Tip Calculator

When you eat at a restaurant, the tip is money you leave on top of the bill to thank your server for good service. It's calculated as a percentage of the bill total — a $50 bill with an 18% tip means you're adding $9, for a total of $59.

In the United States, a tip of 15% is generally seen as the minimum for acceptable service, 18% to 20% is standard for good service, and 25% or more is common for exceptional service or at higher-end restaurants. Some people prefer to calculate the tip on the amount before tax rather than after, since tax isn't something your server controls. This calculator simply uses whatever bill amount you type in, so if you want to tip on the pre-tax total, enter that number instead of the receipt's grand total.

Splitting the bill is the second half of the equation. Once you know the total — the original bill plus the tip — dividing it by the number of people gives you an even split, where everyone pays exactly the same amount regardless of what they individually ordered. This is the simplest way to split a bill and works well for groups who ordered roughly similar amounts, or who would rather keep things simple than itemize who owes what for each dish and drink.

If your group ordered very different amounts — say, one person got a steak and a bottle of wine while another had a salad and water — an even split might not feel entirely fair. In that case, you'd need to work out each person's individual subtotal, add their share of tax and tip proportionally, and settle up that way instead. For most everyday meals, though, splitting evenly is faster, easier, and close enough to fair that it's what most groups actually do.