Tip Calculator
Work out the tip, the total, and what each person owes. Enter the bill, pick a tip percentage, and add how many people are splitting it, if any.
- Per Person
- ...
- Total (bill + tax + tip)
- ...
- Tip Amount
- ...
Assumptions
- Tipping on the pre-tax subtotal is the more common US convention, even though most receipts already show the tax added in. The difference is usually small on an everyday bill, but it grows with the tax rate and the bill size, so it can matter more on a large tab.
- Rounding the tip up to the nearest dollar changes the tip amount before the total and per-person split are calculated, so it affects all three results, not just the tip line. This is a convenience for tipping in cash, not a standard practice.
- Splitting divides the full total (bill, tax, and tip together) evenly across everyone entered. It doesn't account for people who ordered different amounts individually. For that, you'd need to split the bill itemized first and treat each person's share as its own bill amount.
- Tipping norms outside the US vary enormously: in many countries a service charge is already included in the bill, tipping is modest or unusual, and skipping a tip isn't considered rude the way it is at a US sit-down restaurant.
Sources
Why pre-tax versus post-tax matters
Sales tax doesn't go to the restaurant or the server, so tipping on the pre-tax subtotal tips based on what the business and staff actually earned from the sale, which is the etiquette convention in the US. Tipping on the post-tax total instead effectively adds a bit extra, since you're calculating a percentage on a slightly bigger number. On a typical bill the gap is small change, but it widens as the tax rate or the bill size goes up, which is why this calculator lets you pick either base rather than assuming one.
Why tipping is expected in the US specifically
Tipping culture in the US is tied directly to how tipped workers are legally paid. Federal law allows employers to pay tipped employees a cash wage as low as $2.13 an hour, well below the $7.25 standard federal minimum wage, on the assumption that tips make up the difference. That's structurally different from most other countries, where service staff are paid a full standard wage regardless of tips, which is a big part of why tipping norms, and how essential a tip actually is to someone's income, vary so much depending on where you are.
Worked example
A $50 bill with $4 tax, tipping 20% on the pre-tax subtotal, split between 2 people.
Tip = 20% of the $50 pre-tax subtotal = $10. Total = $50 + $4 tax + $10 tip = $64. Split 2 ways, that's $32 per person.
Frequently asked questions
How does an online tip calculator work?
Enter your bill amount and a tip percentage, and it multiplies the two to get the tip, then adds that to the bill and any tax for a total. This one also splits that total evenly if you add the number of people sharing it, so you get a per-person amount without doing separate math by hand.
How much should I tip at a restaurant?
For sit-down restaurant service in the US, 15 to 20 percent of the pre-tax bill is the standard range, with 20 percent or more common for especially good service. This calculator defaults to 20 percent on the pre-tax subtotal, matching that convention, but you can adjust either one.
How is the tip percentage actually applied?
The percentage you enter is multiplied against whichever base you select, either the pre-tax subtotal or the subtotal plus tax. Presets for 15, 18, 20, and 25 percent are there as quick starting points, but you can type any percentage from 0 to 100.
Should I tip before or after tax?
Tipping on the pre-tax subtotal is the more common convention, since sales tax doesn't go to the restaurant or the server. This calculator handles both: enter your tax amount and choose whether the tip percentage applies to the subtotal alone or to the subtotal plus tax.
What's the actual formula this calculator uses?
Tip = (bill amount, or bill plus tax if you chose post-tax) multiplied by the tip percentage. Total = bill plus tax plus that tip. If you're splitting the bill, per-person amount = total divided by the number of people. Rounding the tip up to the nearest dollar, if selected, happens before the total and per-person amounts are calculated.
Is 20 percent always the right amount to tip?
20 percent is a widely used default for good sit-down restaurant service in the US, and it's this calculator's starting point, but it's not a fixed rule. Many people tip 15 percent for standard service and 25 percent or more for exceptional service, and norms differ for delivery, takeout, bartending, and countries outside the US, where tipping expectations can be very different.