Tip Calculator
Restaurant tip calculator and bill split calculator: tip on the pre-tax subtotal or the total, split by person or item, and spot a service charge already added.
Every convention this page applies is named in the result rather than assumed. Your numbers stay in this browser.
Results
How to read this: the verdict describes how much room your numbers leave, not a decision or an offer. Change any input to see how much the result moves.
Assumptions and formula
This calculator applies the tip to whichever base you choose — the pre-tax subtotal or the post-tax total — names that choice in the result, and reports the tip as a percentage of both.
Money is held to the cent throughout and rounded once, at the point it is reported. Each person’s share of the tax, the service charge and the tip is allocated by largest remainder, so the individual amounts always add up to exactly the grand total rather than falling a cent short. An existing service charge never enters the tip base.
Worked example
On a $100.00 bill with 8.75% sales tax, a 20% tip on the pre-tax subtotal is $20.00 and the bill comes to $128.75. The same 20% on the post-tax total is $21.75, for $130.50: the extra $1.75 is a tip on the tax. The result reports the tip both ways, so the $20.00 tip also shows as 18.39% of the post-tax total.
Tip amounts and tipping customs
The tip on common bill amounts at the usual U.S. rates, worked out on the bill before tax, which is the usual convention.
| Bill | 15% | 18% | 20% | 25% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $20 | $3.00 | $3.60 | $4.00 | $5.00 |
| $50 | $7.50 | $9.00 | $10.00 | $12.50 |
| $100 | $15.00 | $18.00 | $20.00 | $25.00 |
| $200 | $30.00 | $36.00 | $40.00 | $50.00 |
Customs differ a lot between countries. These are the rates the calculator suggests for each region, and whether a service charge is often already on the bill:
| Country or region | Customary tip | Service charge on the bill |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 15%, 18%, 20%, 25% | Rarely |
| Canada | 15%, 18%, 20% | Rarely |
| United Kingdom | 10%, 12.5% | Often |
| Eurozone (general) | 5%, 10% | Often |
| Australia | 0%, 10% | Rarely |
| Japan | Not customary | Rarely |
| India | 5%, 10% | Often |
Always check the bill for a service charge before adding a tip, or you may tip twice. A quick way to work out 20% is to move the decimal point one place left and double it: on $47.50, $4.75 doubled is $9.50.
Frequently asked questions
Should I tip on the amount before or after tax?
The standard US convention is to tip on the pre-tax subtotal. On a $100 bill with 8.75% sales tax a 20% tip is $20.00 before tax and $21.75 after it, so the difference is a tip on the tax rather than on the service. Most calculators pick one basis silently and never say which. This page asks, names the basis it used in the result, and reports your tip as a percentage of both the subtotal and the post-tax total, because card terminals differ on which figure their suggested percentages refer to. It also warns you when a service charge is already on the bill, where a further tip is usually not expected. Use it as an online tip calculator: the tip and the total, split between however many people are paying.
Should I tip on the pre-tax or post-tax amount?
The standard US convention is to tip on the pre-tax subtotal. On a $100 bill with 8.75% sales tax, a 20% tip is $20.00 pre-tax and $21.75 post-tax — the extra $1.75 is a tip on the tax. Both are offered here, and whichever you choose is named in the result rather than left implicit.
A service charge is already on my bill. Should I still tip?
Usually not. Where a service charge or automatic gratuity has been added — common in the UK and much of Europe, and standard for US parties of six or more — the gratuity has already been collected. This calculator warns you when a service charge is present and shows the combined figure, so a 12.5% service charge plus a 15% tip is reported as 27.5% of the bill rather than 15%.
How should tax and tip be split when everyone ordered different things?
In proportion to what each person ordered. If one person had $20 of food and another had $80, an even split of tax and tip charges the first person for the second person’s consumption. Splitting by item here prorates tax, service and tip by item share: on a $100 bill with 10% tax and a 20% tip, that is $26 and $104 rather than $65 each.
Why do the individual amounts sometimes not divide evenly?
Because cents cannot always be split three ways. $100 across three people is $33.333… each, and naive rounding gives $33.33 × 3 = $99.99 — a cent short of the bill. Amounts here are allocated by largest remainder, so the individual shares always sum to exactly the grand total.
How much should I tip in other countries?
It varies widely and a US-sized tip is often wrong. Tipping is not customary in Japan and can cause confusion. A discretionary service charge of around 12.5% is commonly added in the UK. Much of the eurozone includes service, with rounding up or 5–10% normal where it is not. Australia treats tipping as optional. Choosing a region here sets the customary rates and the default basis, and explains the local norm.
What does the tip percentage on a card terminal actually mean?
It depends on the terminal, and it is frequently not disclosed. Some apply the suggested percentage to the pre-tax subtotal, others to the post-tax total, and some to a total that already includes a service charge. This calculator reports your tip as a percentage of both the subtotal and the post-tax total, so you can see which figure a terminal’s suggestion corresponds to.
How much to tip, and does it change when the bill already includes tax?
In the US, 15% to 20% of the pre-tax subtotal for table service, 20% now being the common default; less is expected for counter service and nothing where a service charge is already on the bill. A tip calculator with tax lets you choose whether the percentage applies before or after tax, and on a $100 subtotal with 8.75% tax the difference is $1.75 on a 20% tip. A how much to tip calculator without that choice is quietly picking one basis for you. The bill splitter calculator on this page then divides the total, tip included, evenly or by what each person ordered, and as a tip split calculator it shows each share to the cent.