Running multiple hospitality sites without a properly structured tronc scheme? That’s not just inefficient — it’s financially dangerous. One wrong move and HMRC will be at your door with penalties, demands, and backdated NIC bills you didn’t budget for. Too many restaurant and hotel groups think a DIY approach is good enough. It’s not. Without a legally independent troncmaster, a documented policy, and multi-site allocation rules, your tronc setup risks being reclassified by HMRC as earnings — and you’ll foot the bill.
We build and manage group tronc systems that meet legal requirements, protect your business from unnecessary liabilities, and put money back in your pocket by removing employer NICs.
Our Services
We help multi-site operators move from uncertain, informal tip management to fully compliant, group-wide tronc schemes. No vague policies. No shortcuts. No exposure. We know exactly how to build it — and keep it working.
Appointing a Legally Independent Group Troncmaster
We assign a group-level troncmaster not connected to payroll, HR, or operations. This single point of administration ensures HMRC accepts the structure as compliant across all your sites — which is the cornerstone of NIC savings and legal safety.
Multi-Site Tronc Policy Creation
We draft a full tronc policy that covers every branch, kitchen, bar, and team. This includes allocation logic (points-based, hours worked, role-weighted), distribution schedules, staff rights, and dispute resolution. It’s documented, signed off, and reviewed quarterly.
Full Scheme Setup and Employee Consultation
Before anything rolls out, we liaise with your staff, gather input, and ensure each employee understands the scheme. This is essential — staff consultation is a legal requirement. We handle the entire process and retain records for compliance audits.
NIC Liability Review and Forecasting
We calculate your current employer NICs and what you’ll save with a tronc in place. Multi-site operators typically save between 11% and 13.8% of tronc-eligible payroll — often five to six figures annually, depending on headcount and tipping volume.
Tronc Fund Allocation Systems
We build centralised systems that support your troncmaster in allocating tips across sites. Whether you need fixed allocation schedules or flexible, performance-based systems, we ensure payout is automated, traceable, and HMRC-compliant.
Ongoing Tronc Administration and Payouts
We don’t walk away after setup. We stay involved, managing all aspects of the scheme: collecting tip data, distributing funds, resolving disputes, maintaining audit trails, and updating documentation in line with legal shifts.
HMRC Documentation and Audit Preparedness
We store and maintain all records, including staff consultations, payout logs, and policy amendments. Should HMRC conduct an inspection, your scheme is airtight, backed with documentation they can’t argue with.
Staff Communication and Onboarding Across Sites
Staff turnover is high in hospitality — that’s no secret. We provide training materials and ongoing onboarding support for new hires, ensuring they’re added to the scheme quickly and correctly, with zero admin strain on your in-house teams.
Why Choose Us
- We’ve built tronc schemes across groups with 2 to 50+ locations — we know what breaks down at scale and how to prevent it.
- Every system we build is backed by HMRC audit-readiness — from the first document to the last staff allocation.
- We run your scheme month-to-month, so your internal team doesn’t have to juggle the compliance, paperwork, or risk.
- Our troncmasters work independently, avoiding the PAYE pitfalls that sink in-house tronc structures.
- We prioritise NIC efficiency while keeping your staff fairly paid and fully informed.
FAQs
Yes, as long as the tronc structure is centralised and the troncmaster remains independent of payroll and management.
Not unless tip collection or distribution practices vary significantly. We can set group-wide policies or site-specific addendums.
High. HMRC will likely reclassify the tronc as employer-managed, making you liable for PAYE and NICs.
Typically 2–4 weeks, depending on the number of sites and employee count.
We provide clean data outputs that can be fed into any standard payroll system without adding administrative load.
Our tronc policy includes a formal appeals process, and we handle all responses to ensure consistency and compliance.
Yes. We manage all documentation and act as your point of contact in any tronc-related inquiry.
Ready to Remove Tronc Risk and Keep More of Your Cash?
We handle tronc schemes so you don’t have to. From policy creation to staff communication and HMRC-proof recordkeeping — it’s sorted. Book your consultation and put a compliant group-wide system in place that works.
