Working out a tip and splitting the bill
At the end of a meal with friends, the maths is always the same: add the tip, add any tax that is not already included, and divide by the number of people. It is simple, but easy to get wrong in a noisy restaurant with a phone calculator.
Type the bill, the tip and tax percentages and the number of people. The calculator shows the tip, the tax, the total and what each person pays, to the cent.
How to use it
- Enter the bill amount before tip.
- Enter the tip percentage you want to leave.
- Enter the sales tax percentage if it is not already on the bill; leave it at 0 where prices include tax.
- Enter how many people are splitting, then read the per-person share.
Example: dinner for three
Bill 84.50, tip 18%, tax 8%, 3 people
Tip: 15.21 Tax: 6.76 Total: 106.47 Each person: 35.49
Both the tip and the tax are worked out on the bill before tax, which is how most guides recommend tipping in the US.
How much to tip
Customs vary a lot. In the United States, 15 to 20% at sit-down restaurants is standard and service staff often rely on tips for most of their income. In Canada the range is similar. In much of Europe service is included in the price; rounding up or leaving 5 to 10% for good service is common in Germany, France and Spain. In Japan tipping is not expected and can cause confusion.
Check the bill before tipping: some restaurants add a service charge for larger groups, and tipping again on top of it doubles the tip.
Tip before or after tax?
The service you are thanking is the meal, not the tax, so etiquette guides generally suggest tipping on the pre-tax amount. That is what this calculator does. If you prefer to tip on the full amount, add the tax percentage to the tip percentage as an approximation.
Splitting fairly
An even split is quick, but unfair when one person had a starter, a main and three drinks and another had a soup. In that case, have each person add up their own items, then apply the same tip and tax percentages to each subtotal. Rounding the per-person share up to the next whole amount avoids hunting for coins and leaves a little extra for the staff.
Questions
Why does the total not split into exact cents?
Some totals do not divide evenly. The share is rounded to two decimals, so one person may need to add a cent or two.
Does the tool know my local tax rate?
No. Sales tax differs by state and city in the US; check the rate on your receipt and enter it yourself.
Is anything stored?
No. The numbers are calculated in your browser and disappear when you close the page.