Tip Calculator
Quickly calculate tip amount, total bill, and per-person split. Enter your bill, choose a tip percentage, and split evenly among your group.
Tipping in the United States is less a suggestion than a structural part of how service workers are paid. Under federal law, tipped employees can be paid a sub-minimum "tip credit" wage as low as $2.13 per hour, with tips expected to bring total compensation up to (and ideally well above) the standard minimum wage. That means your tip isn't a bonus on top of a fair wage — it often is the wage. Our tip calculator does the math instantly: enter the bill, pick a percentage, and it computes the tip, the total, and a per-person split for group dining.
Standard US restaurant norms are 15% for adequate service, 18% for good service, and 20% or more for great service. At bars, $1–$2 per drink is typical (or 15–20% on a tab). For taxis and rideshare, 10–15% is common; for food delivery, 15–20% plus extra in bad weather; for hotel housekeeping, a few dollars per night left on the pillow. One long-running debate: do you tip on the pre-tax subtotal or the post-tax total? Etiquette experts say pre-tax, but many diners just tip on the final number — the difference on a $100 bill in a 9% sales-tax state is about $1.60, so it rarely matters enough to argue about.
International norms differ sharply. In Japan, tipping can be considered rude — good service is the baseline expectation. In most of continental Europe, a service charge ("service compris") is already baked into the bill; a small round-up or 5–10% for exceptional service is the norm, not 20%. Australia and New Zealand have strong minimum wages and tipping is optional. If you're a US traveler, learning local norms beats reflexively tipping 20%. This calculator handles any percentage and any group size, so it works wherever you are.
Quick answer: An $85 bill with an 18% tip adds $15.30 for a total of $100.30 — split two ways, that's $50.15 per person. In the US, 15% is adequate, 18% is good, and 20%+ signals great service. Enter your bill below to see the tip, total, and per-person split instantly.
Inputs
Quick presetsSubtotal before tax — traditional etiquette standard.
15% adequate, 18% good, 20%+ great service in the US.
Even split — works best when everyone ordered similarly.
Results
How to use this calculator
Three inputs. **Bill amount** is the subtotal — traditionally the pre-tax figure, though in practice many diners use the post-tax total and the difference is small. **Tip percentage** defaults to 18% (the US middle-ground); bump it to 20% for good service, 22–25% for exceptional service, or drop to 15% for adequate but not notable service.
**Number of people** splits the total evenly across the group — handy when everyone ordered roughly the same thing. For wildly uneven orders (one person got a steak, another had a salad), an even split isn't fair; ask for separate checks or calculate each person's subtotal plus a flat tip percentage individually. Output shows the tip amount, the final bill including tip, per-person total, and per-person tip-only. Use the tip-only line if the group wants to split the pre-tax bill by item but still share the tip equally.
Worked examples
Four friends at a $180 dinner
Four coworkers grab dinner at a neighborhood bistro. The pre-tax subtotal is $180. Service was friendly and attentive, so they agree on 20%. Entering $180 bill, 20% tip, 4 people, the calculator returns a $36 tip, $216 total bill, $54 per person, and $9 per-person tip. They Venmo the organizer $54 each. If they'd tipped on the post-tax $196 total (at ~9% sales tax), the tip would be $39.20 — a $3.20 difference across four people. Pre-tax is the etiquette standard; either works.
Solo traveler eating in Tokyo
A US visitor is in Tokyo and finishes an ¥8,000 dinner. Reflexively calculating 20%, they almost leave ¥1,600 on the table. In Japan, tipping is not customary and can even be perceived as awkward — the service charge, if any, is already included and outstanding service is considered the professional standard. The US visitor learns the norm, pays exactly ¥8,000, and thanks the staff verbally instead. The calculator's 0% tip option reflects this: for international meals, set tip to 0% or whatever the local norm dictates.
Birthday dinner for eight with auto-gratuity
A group of eight celebrates a friend's birthday at a steakhouse. The pre-tax subtotal is $620, and the menu notes that parties of six or more have an 18% service charge added automatically — that's $111.60 already built in. The server was attentive but not extraordinary, so the table decides not to tip on top. Entering $620 bill, 18% tip, 8 people into the calculator shows $77.50 per person all-in. One diner wants to thank the server for splitting the check eight ways and adds an extra $20 in cash — a nice gesture that doesn't obligate anyone else. The lesson: always check the bill for auto-gratuity before reflexively adding 20%, or you'll end up tipping closer to 38%.
Frequently asked questions
How much should I tip at a US restaurant?
15% for adequate service, 18% as a middle-ground default, 20%+ for good-to-great service, and 25% for truly exceptional experiences. For poor service, 10% with a word to the manager is better than zero, which can look like you forgot. Tipping below 15% at a sit-down restaurant is an active signal of dissatisfaction.
Pre-tax or post-tax — which is 'correct'?
Etiquette experts (and most waitstaff) say pre-tax is the traditional standard, since sales tax isn't service. In practice, tipping on the post-tax total has become common and isn't wrong — the difference on a $100 bill in a 9% sales-tax state is about $1.60. Pick a convention and stick with it.
Do I tip on takeout or delivery?
Takeout: 10–15% is appreciated but optional, especially for large or complex orders. Delivery: 15–20% is standard, with a $5 minimum even on small orders, and extra ($2–$5) in bad weather, long distances, or late-night drops. The delivery fee usually goes to the platform, not the driver.
What about bars and coffee shops?
At bars, $1–$2 per drink is standard, or 15–20% on an opened tab. At full-service coffee shops with table service, tip like a restaurant. At counter-service coffee shops (grab-and-go), tipping is optional — the jar or screen prompt is appreciated but not obligatory. $1 on a specialty drink is a common default.
How do tip-credit wages work?
Federal law allows employers to pay tipped workers as little as $2.13 per hour if tips bring total hourly compensation to at least the federal minimum wage ($7.25). States like California, Washington, and Oregon have eliminated the tip credit and require full minimum wage before tips. In tip-credit states, your tip genuinely is the wage.
Is tipping different internationally?
Yes. Japan: no tipping, can be rude. Continental Europe: service charge often included, small round-up for great service. UK: 10–12.5% if service not included. Australia/NZ: optional, 10% for very good service. Canada: similar to US, 15–20%. When traveling, check local norms before defaulting to US-style 20%.
How do I split fairly when orders were uneven?
Two options. (1) Ask for separate checks — most restaurants will do this if requested at ordering time. (2) Each person totals their own items, adds their share of tax pro-rata, and tips their own percentage. An even split of a wildly uneven bill subsidizes heavy orderers and penalizes light orderers — awkward if repeated.
Should I tip on the service charge / auto-gratuity?
Large parties (usually 6+) often have an 18–20% auto-gratuity added. You don't need to tip additionally unless service was exceptional. For a 'service charge' on the bill, ask whether it goes to the staff — if it's a house fee, tip the server normally; if it's already a gratuity distribution, no additional tip is needed.