| Bill | Rate | Tip | Total to pay | People | Per person | Note |
| {y} |
Tip calculator: how much to tip and how much to pay?
This tip calculator answers the question everyone faces when the check arrives: how much to leave, and how much does each person owe? Enter the bill amount, the tip percentage you want and the number of diners: the calculator instantly shows the tip amount, the total to pay and each person's share.
The calculation is automatic: there is no "calculate" button to press, the results update as soon as you change a field.
How to calculate a tip?
A tip is a percentage applied to the bill amount:
Tip = Bill × Rate ÷ 100
The total to pay is then the sum of the two:
Total = Bill + Tip
Example: for a bill of 68.50 and a tip of 20%, the tip comes to 13.70 and the total to pay to 82.20. Split four ways, each person pays 20.55.
Tip rates in one click
The four buttons 10%, 15%, 18% and 20% apply the most common rates without using the keyboard. The slider fine-tunes the percentage between 0 and 30%, and the "Tip %" field accepts any value, decimals included (for example 12.5).
The Rate comparison button shows a table that runs your bill at the four common rates, with the tip, total and share per person for each: handy for choosing between 15% and 20% at a glance. The table takes the number of diners and the chosen rounding into account, and the row matching your rate is highlighted.
Splitting the bill between several people
The "Number of people" field divides the total to pay, tip included, by the number of diners. The "Per person" result is therefore what each person has to hand over for the bill to be settled.
The Details button breaks that share down: the bill per person on one side, the tip per person on the other. This is useful when you want to collect the bill and the tip separately, or to check that the sum of the contributions matches the total.
Rounding the total to pay
It is common to round the bill up for a round figure or to make a cash payment easier. The "Round the total" menu offers three roundings, always upward:
- Up to the next whole number: a total of 75.35 becomes 76;
- Up to the next 5: a total of 75.35 becomes 80;
- Up to the next 10: a total of 75.35 becomes 80 as well.
The extra is added entirely to the tip: the amount shown in the "Tip" field takes the rounding into account, and the "Added by rounding" line in the details shows exactly what the rounding cost. The "Effective tip applied" line then gives the percentage actually left, which differs from the rate you entered.
How much should you tip?
Customs vary widely from one country to another. The table below gives rough guidance for a restaurant meal.
| Country | Restaurant custom |
|---|---|
| United States | Expected: 18–20% (15% is the low end) |
| United Kingdom | Common: 10–15% (check for a service charge) |
| Canada | Expected: 15–20% |
| Ireland | Common: 10–15% |
| Australia, New Zealand | Optional: 0–10% |
| France, Italy, Spain | Optional, service included: 0–10% |
| Japan, South Korea | Not practiced |
In the United States, tipping is a core part of how restaurant staff are paid: many servers earn a reduced "tipped minimum wage" and rely on gratuities. A tip of 18 to 20% is the norm for good table service, 15% is the acceptable minimum, and leaving nothing is read as a complaint. The custom also extends to bars, taxis and hairdressers.
In the United Kingdom, tipping is more discretionary. Many restaurants add a "discretionary service charge" of around 12.5% directly to the bill: in that case there is no need to tip again — check the bill before adding anything. Where no service charge is applied, leaving 10 to 15% for good service is common but never obligatory.
Tip on the pre-tax or the total amount?
This calculator applies the percentage to the amount you enter, as is. In the United Kingdom and most of Europe, restaurant prices are shown tax-included, so that is the figure the tip is based on, which is the usual practice.
In the United States and Canada, sales tax is added at the register and some diners prefer to tip on the pre-tax amount. In that case, enter the pre-tax amount in the "Bill amount" field, then add the tax to the total obtained. Our sales tax calculator lets you move from one figure to the other.
Vocabulary of the calculator
- Bill amount: the check before the tip, as it is presented to you.
- Tip %: the percentage you wish to leave.
- Number of people: the number of diners sharing the check.
- Round the total: the rounding applied to the total to pay, always upward.
- Tip: the amount left, rounding included.
- Total to pay: the bill increased by the tip.
- Per person: the total to pay divided by the number of diners.
- Bill per person: the check alone, excluding tip, divided by the number of diners.
- Tip per person: the share of the tip owed by each diner.
- Effective tip applied: the percentage actually left once rounding is taken into account.
- Added by rounding: the extra amount due to rounding the total alone.
Frequently asked questions
- How much should I tip in the United States?
- For good table service, 18 to 20% is the norm and 15% is the acceptable minimum. Tipping is expected because many servers are paid a reduced tipped minimum wage. Many diners calculate the percentage on the pre-tax amount.
- Do I still tip when a service charge is on the bill in the UK?
- No. If a discretionary service charge (usually around 12.5%) already appears on the bill, you do not need to add anything more. It is discretionary, so you can ask for it to be removed if the service was poor.
- Should I tip on the pre-tax or post-tax amount?
- Both are accepted. Tipping on the pre-tax amount simply gives a slightly smaller tip. This calculator applies the percentage to whatever amount you enter, so type in the figure you want to base the tip on.
- How do I split a bill with tip fairly?
- Enter the number of diners: the calculator divides the total, tip included, and shows each person's share. The Details button separates the bill and the tip per person if you prefer to collect the two separately.
- What happens when I round the total?
- The extra from rounding is added to the tip: the server benefits from it. The percentage actually left therefore becomes higher than the rate you entered, and the calculator shows it in the details under the "Effective tip applied" line.
Other useful tools
Keyboard shortcuts and saving
The Save button records the calculation in a table: bill, rate, tip, total, number of people and each person's share. You can then export the history in CSV or PDF format, and annotate each row.
h ⇝ Details | f ⇝ Save | m ⇝ Clear