Gratuidades

Gratuidades is a term used in Portuguese to refer to gratuities or tips given to service workers as recognition of service, as well as to related concepts such as service charges. The word can also denote exemptions or waivers in a public or administrative context, depending on the jurisdiction and field of use. In everyday language, gratuidades commonly refer to voluntary payments made by customers to employees in hospitality, food service, and personal care, and these payments can supplement wages or, in some cases, be pooled and distributed among staff.

In different Portuguese-speaking countries, the practice and terminology vary. In Brazil and Portugal, the more common term for tips is gorjetas, but gratuidades may be used in formal or accounting contexts. Some establishments apply a mandatory service charge that is added to the bill and may be retained by the business or redistributed to staff according to internal rules or union agreements. Where gratuidades are treated as employee income, they are typically subject to taxation and wage reporting requirements; in other cases, they may be considered a discretionary benefit or a cost of doing business.

Economic and social aspects of gratuidades include their role in wage structures, incentives for service quality, and potential implications for wage fairness and transparency. The practice can raise issues such as tipping norms, fairness in distribution (tip pooling), and the reliability of gratuities as a portion of income, particularly in low-wage sectors.

Aside from payment practices, gratuidade also appears in administrative contexts to denote exemptions from fees, such as gratuidade de justiça (free access to legal services) in some jurisdictions.

See also: gorjetas, propinas, service charge, tip pooling, gratuidade de justiça.