The Payment of Wages (Amendment) (Tips and Gratuities) Act 2022, which came into effect on 1 December 2022, requires a statutory review to be undertaken after one year to assess its impact.

As part of the review, a public consultation is seeking views on the background to the current legislative framework for tips and gratuities; an overview of the key requirements of the Act; possible weaknesses in the current legislative framework; and possible areas for improvement.

Neale Richmond, minister of state for business, employment and retail, said: “This legislation provides clarity and transparency to how tips, gratuities and service charges are treated for the first time. This provides huge benefits to workers, particularly those in the hospitality and services sectors who rely on tips, as well as their customers.

“These protections have been in place for over a year now and we are seeking to hear from both workers who receive tips, as well as business owners, as to how this is working in practice, and where possible improvements can be made.

“I would encourage all those who are impacted by this legislation to partake in this consultation to ensure that their views are heard.

“This government believes in making work pay and allowing workers to retain their hard-earned tips is an important aspect of this.

“While the vast majority of employers treat employees and their tips well, where issues arise, employees can turn to the Workplace Relations Commission if they feel they have been unfairly treated.”