Tip Calculator
Tip amount, total & split per person
Settle the check fast. Enter the bill, your tip percentage and the number of people to get the tip, total and each person's share. Add your local sales tax and choose whether to tip on the pre-tax or post-tax figure — a distinction most tip calculators ignore and that changes the number every time.
Should you tip on the pre-tax or post-tax total?
Used as a tax and tip calculator, this page reports both figures so you can see the gap rather than guess at it.
This is the question that brings most people to a tip calculator with tax, and it has a clear answer: etiquette guides consistently say tip on the pre-tax subtotal. Sales tax goes to the state, not the server, so there is no reason for it to be part of the tip base. Tipping on the post-tax total is simply a slightly more generous choice, not a more correct one.
The gap is small but real. On a $100 meal with 8.25% sales tax at 20%:
| Tip base | Tip | Sales tax | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-tax ($100) | $20.00 | $8.25 | $128.25 |
| Post-tax ($108.25) | $21.65 | $8.25 | $129.90 |
The difference is $1.65, or about 1.65% of the bill. Not worth an argument either way, but worth knowing that when a card terminal suggests percentages, it is almost always calculating them on the post-tax total — so the "20%" button is really about 21.7% of the meal. That is the quiet reason suggested tips feel higher than they used to.
Tip chart by bill amount
Tip only, before tax, so you can check a figure without doing anything.
| Bill | 15% | 18% | 20% | 22% | 25% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $20 | $3.00 | $3.60 | $4.00 | $4.40 | $5.00 |
| $30 | $4.50 | $5.40 | $6.00 | $6.60 | $7.50 |
| $40 | $6.00 | $7.20 | $8.00 | $8.80 | $10.00 |
| $50 | $7.50 | $9.00 | $10.00 | $11.00 | $12.50 |
| $60 | $9.00 | $10.80 | $12.00 | $13.20 | $15.00 |
| $75 | $11.25 | $13.50 | $15.00 | $16.50 | $18.75 |
| $100 | $15.00 | $18.00 | $20.00 | $22.00 | $25.00 |
| $150 | $22.50 | $27.00 | $30.00 | $33.00 | $37.50 |
| $200 | $30.00 | $36.00 | $40.00 | $44.00 | $50.00 |
The quick mental math
Find 10% by moving the decimal one place left, then adjust:
- 20% = double the 10%. On $60, that is $6 → $12.
- 15% = 10% plus half of it again. $6 + $3 = $9.
- 18% = 20% minus a tenth of the 20%. $12 − $1.20 = $10.80.
- 25% = quarter the bill, or double the 10% then add a quarter of that.
A useful shortcut in states with roughly 8 to 9% sales tax: double the tax line and you are close to a 17 to 18% tip.
How much to tip, by situation
| Service | Customary | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurant, table service | 18 to 20% | 15% for adequate service |
| Bar, per drink | $1 to $2 | Or 15 to 20% on a tab |
| Counter service, takeout | 0 to 10% | Genuinely optional |
| Food delivery | 15 to 20% | $5 minimum; more in bad weather |
| Taxi and ride-share | 15 to 20% | |
| Hairdresser, barber | 15 to 20% | |
| Hotel housekeeping | $2 to $5 per night | Leave it daily, not at checkout |
| Hotel porter | $1 to $2 per bag | |
| Movers | $20 to $50 each | For a full day |
Two things to watch on the bill. Large parties often carry an automatic 18 to 20% gratuity, so check before adding another tip — paying twice is a common and expensive mistake. And a service charge is not always a tip: some restaurants keep it or use it to fund wages, so if it matters to you, ask whether it reaches the staff.
Splitting the bill fairly
An even split is fastest and works when everyone ate similarly. It stops being fair when one person had a $12 salad and another had steak and three drinks, and the usual outcome is that the lighter eaters quietly subsidise the group.
- Even split: enter the party size above and the per-person figure is the answer.
- By item: total each person's items, then add the same tip percentage and a proportional share of tax to each.
- One card, several payers: whoever pays should be reimbursed the full per-person amount including tip and tax, not just the food.
- Rounding up to a whole number per person is a graceful way to cover the awkward cents.
Splitting on the total rather than the subtotal matters more than people expect: on a $200 dinner for four with tax and a 20% tip, the difference between splitting food-only and splitting the true total is over $14 a head.
Tipping outside the US
US norms are unusually high and travel badly. In much of Europe service is included and rounding up or leaving 5 to 10% is generous. In Japan and South Korea tipping is not customary and can be refused. In Australia and New Zealand it is uncommon outside fine dining. Tipping 20% abroad out of habit is not a kindness so much as a misunderstanding — check local practice rather than exporting the American default.
How this tip calculator works out its numbers
Tip is tip base × percentage ÷ 100. The tip base is the pre-tax bill by default, or bill + tax when you select post-tax. The total is always bill + tax + tip, and the per-person figure divides that total by the party size.
- Sales tax is optional. Leave it blank and the calculator behaves as a plain tip and split tool. Enter a rate and it shows the tax, the tip base and the total separately.
- Pre-tax is the default because that is what etiquette guidance recommends. The post-tax option exists because card terminals use it and some people prefer to match.
- Even splits only. Splitting by item needs each person's subtotal; the calculator divides the whole total equally.
- Not modelled: automatic gratuity already on the bill, service charges, and per-item splits. Check the bill before adding a tip to a large party.
- Tipping norms are US customs as of September 2026 and vary by region, venue and country. They are conventions, not rules.
Reviewed September 2026.
Figures reviewed . Every worked example on this page is checked against the calculator above.
Tip Calculator: frequently asked questions
What is a standard tip?
18 to 20% of the pre-tax bill for table service in the US, with 15% acceptable for adequate service. On a $60 bill that is $10.80 at 18% or $12.00 at 20%.
Should I tip on tax?
Etiquette guides say tip on the pre-tax subtotal, since sales tax goes to the state rather than the server. Tipping on the post-tax total is a more generous choice, not a more correct one. On a $100 bill at 8.25% tax the difference is $1.65.
How do I calculate a tip with tax?
Enter your bill, tip percentage and sales tax rate above, then choose whether to tip on the pre-tax or post-tax figure. The calculator shows the tip, the tax, the total and each person's share.
Do card machines tip on the pre-tax or post-tax total?
Almost always post-tax. That means the suggested 20% button is closer to 21.7% of your meal in a state with 8.25% sales tax, which is part of why prompted tips feel higher than they used to.
How do I quickly work out a 20% tip?
Move the decimal one place left to get 10%, then double it. On a $60 bill that is $6, so $12. For 15%, take the 10% and add half of it again.
Is it rude to tip 15%?
No. 15% remains acceptable for standard table service in the US, with 18 to 20% for good service. Tip below that only when service was genuinely poor, and consider speaking to a manager instead if something went wrong.
Do I tip if gratuity is already included?
No. Large parties frequently carry an automatic 18 to 20% gratuity. Check the bill before adding anything, because paying twice on a big table is an expensive mistake.
How should a group split the bill?
Enter the party size for an even split, which works when everyone ate similarly. Otherwise total each person's items and add the same tip percentage and a proportional share of tax to each. Always split the total, not just the food.