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Tip Calculator

Enter the bill, choose a tip percentage and split it between people, the total and the amount per person update instantly.

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Enter the bill and tip to see the total and split.

Worked example

With these example inputs:

Bill amount$50
Tip18%
Split between2

Total to pay: $59.00

Tip amount$9.00
Per person$29.50

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The tip is the bill times the percentage you choose: 20% of an $85 check is $17. Add it to the bill, then divide by the number of people to get each share.

tip = bill × tip rate ÷ 100 total = bill + tip each pays = total ÷ people

The sums are quick. The real questions are which bill to tip on, what's customary and what a service charge changes.

Tip on the bill before tax

For sit-down service, the Emily Post Institute's tipping guide says 15–20%, pre-tax. So enter the food and drink subtotal, not the total with tax. Say dinner comes to $120 and a 9% sales tax adds $10.80:

Tip worked out on	Amount	Rate	Tip
Pre-tax subtotal	$120	18%	$21.60
Total with 9% tax	$130.80	18%	$23.54
Pre-tax subtotal	$120	20%	$24.00
Total with 9% tax	$130.80	20%	$26.16

Tipping on the total adds your tip rate times the tax. At 20%, that's $2.16 more, and the tip becomes 21.8% of the meal ($26.16 ÷ $120).

Lost the itemized receipt? Divide the total by 1 plus the tax rate: $130.80 ÷ 1.09 = $120. The sales tax calculator runs the other way, adding tax to a pre-tax amount so you can check the receipt.

What do Americans actually tip?

Less than etiquette guides suggest. Pew Research Center surveyed 11,945 U.S. adults in August 2023. For an average meal at a sit-down restaurant, 57% said they'd tip 15% or less. Only a quarter said they'd tip 20% or more.

Tipping has also spread. In the same survey, 72% said tipping is expected in more places than five years ago. Yet only 12% always or often tip at fast casual restaurants, where there are no servers. Emily Post lists counter service as "no obligation" and a buffet at 10% of the pre-tax bill.

Split evenly, or by what each person ordered?

The calculator splits the total evenly, tip included. That's fair when the orders are similar. When they aren't, run it once per person with their own subtotal and the same rate. Here's a $124 dinner for three at 20%:

How you split	Bill entered	Each pays
Evenly, three ways	$124	$49.60
Diner with the $22 order	$22	$26.40
Diner with the $38 order	$38	$45.60
Diner with the $64 order	$64	$76.80

On an even split, the diner with the $22 order pays $23.20 more than their own share. The three separate runs still add up to the same $148.80, so the server gets the same tip either way.

When the cents don't divide evenly

Each share is rounded to the cent. Split a $100 total seven ways and everyone owes $14.29, which adds up to $100.03. Agree who pays the odd cents before the card machine comes round.

A service charge isn't a tip

The IRS draws a clear line. "A payment is a tip only if the customer voluntarily decides to pay it and determines the amount." A mandatory 18% charge for large parties is a service charge. So is a card prompt that won't let you pay without picking a tip above zero.

A service charge paid out to staff is generally treated as wages, not tips. Check the bill for one before you tip. Want to give 20% in total when the bill already carries an 18% charge? Enter 2%, not another 20%.

Why U.S. servers depend on your tip

Federal law lets an employer pay a tipped worker a cash wage of just $2.13 an hour. Tips must lift the total to at least the federal minimum wage, currently $7.25. That gap of up to $5.12 an hour is called the tip credit.

Where state law protects workers more, the employer must follow it. Employers can't keep any part of their staff's tips. They may, however, deduct the card company's fee from tips paid by card. With a 3% fee, the server may get 97% of your tip. A cash tip avoids that deduction.

Doing it in your head

For 10%, move the decimal point one place left: $85 becomes $8.50. Double that for 20%, which gives $17. For 15%, add half the 10% figure: $8.50 + $4.25 = $12.75. For 18%, take a tenth off the 20% figure: $17 − $1.70 = $15.30. The percentage calculator handles any other rate.

Sources

Frequently asked questions

How much should I tip?

Etiquette guides such as Emily Post suggest 15% to 20% of the pre-tax bill for sit-down service. In Pew's 2023 survey, 57% said they'd tip 15% or less for an average sit-down meal.

How is the per-person amount worked out?

The calculator adds the tip to the bill and divides the total by the number of people. Everyone covers an equal share of the meal and the tip.

Do I tip on the pre-tax or post-tax total?

Etiquette guides say pre-tax. Tipping on the total with tax raises the tip by your tip rate times the tax.

Why don't the shares add up to the exact total?

Each share is rounded to the cent. Split $100 seven ways and the $14.29 shares come to $100.03.

Is a service charge the same as a tip?

The IRS says no. It treats a mandatory charge, such as 18% for large parties, as a service charge. Check the bill before adding more.

Does the server get all of a card tip?

Not always. Federal law lets the employer deduct the card company's fee. With a 3% fee, the server may get 97% of your tip.