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Daily tip record template (Form 4070A replacement)

Updated October 29, 2026 · 4 min read

Short answer: Form 4070A is historical. Publication 531 says you can keep a daily tip record in a tip diary or with copies of documents that show your tips, such as restaurant bills and card charge slips. A daily tip record needs the date, cash tips, card tips your employer pays you, the value of noncash tips, and tips you paid to other employees with their names. A notebook, a spreadsheet or the free CSV below are ways to keep a tip diary.

What happened to Form 4070 and 4070A?

Form 4070A, Employee's Daily Record of Tips, used to be printed in IRS Publication 1244. Publication 531 says Forms 4070 and 4070A were made historical, and that the previous revisions are still available (IRS Publication 531, 12/2024). The rule behind them did not change. The IRS tip page says employees must keep a daily record of tips received (IRS, Tip recordkeeping and reporting). Only the form went away.

What columns does a daily tip record need?

Publication 531 says to start your records with your name, your employer's name, and the name of the business if it is different. Then, for each workday, write the date and:

Source: IRS Publication 531.

The template adds three columns the IRS does not ask for, because they make your own math easier: hours worked (for your real hourly), tips kept (cash plus card minus tips paid out) and notes (a large party, or a service charge you want to keep apart from tips).

Example: one filled week

The numbers below are made up to show the arithmetic. Employer: one restaurant. Tips kept = cash + card - paid out. Noncash tips are not counted in tips kept, because Publication 531 says not to report their value to your employer.

Check: $320 + $825 - $135 = $1,010, which matches the sum of the Kept column.

How do I use it?

1. After each shift, fill one row before you leave. Write the tip-outs and the names while you still have the cash-out slip in your hand.
2. Once a week, add the columns. A weekly total also gives you your real hourly: (wages + tips kept) / hours.
3. At the end of the month, add up the Kept column for each job. If the total from one job is $20 or more, that is the figure you report to your employer by the 10th of the next month. If it is under $20, you do not report it to that employer (IRS Publication 531). The steps are in How to report cash tips to your employer.
4. Keep noncash tips separate. Their value stays out of the report to your employer but goes on your tax return, per Publication 531.
5. Keep the record. Publication 531 says to keep your records for as long as they are important for administration of the federal tax law.

Download the template

The file has one header row and 31 blank rows (one per day of a month): daily-tip-record.csv. It opens in Excel, Google Sheets, Numbers or any text editor. Its columns are:

date, employer, hours_worked, cash_tips, card_tips, noncash_tips_value, tips_paid_out, paid_out_to, tips_kept, notes

If you work more than one job, fill in the employer column so your monthly totals stay separate. Type tips_kept yourself or add a spreadsheet formula (cash + card - paid out).

If you want the same record without typing it into a spreadsheet, Goodhands Tip Tracker is a free Android app whose CSV export includes the same facts per shift: date, hours, cash tips, card tips, tips paid out and to whom, and tips kept (home page).

FAQ

Is Form 4070A still required?

No. The IRS made Forms 4070 and 4070A historical, and the previous revisions are still available (IRS Publication 531).

Do I record tips before or after tip-out?

Record both, in separate columns. You report to your employer only the tips you receive and keep (IRS Publication 531).

Do I need names for tip-outs?

Yes. Publication 531 lists the names of the employees you paid as part of the daily record.

This guide describes record-keeping and quotes public IRS material. It is not tax or legal advice. Last checked: 2026-10-29.

Guides describe public information and are not tax advice. Goodhands is not affiliated with the IRS.