Indiana · Updated Oct 2026
Mandatory employee permit required by the state to bartend here
Indiana bartenders need an employee permit, but that won't teach you the job. Here's your path from zero experience to your first shift, plus the rules and pay to know.
Quick answer
Indiana requires an employee permit from the Alcohol and Tobacco Commission for bartenders, servers and other staff who sell or serve alcohol. The venue holds its own alcohol permit, and your employee permit lasts 3 years (2 years for the restricted permit for ages 18 to 20). You must be 21 to bartend; at 18 you can serve in restaurants after server training. Learn the job first, then get your employee permit.
Your path
Take Bar Ready online: tools, pours, spirits, cocktails, service and how to get hired.
Watch every lesson in full to unlock each course's certificate of completion in your dashboard. It shows employers you trained. It isn't a license.
Complete ATC-certified server training within 120 days of starting work. If you're 18 to 20, finish it before you apply for your permit.
See local rules ↓Put your training and certificates on your resume and apply to bars and restaurants near you.
Pour, serve and earn tips. In Indiana, tipped staff get at least $2.13/hr, and tips must bring them to $7.25/hr.
Indiana rules
You must be 21 to bartend in Indiana. At 18 to 20, you can work as a server in a restaurant or hotel dining area if you've completed server training and a trained supervisor 21 or older is present.
Indiana ATC, Alcohol Permits 101 IC 7.1-5-7-13 (Indiana Code Title 7.1)
Indiana requires an employee permit from the Alcohol and Tobacco Commission for bartenders, servers and other staff who sell or serve alcohol. The venue holds its own alcohol permit, and your employee permit lasts 3 years (2 years for the restricted permit for ages 18 to 20).
Indiana ATC, Alcohol Permits 101 IN.gov FAQ: bartender license Indiana ATC online services IC 7.1-3-18-9 (Indiana Code Title 7.1)
Everyone who serves alcohol in Indiana must complete a certified server training program within 120 days of starting work. If you're 18 to 20, you must finish it before you apply for your permit, and all servers take a refresher course every 3 years.
IC 7.1-3-1.5-13 (Indiana Code Title 7.1) Indiana ATC server training IN.gov FAQ: who needs server training
Employers can pay tipped staff $2.13 an hour if tips bring them to at least $7.25 an hour; if not, the employer makes up the difference.
Rules change. Last checked October 2026. This is general information, not legal advice. Confirm with the Indiana Alcohol and Tobacco Commission (ATC) and your employer before you apply.
Local rules
Indiana's permit and training rules for servers and bartenders are set statewide by the Alcohol and Tobacco Commission, so they're the same in every county. Your employer may add its own house rules.
State alcohol agency
The agency that licenses and regulates alcohol sales in Indiana.
Open the official websiteYour employer can also tell you which rules apply where you'll work.
Pay
Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (Indiana, Bartenders 35-3011) and U.S. DOL state tipped wage table (rev. July 1, 2026). BLS wages include tips reported by employers. What you earn depends on the venue, your shifts and your location, and isn't guaranteed.
Jobs
Open bartender listings near you on Indeed. Barback and server openings are worth a look too: they're a common way behind the bar.
The question we hear most
Questions people ask
Indiana requires an employee permit from the Alcohol and Tobacco Commission for bartenders, servers and other staff who sell or serve alcohol. The venue holds its own alcohol permit, and your employee permit lasts 3 years (2 years for the restricted permit for ages 18 to 20).
Indiana ATC, Alcohol Permits 101 IN.gov FAQ: bartender license Indiana ATC online services IC 7.1-3-18-9 (Indiana Code Title 7.1)
You must be 21 to bartend in Indiana. At 18 to 20, you can work as a server in a restaurant or hotel dining area if you've completed server training and a trained supervisor 21 or older is present. Employers can set a higher minimum age, so check with the bar.
Indiana ATC, Alcohol Permits 101 IC 7.1-5-7-13 (Indiana Code Title 7.1)
Everyone who serves alcohol in Indiana must complete a certified server training program within 120 days of starting work. If you're 18 to 20, you must finish it before you apply for your permit, and all servers take a refresher course every 3 years.
IC 7.1-3-1.5-13 (Indiana Code Title 7.1) Indiana ATC server training IN.gov FAQ: who needs server training
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2025), Indiana bartenders earned a median of $10.95 an hour and a mean of $13.36 an hour ($27,780 a year), including tips reported by employers. The top 10% earned more than $21.64 an hour. Employers can pay tipped staff $2.13 an hour if tips bring them to at least $7.25 an hour; if not, the employer makes up the difference. Pay varies by venue, shifts and location.
Experience is up to each employer, but you'll need your employee permit too. Learning the fundamentals first, and being able to show you finished training, helps you stand out when you apply. That's what step 1 is for.
Search job boards like Indeed for bartender, barback and server openings in your city, check the websites and social pages of bars you'd like to work at, and drop off a resume in person when it's quiet. Barback and server jobs are a common way in. Lake Michigan beach towns near Indiana Dunes, such as Michigan City, add staff for the summer.
No. Indiana doesn't require bartending school. The employee permit is about serving alcohol safely and legally; it doesn't teach you to make drinks or work a bar. An online course lets you learn the tools, pours, cocktails and service at your own pace.
No. We don't place students in jobs. Bar Ready shows you what the job involves and how to get hired, with a resume guide and template and what to expect when you apply. Then you apply to bars and restaurants near you.
Bar Ready is self-paced, so you go as fast as your schedule allows. After that, timing depends on how long it takes to get your employee permit and the jobs near you.
No. Your Bar School certificates of completion, one for each Bar Ready course, show employers you finished our training. They aren't a government license or permit, and they don't replace your employee permit or any state or local requirement.
Step 1 is learning the job. Start Bar Ready online today, at your own pace.
Bar Ready · 100% online · $197 one-time · Certificates of completion
Not in Indiana? Pick your state →