Looking for a Grateful (grtfl) tronc alternative?

Grateful, often written grtfl, is a tip-management platform used across UK hospitality. Here is how an appointed independent troncmaster differs, and when each makes sense.

In short

Tip-management platforms are built primarily around collecting and moving tips — digital tipping, card capture, distribution to staff. An independent troncmaster arrangement is built around who decides the allocation and who carries the compliance. Many operators end up needing both: a way to collect tips, and a defensible tronc governing how they are shared.

What we do differently

Troncmaster Services acts as the independent troncmaster itself. We are appointed to the role, we decide the allocation under the scheme rules, we run the distribution each pay cycle and we hold the records. The employer does not control the distribution, which is the condition HMRC looks at when deciding whether the National Insurance treatment stands.

Scheme design. Allocation basis, points or percentage model, front and back of house split, agency worker treatment, written tipping policy.
Monthly administration. Pot reconciliation, allocation, payroll instruction, payslip treatment and the three-year record trail the Tips Act requires.
Compliance defence. Documented independence, scheme rules and a full audit trail if HMRC or a worker challenges the arrangement.

See tronc management and tronc scheme design.

Tip collection and tronc governance are different problems

Collecting tips well — QR tipping, card capture, fast payout — improves the volume and speed of the pot. It does not by itself establish that the employer is not controlling the distribution, which is the point HMRC examines when the National Insurance treatment is tested.

Nor does it, on its own, satisfy the Employment (Allocation of Tips) Act 2024, which requires a written tipping policy, fair allocation with regard to the statutory Code of Practice, three years of records and distribution by the end of the month following receipt.

We are frequently appointed alongside an existing collection platform rather than instead of one.

Questions to ask any tip or tronc provider

Whether you go with us, with Grateful, or stay as you are, these are the questions that decide whether a tronc actually holds up:

Who is the troncmaster on paper? If that person is an owner, director or someone who reports to one, the independence HMRC requires is weak.
Who decides the allocation? Software that applies rules the employer sets is not the same as an independent person deciding them.
Where do the records live? The Tips Act requires three years of records and a written policy available to workers on request.
What happens under challenge? Ask who answers HMRC, and who defends the allocation if a worker takes it to a tribunal.
Are deductions taken? Card fees and admin deductions from the tip pool have been unlawful since 1 October 2024.

Frequently asked questions

Can we keep our tipping app and still use an independent troncmaster?: Yes, and it is a common setup. The app collects the tips into the pot; we decide and run the allocation under the scheme rules and hold the records.
Does using a tip platform mean we already have a tronc?: Not necessarily. A tronc exists where an independent troncmaster decides the allocation. If your management team sets and controls the split, the arrangement may not qualify for the National Insurance treatment regardless of the software used.
How quickly can a scheme be in place?: Most single sites go live in two to four weeks from the initial review — scheme rules drafted, troncmaster appointed, policy issued to staff and the first distribution run.
Do agency workers have to be included?: Agency workers supplied to the site are in scope of the Tips Act 2024 and must be considered in a fair allocation. We build their treatment into the scheme rules explicitly.

Compare us properly — book a 20-minute review

We will look at how your tips and service charge are collected and distributed today, tell you where your current arrangement carries risk under the Tips Act 2024, and estimate the National Insurance a compliant tronc would remove. No obligation to switch.

Book a free tronc review