Move your tip history without losing records

Keep the original before making a cleaner copy

Export the available history from your current tracker and give the file a name that includes the app and export date. Keep that original unchanged. If you need to rename columns or fix formatting, work on a separate copy. This gives you a clear way back if a later import looks wrong and avoids turning your only record into a half-finished conversion experiment.

Check what the export actually includes. It may contain shifts but omit notes, settings, venues or attachments. A CSV is a table format, not a promise that every part of an app is represented. If the old app offers a separate full backup, retain that too. Do not delete the old app or its data simply because you have downloaded a file successfully.

Inspect the columns before opening the import screen

Look at a few ordinary shifts and one unusual shift that you remember well. Identify the date, hours, cash tips, card tips, tip-out and any pool distribution. Compare the headings with the old app's explanation. A field called total may already include a deduction or may describe a payout rather than earnings. Mapping it by its name alone can double-count money.

Make a small column map in plain language: old column, its meaning, destination field. If there is no matching field in the new app, keep the information in the original export or a separate note instead of forcing it into an unrelated amount. Do not invent missing hours to make a chart work. Unknown values should remain identifiable as unknown.

Check dates and numbers for regional differences

The date 03/04/2026 can mean March 4 or 3 April. Confirm the convention from a shift you can identify independently. A clear year-month-day format is easier to inspect when a tool supports it, but do not change dates blindly across the whole file. Overnight shifts can also use a start date in one app and an end date in another; retain a consistent convention and note the difference.

Numbers need the same attention. A comma may be a decimal separator or a field separator, and a period may indicate a decimal or thousands. Currency symbols, spaces and time formats such as 4:30 may be handled differently from decimal hours such as 4.5. Check the preview against the original values. A successful upload only proves that the software accepted the file, not that it interpreted every field correctly.

Try a small, representative sample first

If the new tool supports a preview or a limited import, begin with a handful of shifts. Include cash and card tips, a tip-out, a shift with no tips and an overnight shift if those occur in your work. A sample containing only straightforward rows can miss the very formatting issue that will affect the rest of the history.

In TipTill, the published support information describes a CSV import with a column preview before anything is saved. Use that preview to inspect the mapping carefully. Do not assume that every export from every competing tracker has a ready-made template. If the preview cannot represent your data clearly, stop and ask support with a redacted example. There is no need to send your full income history to explain a column problem.

Reconcile row counts and totals after import

Count the shifts in the source sample and the imported result. Compare the date range, total hours and separate cash, card and tip-out totals. Then inspect the unusual shift individually. A matching grand total is useful, but it can hide two mistakes that cancel each other out. Separate component totals make that less likely.

For the full move, use the same checks for a complete pay period and for the whole exported range. Keep a note of the filename and import date. If you accidentally import twice, use the destination tool's documented way to review or remove duplicates rather than making another import in the hope that it replaces the first. Before deleting anything, confirm which records are original and which are duplicated.

Treat sync, CSV export and backup as different tools

Sync helps keep data consistent across supported devices. A CSV export gives you a portable table. A full backup may preserve more app-specific information. These are related but different functions. If you delete a record in a synchronised system, that deletion may propagate; a separate dated export can still be valuable for checking your history.

TipTill's support page describes on-device records, optional private iCloud sync, CSV export and a backup option under More. The same page explains that deleting all data with iCloud sync enabled also removes the synced data. Read those distinctions before cleaning up. Keep sensitive exports in a location you control, avoid public sharing links and share only the minimum redacted sample needed for support.

Choose the next tracker for your actual routine

Migration is a good moment to ask what you need every week. If your routine centres on shifts, cash and card tips, tip-out and pay periods, a focused hospitality tracker can save you from maintaining a complicated general-purpose spreadsheet. TipTill's published offer is free, with no subscription, ads or account requirement, and its import/export approach supports keeping your records portable.

TipTill is now available on the App Store for iPhone with iOS 26 or later. All features are included free, and the app interface is in English and German. The languages of these guides do not imply additional app-interface languages. Keep your original records while checking imported entries and any amounts still awaiting payout. TipTill is a personal recordkeeping tool, not an automatic payroll reconciliation service.

Finish with a clear handover date

Choose the date from which you will enter new shifts only in the new tracker. Keep the old history available for reference during a short reconciliation period, but avoid entering the same new shift in multiple places indefinitely. Write down any unresolved exceptions, such as a pending card payout or an unsupported note field.

Once the new record has passed your checks and you have retained the original export, you can decide what to archive. Preserve whatever documents you need for your own circumstances; this article does not set tax or employment record-retention requirements. Your checklist is complete when dates, amounts and counts agree, exceptions are explained and you know where the backup lives.

Frequently asked questions