Calculate the tip and split the bill between people.
A tip calculation is two multiplications and a division, but the order matters and most arguments at the table come from disagreeing about which base to use. This tool applies the percentage to the bill amount you type in, adds it to that bill, and then divides the total by the number of people sharing it.
The one judgement call is what you put in the bill box. If you enter the pre-tax subtotal you are tipping on the food and drink alone; if you enter the final printed total you are tipping on the tax as well. In the United States both are considered acceptable, and the difference on a $80 meal with 8% tax is about $1.30 at a 20% tip. Tipping on the pre-tax subtotal is the more common convention among people who think about it, and it is what most etiquette guides suggest, but nobody will notice either way.
Four people share a meal. The subtotal is 3,200, and they want to leave 15%.
If they rounded the total up to 3,700 to make the split cleaner, each person pays 925 and the effective tip rises to 15.6%.
Two shortcuts cover almost every situation. To find 10%, move the decimal point one place left: 10% of 47.50 is 4.75. From there, 20% is that figure doubled, and 15% is that figure plus half of itself. So on a 47.50 bill: 10% is 4.75, 15% is 7.13, 20% is 9.50. In the United States there is a further trick where sales tax is around 8-9% — doubling the tax line on the receipt lands you very close to a 16-18% tip.
Tipping norms vary enormously, and a percentage that reads as generous in one country reads as an insult or a confusion in another. These are rough guides for sit-down restaurant service, not rules.
| Country | Typical restaurant tip | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 18-22% | Servers are often paid a sub-minimum wage and rely on tips |
| Canada | 15-20% | Similar expectations to the US |
| United Kingdom | 10-15% | Frequently already added as a discretionary service charge |
| France, Italy, Spain | 0-10% | Service is usually included; rounding up is normal |
| Germany | 5-10% | Commonly done by rounding the total up |
| India | 5-10% | Often waived if a service charge appears on the bill |
| Japan, South Korea | 0% | Tipping is not customary and can cause confusion |
| Australia, New Zealand | 0-10% | Optional; staff receive a full minimum wage |
If the bill already shows a service charge or gratuity line — common for large groups, and standard in many UK and Indian restaurants — that amount has already been added by the venue. Tipping the full percentage again on top means paying twice. Check the itemised section of the bill before you calculate. Where a service charge is described as discretionary, you are entitled to ask for it to be removed, and where it is mandatory it will normally be printed as part of the total rather than as a suggestion.
It is also worth knowing that a service charge does not always reach the staff in the same way a cash tip does. Practice varies by country and venue, and some restaurants distribute it through a pooled system that includes kitchen staff.
This tool splits the total evenly, which is the right answer when everyone ate roughly the same amount. When one person had a starter and tap water and another had three courses and a bottle of wine, an even split quietly transfers money between them. In that case, work out each person's own subtotal, apply the same tip percentage to each, and add the tax proportionally — the percentage stays constant, only the base changes. Splitting the tip evenly while splitting the food by item is a reasonable middle ground, since the server did roughly the same work for each seat.
Either is accepted. Pre-tax is the more traditional convention and is what most etiquette guidance recommends, since tax is not part of the service. The difference is usually small — on a 100 bill with 8% tax at a 20% tip it is 1.60. Enter whichever figure you prefer into the bill box.
Delivery in the US is commonly 15-20% or a flat 3-5 for small orders, with more in bad weather or for a long distance. Counter-service takeaway carries no expectation, though a small tip for a complicated order is welcome. At a bar, 1-2 per drink or 15-20% on a tab is typical.
Then the tip has effectively been added for you. Most people leave nothing further, or round the total up slightly if the service was exceptional. Adding a full second tip on top is paying twice for the same thing.
Not directly — it divides the total equally. For an uneven split, run the calculator once per person using that person's own subtotal at the same tip percentage.
It shows results to two decimal places without rounding the underlying arithmetic. In practice most people round the total up to a convenient note or a whole number, which nudges the effective tip up by a fraction of a percent.