What is a standard tip percentage at a restaurant?

In the United States, 15% to 20% is customary for sit-down table service. 18% is a common default for solid service, and 20% rewards attentive service. Below 15% usually signals a problem with the service.

Do you tip on the pre-tax or post-tax amount?

Traditionally the tip is figured on the pre-tax bill, since sales tax is not part of the service. Tipping on the post-tax total is also common and only adds a small amount. This calculator lets you switch between the two when you add a tax rate.

How do you split a bill and tip evenly?

Add the tip to the bill to get the grand total, then divide by the number of people. A $60 total split three ways is $60 ÷ 3 = $20 each. The calculator also shows how much of each share is gratuity.

How much is a 20% tip on $60?

A 20% tip on $60 is $12 (60 × 0.20), making the total $72. At 18% it is $10.80, and at 15% it is $9. The lookup chart on this page lists the tip and total for every common bill amount.

How do I calculate a tip in my head?

Find 10% by moving the decimal one place left ($45 → $4.50). Double it for 20% ($9), or add half of the 10% for 15% ($4.50 + $2.25 = $6.75). It is the fastest way to tip without a calculator.

Should I tip on delivery and takeout?

For delivery, 15–20% (minimum $3–5) is customary because a driver is doing the work. For takeout you pick up yourself, tipping is optional — many people leave nothing or round up a dollar or two.

Is it rude not to tip?

In the United States it is, for table service, delivery, and personal services, because workers are often paid a reduced tipped wage and rely on gratuities. Norms differ abroad — in Japan tipping is not expected at all, and in much of Europe service is already included.

How do you split a bill with tip between 4 people?

Add the tip to the bill first, then divide by 4. An $80 bill at 20% is a $96 total; split four ways that is $96 ÷ 4 = $24 each, of which $4 is tip. The split chart on this page shows the per-person total for common bills and party sizes at 15%, 18%, and 20%.

How much difference is there between tipping pre-tax and post-tax?

Very little. On an $80 bill with 8.25% tax, a 20% pre-tax tip is $16.00, while tipping on the $86.60 post-tax total is $17.32 — about $1.32 more. The tip grows only by (tip rate × tax rate), so at typical rates the gap is roughly a dollar per $80.

Should I round up the tip or the total?

Either works. Rounding the total to a clean number (a $57.60 bill up to $60) makes cash payment easy and nudges the tip up. When splitting, round each person's share up to the next dollar instead — the small surplus covers rounding and slightly raises the gratuity.

How do you split a bill unevenly when people ordered different amounts?

Tip each subtotal by the same percentage, then everyone pays their own item total plus that tip. If one person's food was $30 and another's $50, at 20% they owe $36 and $60. Shared items (a bottle of wine, an appetizer) are divided among the people who had them.

Finance

Tip Calculator

Enter the bill, pick a tip percentage, and split it across the table. Get the tip, the total, and each person's share instantly — round up, add sales tax, and see every step.

The bill

Bill amount

What the meal or service cost, before tip

Tip percentage20%

Tap a preset or fine-tune the slider

Split between

How many people share the bill

Options

Round each share up to a whole dollar

Add sales tax

Each person pays

$37.44

$74.88 total across 2 people

Great service · 20% tip

Bill: $62.40
Tip (20%): $12.48
Total: $74.88

Per person

$37.44

Tip per person

$6.24

No sign-up · Free

The basics

What is a tip?

A tip (or gratuity) is extra money you add on top of a bill to reward service. It is almost always a percentage of what you spent, so the arithmetic is the same every time: turn the percent into a decimal, multiply by the bill, and add it back on. Two figures do all the work.

tip = bill × (percent ÷ 100)

The tip amount

The gratuity itself. Express the percentage as a decimal — 20% becomes 0.20 — and multiply it by the bill. That is the money the server actually receives.

$50 × 0.20 = $10.00 tip

total = bill + tip

The grand total

What you hand over. Add the tip back onto the bill. Splitting a check is just one more step: divide this total by the number of people at the table.

