D
E
F
Totals

$18,000
16,000
23,000
17,000
12,000
14,000
$100,000

Directly
tipped
employees

Directly tipped
employee’s
share of 8% of
the gross

A
B
C
D
E
F

$7,500
$7,500
$7,500
$7,500
$7,500
$7,500

Directly
tipped
employees

Employee’s
share of 8% of
the gross

A
B
C
D
E
F

$1,350
$1,200
$1,725
$1,275
$ 900
$1,050

Shortfall
employees

Allocable
amount

A
B
D
E
F

$1,800
$1,800
$1,800
$1,800
$1,800

Signature
4.

5.
6.

$1,080
880
1,810
800
450
680
$5,700

$100,000 (gross receipts) x .08 = $8,000
$8,000 - $500 (tips reported by indirectly tipped employees) = $7,500

3.

Sign your name and include your title. Then enter the date
signed and the best daytime telephone number where IRS
can reach you, including area code.
Who must sign the Form 8027? Form 8027 must be
signed as follows.
• Sole proprietorship. The individual who owns the
business.
• Corporation (including an LLC treated as a
corporation). The president, vice president, or other
principal officer.
• Partnership (including an LLC treated as a
partnership) or unincorporated organization. A
responsible and duly authorized member or officer having
knowledge of its affairs.
• Single member limited liability company (LLC) treated
as a disregarded entity. The owner of the limited liability
company (LLC).
• Trust or estate. The fiduciary.
Form 8027 may also be signed by a duly authorized
agent of the taxpayer if a valid power of attorney has been
filed.
Alternative signature method. Corporate officers or duly
authorized agents may sign Form 8027 by rubber stamp,

Tips reported

(Times)
Gross receipts
ratio

Employee’s
share of 8%
of gross

18,000/100,000 =
16,000/100,000 =
23,000/100,000 =
17,000/100,000 =
12,000/100,000 =
14,000/100,000 =
Total

$1,350
1,200
1,725
1,275
900
1,050
$7,500

(Minus)
Tips Reported

Employee
shortfall

$1,080 =
$270
880 =
320
1,810 =
–
800 =
475
450 =
450
680 =
370
Total shortfall
$1,885
$8,000 less $6,200 (total tips reported) = $1,800 (amount allocable
among employees who had a shortfall)
(Times)
Shortfall ratio

Amount of
allocation

270/1,885 =
320/1,885 =
475/1,885 =
450/1,885 =
370/1,885 =

$258
306
454
430
353

Since employee C has no shortfall, there is no allocation to C.

In this example, the total amount of allocation is

TIP $1,801 resulting from the rounding off to whole
numbers.

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Page 6 of 6

Instructions for Form 8027

8:13 - 11-SEP-2008

The type and rule above prints on all proofs including departmental reproduction proofs. MUST be removed before printing.

Privacy Act and Paperwork Reduction Act Notice. We
ask for the information on this form to carry out the Internal
Revenue laws of the United States. You are required to give
us the information. We need it to ensure that you are
complying with these laws and to allow us to figure and
collect the right amount of tax.
Chapter 61, Information and Returns, of Subtitle F,
Procedure and Administration, requires certain employers to
report gross receipts, tips reported to them, and any
allocated tips; and to furnish the amount of any allocated
tips to affected employees. Section 6053 and its related
,
regulations provide the definitions and methodology to be
used in completing these forms. If you fail to provide this
information in a timely manner you may be liable for
penalties as provided by section 6721.
You are not required to provide the information requested
on a form that is subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act
unless the form displays a valid OMB control number. Books
or records relating to a form or its instructions must be
retained as long as their contents may become material in
the administration of any Internal Revenue law.
Generally, tax returns and return information are
confidential, as required by section 6103. However, section
6103 allows or requires the Internal Revenue Service to
disclose or give the information shown on your tax return to
others as described in the Code. For example, we may
disclose your tax information to the Department of Justice
for civil and criminal litigation, and to cities, states, and the
District of Columbia for use in administering their tax laws.
We may also disclose this information to other countries
under a tax treaty, to federal and state agencies to enforce
federal nontax criminal laws, or to federal law enforcement
and intelligence agencies to combat terrorism.
The time needed to complete and file these forms will
vary depending on individual circumstances. The estimated
average times are:

Employer’s Optional Worksheet
for Tipped Employees
Unreported tip income can lead to additional employer
liability for FICA taxes. As a means of determining if your
employees are reporting all of their tips to you, please take a
few minutes to voluntarily complete the following worksheet.
Completing this worksheet is only for the employer’s
information (it is not sent to the IRS).
1. Enter amount from Form 8027, line 1 . . . . . . . . .
2. Enter amount from Form 8027, line 2 . . . . . . . . .
3. Divide line 1 by line 2, enter as a decimal (at least 4
decimal places) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
4. Enter amount from Form 8027, line 4c . . . . . . . .
5. Enter amount from Form 8027, line 5 . . . . . . . . .
6. Divide line 4 by line 5, enter as a decimal (at least 4
decimal places) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
7. Subtract line 6 from line 3; if zero or less, stop here
8. Potential unreported tips. Multiply line 7 by line 5

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

Once you have completed the worksheet:
• If the entry on line 7 is zero or less, your employees are
probably accurately reporting their tips; however,
• If the entry on line 8 is greater than zero, depending on
the type of operation you have and whether or not you have
allocated tips, it is possible that your employees are not
reporting all of their tip income to you.
Another quick method to determine if your
TIP employees are properly reporting all of their tips to
you is to compare the rate of tips reported on credit
sales to the rate of tips reported on cash sales. For
example, if line 3 in the worksheet above greatly exceeds
the rate determined from dividing reported cash tips by
reportable cash receipts (that is, total cash receipts less
nonallocable cash receipts), some of your employees may
not be reporting all of their tips to you and you generally
should be showing an amount on line 7 (“Allocation of tips”)
of Form 8027.

Forms

Need Help?
If it appears that not all tips are being reported to you, the
IRS offers a service called the Tip Rate Determination &
Education Program. This program can assist you, the
employer, in implementing more effective methods of tip
income reporting. The program also offers assistance in
educating tipped employees concerning their obligations
relating to the reporting of any tip income they receive. To
find out more about this program or to participate in a
voluntary tip compliance agreement, visit www.irs.gov and
type “restaurant” in the Keyword search box. You may also
call 1-800-829-4933 or visit www.irs.gov/localcontacts for
the IRS Taxpayer Assistance Center in your area; or send
an email to TIP.Program@irs.gov and request information
on this program.

8027

8027-T

Recordkeeping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

9 hr., 47 min.

43 min.

Learning about the law or the form . . . . .

53 min.

Preparing and sending the form to the IRS

1 hr.

If you have comments concerning the accuracy of these
time estimates or suggestions for making these forms
simpler, we would be happy to hear from you. You can write
to the Internal Revenue Service, Tax Products Coordinating
Committee, SE:W:CAR:MP:T:T:SP, 1111 Constitution Ave.
NW, IR-6526, Washington, DC 20224. Do not send the tax
forms to this address. Instead, see Where To File
on page 2.

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