Tip Calculator

What this tool is used for

• Working out a tip percentage on a bill quickly.
• Splitting a bill and its tip between several people.
• Rounding a total to a convenient figure.
• Checking a bill's service charge against the percentage claimed.
• Working out the per-person amount when the split is uneven.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I tip on the pre-tax or post-tax total?

Etiquette guidance says pre-tax, since tax is not part of the service. In practice many people tip on the total, which at a 9% tax rate adds roughly 1.8% on a 20% tip — small per bill, but it is the honest answer to the question.

How do I split a bill unevenly?

Apply the tip proportionally to each person's share rather than dividing the total tip equally. Splitting the tip equally when one person's meal cost twice as much silently subsidises them.

What is the quickest mental method?

Move the decimal one place for 10%, then halve that for 5%. 15% is the two added, 20% is the 10% doubled. On a £47 bill: £4.70 and £2.35 gives £7.05 for 15%.

What are the norms outside the US?

They vary enormously and the US is the outlier. Japan treats tipping as impolite; much of Europe rounds up or leaves 5-10%; the UK often adds a discretionary 12.5% service charge to the bill already — tipping on top of that double-pays.

What is the difference between a service charge and a tip?

A service charge is added by the venue and may not reach staff at all, depending on local law. A tip is discretionary. If a service charge is already on the bill, an additional tip is genuinely optional.

How should a tip be handled on a discounted or comped bill?

On the full pre-discount amount. The staff did the same work whether or not a voucher was applied, so tipping on the reduced total quietly transfers the discount from the restaurant to the server.

Does tipping on a card reach the server?

Usually, but not always in full or immediately — processing fees and pooling arrangements vary, and some venues settle card tips with the next pay run. Cash reaches them directly, which is why many staff still prefer it.

Common errors and gotchas

• Tipping on the gross including tax, when the convention in many places is on the pre-tax amount.
• Tipping on top of an included service charge, which double-pays.
• Splitting the tip before rounding, which leaves the total short.
• Applying one country's tipping convention in another, where norms differ enormously.
• Rounding each person's share down, which under-collects against the bill.