How tipping works
This page follows a tip from the moment a shopper sees the control to where it lands on the order.
Where the control appears
Section titled “Where the control appears”Depending on your placement setting, the tip control shows on the cart page, the checkout page, or both. It carries your label and description — the heading and line of copy that explain what the tip is for — and a row of preset buttons. If you enabled it, a custom-amount input sits alongside the presets.
Choosing a preset
Section titled “Choosing a preset”The shopper taps a preset. If you configured fixed amounts, each button is a flat value. If you configured percentage of the cart, each button is a percentage of the order, calculated from the current subtotal at the moment they choose it.
As soon as they select an amount, the order totals recalculate through WooCommerce’s own checkout AJAX, so the new total — tip included — appears immediately, before they reach payment. There is no surprise charge.
Percentage tips track the cart
Section titled “Percentage tips track the cart”A percentage preset is not frozen at selection. If the shopper changes the cart afterwards — adds a product, changes a quantity — the percentage tip is recalculated against the new subtotal, so it always matches the real order value.
The custom amount
Section titled “The custom amount”If allowed, the shopper can type their own figure instead of picking a preset. This suits donations where any amount is welcome, or customers who want to give more than the top preset. The total updates live just as it does for presets.
Staying opt-in
Section titled “Staying opt-in”With the default selection set to No tip, the customer pays nothing extra unless they actively choose an amount. Tipping never adds a charge on its own — it is a choice the shopper makes, which keeps it friendly rather than pushy.
Where the tip ends up
Section titled “Where the tip ends up”The chosen tip is added to the order as a standard WooCommerce fee. That means it flows through everything WooCommerce already does with fees:
- It appears in the order totals the customer pays.
- It shows on the order in the admin.
- It is included in order emails and in reports.
The amount is additionally saved as order meta, giving you a clean record for auditing or for splitting out tip revenue later.
Taxable or not
Section titled “Taxable or not”By default the tip is added without tax, since most tips and donations are not taxed. If your jurisdiction requires it, enable taxable tips and the fee is treated as taxable instead.
Who it suits
Section titled “Who it suits”- Cafés and service businesses — a quick gratuity at checkout, usually as percentage presets.
- Charities and causes — fixed donation presets plus a custom amount, framed by donation-oriented copy.
- Creators and small makers — an optional “support our work” tip, opt-in and low-pressure.
A typical flow
Section titled “A typical flow”- The shopper reaches checkout and sees the tip control with No tip selected.
- They tap a 10% preset; the total updates live to include the tip.
- They pay. The tip appears as a fee on the order, in the confirmation email and in reports, and is recorded as order meta.