$50 + $10 = $60.00 total

Method

How to calculate a tip by hand

Four steps take you from a bill to each person's share — no app required.

1
Start with the bill
Use the pre-tax subtotal — the cost of the food and drink before sales tax is added.
bill = $62.40
2
Multiply by the tip rate
Convert the percentage to a decimal and multiply. For 20%, multiply by 0.20.
$62.40 × 0.20 = $12.48 tip
3
Add the tip to the bill
Sum the bill and the tip to get the grand total you owe.
$62.40 + $12.48 = $74.88 total
4
Split by the table
Divide the total by the number of people sharing the check for each person's share.
$74.88 ÷ 2 = $37.44 each

Shortcut

Tipping math in your head

You rarely need a calculator. Find 10% first — it anchors every other rate.

move the decimal

10%

Shift the decimal point one place to the left. This is the base every quick tip builds on.

$45.00 → $4.50

10% + half

15%

Take your 10% figure and add half of it. The classic everyday tip.

$4.50 + $2.25 = $6.75

double the 10%

20%

Just double the 10% number. Fast, generous, and the most common default.

$4.50 × 2 = $9.00

Worked examples

See it across real bills

The same procedure handles a dinner for two, a big group split, and a delivery order. Switch tabs to watch the numbers flow through.

A sit-down dinner, split down the middle.

Given bill = $62.40, tip = 20%, people = 2

Tip: $62.40 × 20% = $12.48

Total: $62.40 + $12.48 = $74.88

Per person: $74.88 ÷ 2 = $37.44

Total = $74.88Each = $37.44

Quick chart

How much is a tip on $X?

The tip and total for every common bill amount, at every common rate. Find your bill in the left column and read across. The 20% column is highlighted as the usual default.

Bill + tip at each rate

Bill	10%	15%	18%	20%	25%
$10.00	$11.00	$11.50	$11.80	$12.00	$12.50
$15.00	$16.50	$17.25	$17.70	$18.00	$18.75
$20.00	$22.00	$23.00	$23.60	$24.00	$25.00
$25.00	$27.50	$28.75	$29.50	$30.00	$31.25
$30.00	$33.00	$34.50	$35.40	$36.00	$37.50
$40.00	$44.00	$46.00	$47.20	$48.00	$50.00
$50.00	$55.00	$57.50	$59.00	$60.00	$62.50
$60.00	$66.00	$69.00	$70.80	$72.00	$75.00
$75.00	$82.50	$86.25	$88.50	$90.00	$93.75
$100.00	$110.00	$115.00	$118.00	$120.00	$125.00
$150.00	$165.00	$172.50	$177.00	$180.00	$187.50
$200.00	$220.00	$230.00	$236.00	$240.00	$250.00

Split the bill

What each person owes, with tip

The question the inline widget skips: divide the bill and the tip across the table. Pick a rate and read the per-person total for common bills and party sizes.

Each cell is the per-person total

Bill	2 people	3 people	4 people	5 people	6 people	8 people
$40.00	$24.00	$16.00	$12.00	$9.60	$8.00	$6.00
$60.00	$36.00	$24.00	$18.00	$14.40	$12.00	$9.00
$80.00	$48.00	$32.00	$24.00	$19.20	$16.00	$12.00
$100.00	$60.00	$40.00	$30.00	$24.00	$20.00	$15.00
$120.00	$72.00	$48.00	$36.00	$28.80	$24.00	$18.00
$150.00	$90.00	$60.00	$45.00	$36.00	$30.00	$22.50
$200.00	$120.00	$80.00	$60.00	$48.00	$40.00	$30.00
$300.00	$180.00	$120.00	$90.00	$72.00	$60.00	$45.00

Totals include the tip on the pre-tax bill. To settle in cash, round each share up to the next dollar — the small surplus quietly lifts the tip.

Pre-tax vs post-tax

Which base to tip on

Tradition tips on the pre-tax subtotal; some people tip on the post-tax total. On an $80.00 bill at 20%, here is the gap at each tax rate — it is only the tip rate times the tax.

