Tip Calculator
Calculate tips and split bills between multiple people
How It Works
Overview
Tipping is a little ritual most people perform on autopilot — and most of the time, that's fine. The hard cases are the ones that come up just often enough that you can never remember the answer: How much for a $58 bill at 18%? What does it round to per person if four of us are splitting? Should I tip on the tax? This calculator handles all of that, but it's also worth knowing the conventions so you can do quick mental math when you don't feel like pulling out your phone.
In the United States, tipping isn't optional in most service contexts — servers, bartenders, and delivery drivers earn a substantial portion (often a majority) of their income from tips. The federal tipped minimum wage is just $2.13/hour. Tipping conventions in other countries vary widely, so don't assume the US norms travel with you.
The Formula
Mental-math shortcut: 10% of the bill = move the decimal one place left. Want 20%? Double it. Want 18%? Take 20% and shave off about 10% of that number. Want 15%? Take 10% and add half of that 10%.
Example: bill is $58. 10% = $5.80. 20% = $11.60. 15% = $5.80 + $2.90 = $8.70.
Worked Example
Solo dinner: bill $42.50, leave 18%.
- Tip = 0.18 × 42.50 = $7.65
- Total = 42.50 + 7.65 = $50.15
Group dinner, evenly split: bill $187.20, 20% tip, 4 people.
- Tip = 0.20 × 187.20 = $37.44
- Total = 187.20 + 37.44 = $224.64
- Per person = 224.64 ÷ 4 = $56.16
Delivery order: $24.80 food + $4.99 delivery fee. Tip on the food only at 18%.
- Tip = 0.18 × 24.80 ≈ $4.50 (round up to $5 for goodwill)
When to Use This
- Restaurant meals — quickly figure out the right amount without doing math at the table.
- Group dinners — split the total fairly when everyone's ordered different things.
- Delivery — calculate the right tip on a delivery order, especially when there's already a delivery fee.
- Hair, nails, spa, ride-shares — service tips of 15–20% are also customary here.
- Travel — sanity-check whether a tip is reasonable when the conventions are different from home.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Tipping on a discounted bill. If you used a coupon or got an item comped, tip on the original full-price amount — your server still did the same work.
- Confusing the delivery fee with a tip. Most delivery fees go to the platform or restaurant, not the driver. The driver still needs a separate tip.
- Skipping the tip on small orders. A 15% tip on a $4 coffee is 60 cents — round up to a dollar; the percentage is misleading at the low end.
- Stiffing on bad service without saying anything. A poor tip without context just looks rude. If service was genuinely bad, talk to the manager.
- Forgetting cash for the bartender. Bartenders typically get $1–2 per drink in cash, separate from the credit-card tip on a tab.
Frequently Asked Questions
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