Tip Calculator
Quickly calculate the tip amount, total bill, and per-person share for any restaurant meal or service.
The total bill before tip.
How much you want to tip.
How many people are splitting the bill.
How Much Should You Tip?
Tipping customs vary by country and type of service. In the United States, tipping is a significant part of service workers' income. Here are the commonly accepted guidelines:
- Sit-down restaurants: 15-20% of the pre-tax bill is standard. 20% or more for excellent service.
- Buffets: 10% is typical since servers still clear plates and refill drinks.
- Takeout/counter service: Tipping is optional but 10-15% is appreciated, especially for large or complex orders.
- Coffee shops: $1-2 per drink or 15-20% for specialty orders.
- Food delivery: 15-20% with a minimum of $3-5, more in bad weather or for large orders.
- Hair salons/barbers: 15-20% of the service cost.
- Taxi/rideshare: 15-20% of the fare.
- Hotel housekeeping: $2-5 per night.
When in doubt, 20% is a safe default for table service in the US. The math is simple: move the decimal point one place left and double it. A $45 bill becomes $4.50, doubled to $9.00.
Tipping on Pre-Tax vs. Post-Tax Amount
There is an ongoing debate about whether tips should be calculated on the pre-tax or post-tax amount. Technically, the tip is for the service, not the tax, so calculating on the pre-tax amount is considered correct by etiquette experts.
However, the difference is usually small. On a $50 meal with 8% sales tax, the bill is $54. A 20% tip on $50 is $10.00, while 20% on $54 is $10.80. The 80-cent difference is minimal, and many people tip on the total for simplicity.
If you want to keep things simple, tip on the total shown on the check. If you want to be precise, look for the subtotal line before tax.
Splitting the Bill Fairly
Splitting the bill evenly is the simplest approach, and this calculator handles that math for you. However, even splitting can feel unfair when people ordered items at very different price points.
Some alternatives to even splitting:
- Itemized splitting: Each person pays for what they ordered plus their share of the tip.
- Proportional splitting: If one person's items cost twice as much, they pay a proportionally larger share of the total including tip.
- Taking turns: For groups that dine together regularly, rotating who pays the full bill averages out over time.
For large groups, many restaurants add an automatic gratuity of 18-20%. In these cases, check whether the tip is already included before adding more.