Tax rate	Tip on pre-tax	Tip on post-tax	Extra
0%	$16.00	$16.00	$0.00
6%	$16.00	$16.96	$0.96
8.25%	$16.00	$17.32	$1.32
10%	$16.00	$17.60	$1.60

At 0% tax the two are identical. Even at 10% tax the difference on an $80.00 bill is under two dollars — real, but rarely worth an argument.

Rounding up

Round the total, or each share

Rounding up makes cash and splitting painless and gently boosts the tip. Two ways to do it, depending on whether you are paying alone or dividing the check.

round the grand total

Paying alone

Bump the bill-plus-tip up to a clean number. The surplus lands on the server, and you hand over one round figure — easy with cash or a quick mental check.

$57.60 → $60.00

round each person's share

Splitting the check

Divide the total, then round each share up to the next dollar. Everyone pays a whole number, the small overage covers the rounding, and the tip inches up.

$23.40 → $24.00

set a target total

Reverse from a round number

Decide the total you want to pay and back out the tip: tip = target − bill. Handy when you want the receipt to read an exact, memorable figure.

round the rate, not the cash

Or just bump the percent

Prefer round percentages? Nudge 18% to 20% instead of rounding dollars. On most bills it lands within a coin of a rounded total anyway.

Reference

How much to tip, by service

Tipping is not only for restaurants. These are customary US ranges — a guide, not a rule.

Service	Customary	Notes
Sit-down restaurant	15–20%	On the pre-tax bill for table service; 18% is a common default.
Bar / bartender	$1–2 / drink	Or 15–20% of the tab when running a card.
Coffee shop / counter	0–15%	Optional; the tablet prompt is just a suggestion.
Food delivery	15–20%	Minimum $3–5, more in bad weather or for a long trip.
Taxi / rideshare	10–15%	Round up the fare for short trips.
Hair salon / barber	15–20%	Tip each person who worked on you.
Hotel housekeeping	$2–5 / night	Left daily, since staff rotate.
Buffet / self-serve	5–10%	Lower, since service is limited to clearing plates.

Around the world

Tipping customs by country

The 20% American default does not travel. In much of the world service is included, or tipping is modest — and in a few places it is unwelcome.

United States

15–20%

Expected; servers are paid a reduced tipped minimum wage.

Canada

15–20%

Same as the US; 18% is the common default.

United Kingdom

10–15%

Often a service charge is already on the bill — check first.

France

0–10%

Service compris is included; round up or leave a few euros.

Germany

5–10%

Round up and tell the server the total directly.

Italy

0–10%

A coperto (cover charge) is common; tipping is optional.

Japan

Tipping is not customary and can cause confusion.

Australia

0–10%

Not expected; tip for standout service only.

Worth knowing

Tipping rules of thumb

A handful of conventions that settle most of the awkward moments at the end of a meal.

tip on the pre-tax bill

Skip the tax

Sales tax is the government's, not the server's. Tip on the subtotal before tax, though tipping on the full amount is a small and common difference.

check for a service charge

Don't double-tip

Large parties and many venues abroad add an automatic service charge or gratuity. If it is already on the bill, you do not add a second tip on top.

round for ease

Round to make it clean

Rounding the total or each person's share up to a whole dollar makes splitting and cash payment painless — and quietly bumps the tip a little.

tip the full pre-discount price

Coupons and comps

If a coupon, gift card, or comped item lowered your bill, tip on what the meal would have cost. The server did the same work either way.

cash reaches staff faster

Cash vs card

Card tips can take a pay cycle to arrive and may be pooled. Cash often reaches the server directly and immediately — a reason some people carry a little.

poor service ≠ no tip

When service slips

For genuinely bad service, 10% and a quiet word to a manager says more than stiffing the server, who may not be the cause. Zero is reserved for the truly egregious.

FAQ

Common questions

Turn the tip percentage into a decimal and multiply it by the bill. For a $50 bill at 20%, that is 50 × 0.20 = $10. Add the tip to the bill for the total: $50 + $10 = $60. To split, divide that total by the number of people.

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