Tip Calculator
Calculate the tip and total on a bill and split it evenly, with each share rounded up to the cent so the bill is always covered.
Tip by Service Quality
Tip by Service Type
Quick Examples
Tipping Guidelines:
- •Tip is calculated on pre-tax amount in most regions
- •Consider the quality of service when choosing tip percentage
- •Some restaurants include gratuity for large parties
- •Cash tips are often preferred by service staff
- •Tip more during holidays or for exceptional circumstances
- •Check if service charge is already included in your bill
Updated Formula covered by automated tests
The check arrives, the table is talking, and someone has to turn "about 20 percent" into dollars and then divide by five. The tip calculator takes the bill, the tip rate and the number of people paying, and returns the tip, the total, and an equal share for each person. Shares are rounded up to the next cent so that the money collected always covers the bill instead of leaving the last payer a few cents short.
The preset buttons hold the rates most often quoted for sit-down restaurants, delivery, bars, rideshares and salons in the United States. They are starting points, not rules: customs differ between countries, and many restaurants outside North America include service in the menu price. Type any percentage you like, including zero, and the result updates instantly.
The formula
- bill
- The amount you are tipping on, in dollars; enter the pre-tax subtotal if you tip before tax
- r
- Tip rate in percent, for example 18
- n
- Number of people splitting the total equally
- tip, total
- The gratuity and the bill including it, each rounded to the nearest cent
A tip is a straightforward percentage of the bill. The only design choice is the base: US etiquette guides traditionally compute it on the food and drink subtotal before sales tax, because the tax is not part of the service, but plenty of diners tip on the final total for simplicity. The difference is the tip rate times the tax, which is a couple of dollars on a typical dinner.
Dividing a total by a number of people rarely lands on a whole cent. Rounding every share to the nearest cent can leave the group a cent or two short of the bill, so this calculator rounds each share up. The overpayment is at most one cent per person and goes to the server.
Worked example
Five coworkers finish dinner with a pre-tax subtotal of $137.40 and $11.68 of sales tax (8.5%). They agree on a 20% tip on the subtotal and want to split everything evenly.
- 1 Tip: 137.40 × 20 ÷ 100 = $27.48.
- 2 Bill plus tip: 137.40 + 27.48 = $164.88; adding the tax gives 164.88 + 11.68 = $176.56 for the whole table.
- 3 Using the calculator with the $164.88 food-and-tip total: 164.88 ÷ 5 = 32.976, rounded up to $32.98 each, so five shares collect $164.90.
- 4 For comparison, a 20% tip on the after-tax amount would be (137.40 + 11.68) × 0.20 = 149.08 × 0.20 = $29.82, which is $2.34 more.
Result: The tip is $27.48. Each coworker owes $32.98 toward food and tip plus $2.34 of the tax ($11.68 ÷ 5 = $2.336, rounded up), and the server receives a couple of extra cents from the rounding.
Before you rely on the result
- The equal split assumes everyone pays the same share; it does not allocate tax or tip by what each person ordered.
- Suggested rates reflect common US practice and vary by city, venue and country. Where service is already included in prices or the bill, a further tip may not be expected.
Frequently asked questions
Should I calculate the tip before or after sales tax?
Either is acceptable, but the traditional guidance in the US is to tip on the pre-tax subtotal. To do that here, enter the subtotal as the bill. If you prefer to tip on the total, enter the total; on a $100 meal with 8% tax the difference at 20% is $1.60.
What is the difference between an automatic gratuity and a tip?
A charge the restaurant adds automatically, often for parties of six or more, is generally treated by the IRS as a service charge that the employer pays out as wages, not as a tip. Check the receipt before adding more, since tipping again on top of an included gratuity is optional.
Why do US servers depend on tips so much?
Under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act, employers may pay tipped employees a cash wage as low as $2.13 an hour and count tips toward the federal minimum wage, as long as the total reaches at least $7.25 an hour. Many states require a higher cash wage, and some require the full state minimum before tips.
How do I split a bill when people ordered very different amounts?
Run the calculator once per person with their own subtotal and the agreed tip rate, rather than dividing the table total. Shared appetizers or bottles can be added to each person’s subtotal as an equal fraction before calculating.