Tip Calculator
Work out the tip, the total, and each person's share of a restaurant bill — with the option to tip on the pre-tax amount and round the split.
Cómo usar esta calculadora
- 1Enter the bill amount exactly as printed.
- 2Set the tip percentage — 18–20% is standard for good table service in the US.
- 3Enter how many people are splitting the bill.
- 4Optionally add your sales tax rate to tip on the pre-tax subtotal instead of the full bill.
- 5Pick a rounding option if you want clean per-person amounts.
Cómo funciona
Tip formula
tip = subtotal × tip% total = bill + tip share = total ÷ number of people subtotal = bill ÷ (1 + tax%) when the bill includes tax
The tip is a percentage of the value of the food and service, which is the pre-tax subtotal. If you tip on a tax-inclusive total you are tipping on the tax as well — a small overpayment that grows with the tax rate. Entering your tax rate lets the calculator recover the subtotal and tip on that instead.
Ejemplo resuelto
An $86.40 bill with an 18% tip comes to $101.95, or $50.98 each when split between two people. If that $86.40 already includes 8.25% sales tax, the pre-tax subtotal is $79.82, an 18% tip is $14.37, and the total drops to $100.77.
Tip Calculator: la guía completa
How much to tip, by situation
In the United States, sit-down restaurant service is customarily tipped 18–20%, with 15% signalling that something went wrong and 25% reserved for genuinely exceptional service. Counter service, coffee, and takeout carry no obligation, though a dollar or two is common.
Outside restaurants the conventions differ: 15–20% for bartenders (or $1–2 per drink), 15–20% for taxis and rideshares, $2–5 per bag for hotel porters, and 20% for hairdressers and personal services. Food delivery is usually 15–20% with a floor of around $5 in bad weather or over long distances.
Tipping norms are not universal. In Japan tipping can be considered rude, in much of Europe a service charge is already included and rounding up is enough, and in Australia tipping is genuinely optional. Check local practice before applying US percentages abroad.
Tip on the subtotal, not the tax
The tip is compensation for service, and sales tax is not part of the service. Tipping on the tax-inclusive total means tipping the government's share too. On an $86.40 tax-inclusive bill at 8.25% tax with an 18% tip, the difference is about $1.18 — small on one meal, but it is a consistent overpayment.
Nobody will object either way, and many people deliberately tip on the total as a small bonus. Enter your tax rate above if you want the precise subtotal-based figure.
Splitting a bill fairly
An even split is fast and usually fine, but it quietly overcharges anyone who ordered lightly and had no drinks. When the gap is large, split by item and apply the same tip percentage to each person's share — the tip scales proportionally, so nobody subsidises anyone else's wine.
The rounding options above solve the practical problem of everyone owing $50.98. Rounding each share up to the next dollar leaves a slightly larger tip and makes the cash split trivial; rounding the total up keeps the split exact while giving a clean number on the card.
Preguntas frecuentes
Should I tip on the pre-tax or post-tax amount?
Etiquette says pre-tax, because the tip rewards service and tax is not part of it. Enter your sales tax rate above and the calculator recovers the subtotal automatically. Tipping on the total is common and never causes offence — it simply adds a little extra.
What if the bill already includes a service charge?
An automatic gratuity or service charge is the tip. Adding another full percentage on top means paying twice. Restaurants commonly apply one for parties of six or more, so check the itemised lines before you calculate.
How do I calculate a 20% tip in my head?
Move the decimal point one place left to get 10%, then double it. For an $86.40 bill: 10% is $8.64, so 20% is $17.28. For 15%, take the 10% figure and add half of it again.
Do delivery drivers keep the whole tip?
On the major delivery platforms, in-app tips generally go to the driver in full, but some services have historically used tips to offset base pay. Cash tips always reach the driver directly and are the safest way to be sure.