Tip Calculator
Tip and split a bill, with one-tap rounding for paying in cash.
The bill
people
Tip
Rounds up to the next whole dollar, useful when you’re paying cash and want the change to be simple.
This works out a tip and the total, and splits both across any number of people.
It handles tipping on the pre-tax or post-tax amount, which are not the same figure.
How tipping is calculated
A tip is a percentage of the bill. In US restaurants 18-20% is the standard range for adequate to good service, and 15% now reads as below standard in most places.
On an $85 bill, 18% is $15.30 and 20% is $17.00, making the total $102. Split four ways that is $25.50 each.
The question people actually disagree on is whether to tip on the pre-tax or post-tax amount. Etiquette guidance generally says pre-tax, since tax is not part of the service. On that $85 bill with 8.25% sales tax, tipping on the post-tax $92.01 instead adds $1.40 at 20%. Either is defensible, and the difference is small enough not to agonise over.
The 10% shortcut makes this easy without a calculator: move the decimal one place for 10%, then double it for 20%.
What to enter
- Bill amount
- Pre-tax or post-tax, whichever you prefer to tip on. The page shows both.
- Tip percentage
- 18-20% is standard in US restaurants. Some situations warrant more, and a few less.
- Number of people
- To split the total. Rounding up per person is the usual courtesy.
Customary US tipping
- Restaurant, table service
- 18-20%. Below 15% signals genuinely poor service rather than an ordinary meal.
- Bartender
- $1-2 per drink, or 18-20% of the tab.
- Taxi or rideshare
- 10-15%, and rounding up to a whole figure is common.
- Hairdresser or barber
- 15-20%.
- Food delivery
- 10-15%, with a minimum of a few dollars regardless of order size.
- Counter service
- Optional. Prompted tip screens on takeaway orders are a recent development and not an established norm.
What this assumes
These are US customs. Tipping norms vary enormously internationally, and in some countries it is not expected at all.
Large parties often have an automatic gratuity added, commonly 18% for six or more. Check the bill before adding another tip.
How to calculate the tip on a bill
One multiplication, and a shortcut worth knowing for doing it in your head.
- percentage
- As a decimal, so 20% is 0.20
- per person
- Total ÷ number of people
Find 10% by moving the decimal. $85 becomes $8.50. This is the whole trick.
Double it for 20%. $8.50 × 2 = $17.00.
For 15%, take 10% plus half of it. $8.50 + $4.25 = $12.75. For 18%, take 20% and subtract a tenth: $17.00 − $1.70 = $15.30.
Add to the bill and divide. $85 + $17 = $102, split four ways is $25.50 each.
See a worked example: pre-tax against post-tax
- Bill
- $85 before tax
- Sales tax
- 8.25%, so $92.01 after tax
20% of the pre-tax $85: $17.00.
20% of the post-tax $92.01: $18.40.
The difference is $1.40. Etiquette guidance generally favours pre-tax, on the basis that tax is not part of the service.
At 18%, the two figures are $15.30 and $16.56, a difference of $1.26.
$17.00 pre-tax, $18.40 post-tax
Frequently asked questions
18-20% is the standard range in the US for adequate to good service. 15% now reads as a signal of dissatisfaction rather than a normal tip.
Norms differ internationally. In much of Europe, service is included and rounding up is sufficient; in Japan, tipping can be considered rude.
Etiquette guidance generally says before tax, since tax goes to the government rather than to the service.
The difference is small: $1.40 on an $85 bill at 20% with 8.25% tax. Many people tip on the total for simplicity, and nobody will object.
Find 10% by moving the decimal one place left, then adjust. $85 gives $8.50, so 20% is $17.00 and 15% is $12.75.
For 18%: take 20% and subtract a tenth of it. $17.00 − $1.70 = $15.30. It is quicker than it sounds once you have done it twice.
Generally no. Large parties often have an automatic gratuity added, commonly 18% for six or more, and adding another tip on top means paying nearly 40%.
Check the bill for "gratuity", "service charge" or "auto-grat" before adding anything. Restaurants are required to disclose it, though it is easy to miss.
It is optional and there is no established norm. Tip screens on counter service are a recent development driven by payment systems rather than by custom.
Many people tip a small amount or round up for takeaway, and there is nothing rude about declining. It is a genuinely different situation from table service.
Split by what each person ordered, then apply the same tip percentage to each share. That keeps the tip proportional to what each person spent.
Splitting evenly is simpler and fine among friends. Where one person had a $60 steak and another a $12 salad, itemising is the fairer approach.
Problems people actually run into
Tipping on a bill that already includes gratuity
Automatic gratuity for large parties is common and easy to overlook. Adding 20% on top of an included 18% means tipping close to 40%.
Scan the bill for a gratuity or service charge line before reaching for the tip field.
Splitting the total but not the tip
Dividing the bill by orders and then adding one person's flat tip leaves the split uneven, usually against whoever offers to sort it out.
Apply the tip percentage to each person's share, or split the whole total including tip. Either works; mixing the two does not.
Results are estimates for general information only and are not professional financial, medical, or legal advice. Read our full disclaimer.
Last updated: September 4, 2026