Many visitors assume a service charge listed on a UK bill automatically goes straight to the person who served them. For years that was not always true — some restaurants kept a portion to cover card fees or admin costs. The Employment (Allocation of Tips) Act, which came into force in 2024, now requires UK employers to pass on tips and service charges to staff in full, without deductions. It is a genuinely different system than it was a few years ago.
What to do at the table
Check the bill first — if a service charge (often 12.5%) is already listed, nothing further is expected.
If no service charge appears, 10% for good service is the general norm.
Pubs serving food rarely add a service charge and rarely expect a tip for drinks ordered at the bar.
Taxis: round up to the nearest pound or two. Black cabs and minicabs both follow this loosely.
In central London specifically
Restaurants in tourist-heavy areas such as Covent Garden, Soho and the West End are the most likely in the country to add a service charge automatically, sometimes at 12.5% or slightly higher for larger groups. Outside the capital, and in smaller towns generally, a service charge on the bill is noticeably less common and the 10% guideline applies more often.
You can ask to remove it: a UK service charge is, in almost all cases, discretionary — restaurants cannot force you to pay it if you were genuinely unhappy with the service, though doing so is unusual and reserved for real problems.