Tipping: rounding up and saying the amount

Newcomers commonly notice that:

• You tip by saying the total. When the server brings the bill, you name the amount you want to pay including the tip (for a €27.40 bill, Dreißig, bitte – thirty, please), or hand over cash and say Stimmt so (keep the change).
• Tips are smaller than in some countries. Around 10% in restaurants is a common rule of thumb, and for a quick coffee or drink people often just round up by a small amount (IamExpat, 2024).
• Card terminals may suggest a tip. Some show preset percentages or a no-tip option; you can also tell the server the total before they type in the amount.
• Habits vary. A Berlin restaurant manager told deutschland.de (2018) that tips are lower in Berlin than she was used to, that foreign visitors are generally more generous, and that older Germans often give less than younger ones; for her, a tip is above all a sign of recognition.

The way tipping works follows from how prices and pay are set:

• Menu prices are final. Restaurant prices must already include the service charge and all other surcharges (§ 13 PAngV), and prices quoted to consumers must be total prices (§ 3 PAngV).
• Wages do not depend on tips. Every employee is entitled to at least the statutory minimum wage from their employer (§ 1 MiLoG): €13.90 gross per hour from 1 January 2026, rising to €14.60 in 2027 (Federal Government).
• Tips are a bonus. Tips that customers give employees voluntarily, on top of the price, are exempt from income tax (§ 3 No. 51 EStG).

So a tip in Germany is a thank-you for good service, not a part of the bill you are expected to cover.

Typical amounts reported by IamExpat (2024) as rough orientation:

• Restaurants, cafés, bars: about 10% for table service; for quick visits, rounding up by 50 cents to a few euros.
• Taxis and ride-hailing: about 5–10%.
• Hairdressers: about 5–10%.
• Hotels: a few euros per night for housekeeping in upmarket hotels; usually nothing expected in budget places.
• Cloakrooms: €1–3 where there is no fixed fee.

Expectations also vary by city, setting and generation, as the restaurant manager's experience above shows. If service was poor, you are not obliged to tip.