Tip Calculator & Bill Splitter
Split any restaurant bill instantly. Calculate the tip before or after tax, choose how to round, and see exactly what each person owes.
Step 1 - Bill Details
Enter the subtotal shown on your check, not including tip.
How many people are splitting this bill?
Step 2 - Tip Percentage
A tip rate (also called a gratuity rate) is the percentage of your bill you add as a thank-you to your server. 18-20% is considered the standard in the United States for good service at a sit-down restaurant.
Tax Amount Optional
Why does tax matter for tipping? Your restaurant check shows a pre-tax amount (the raw food and drink total) and a post-tax amount (after sales tax is added). Tipping etiquette says either is acceptable, but tipping on the pre-tax amount is technically the standard - and it can save a few dollars on larger bills.
Pre-Tax: Tip is calculated on your food/drink subtotal only. Post-Tax: Tip is calculated on the total including sales tax, which results in a slightly higher tip.
Step 3 - Rounding Options
Rounding up per person is the most common approach - it keeps the math simple and usually means a small bonus for your server.
Total Tip Amount
$0.00
Gratuity added to bill
Each Person Pays
$0.00
Split 2 ways
Itemized Breakdown
The Ultimate Guide to Restaurant Tipping and Bill Splitting Etiquette
Tipping at a restaurant can feel surprisingly complicated, especially when dining with a group. The good news is that once you understand the core principles behind gratuity, deciding what to leave becomes straightforward. In the United States, a tip is not just a bonus for exceptional service - it is a core part of a server's income, as tipped employees often earn a base wage well below the standard minimum wage. Understanding this context helps frame why the standard tip percentage has risen steadily over the decades, from the old 10% guideline to the current consensus of 18-20% for competent, attentive service.
When calculating your tip, it helps to understand a key term that appears on most restaurant checks: the pre-tax amount. This is the raw subtotal of everything you ordered, before local and state sales taxes are applied. The post-tax amount, also called the total, is what you see at the bottom of the check after tax is included. Tipping etiquette technically calls for calculating the gratuity on the pre-tax bill, because your server did not cook the tax into your food - they served your meal. That said, most diners tip on the post-tax total for simplicity, and the difference on a $60 check is often less than a dollar. Both are acceptable, and this calculator lets you choose either method.
The traditional and technically correct etiquette is to tip on the pre-tax subtotal. The rationale is simple: your server provided a service on the food and drinks you ordered, not on the government's sales tax. Calculating 20% on a $80 food bill gives an $16 tip. Calculating 20% on the post-tax total of $86 gives a $17.20 tip - a $1.20 difference that compounds noticeably on larger checks or in high-tax cities.
In practice, the majority of diners tip on the post-tax total because it is the biggest, most visible number on the receipt. Neither approach is rude or wrong, but if you are trying to be precise - or if you are on a budget - tipping on the pre-tax amount is the defensible standard. High-end restaurants in major cities sometimes print a suggested tip line on the check that is already calculated on the post-tax total, which nudges diners upward. Our calculator defaults to pre-tax calculation but lets you switch with one tap.
Once your party reaches 6 or more guests, many restaurants automatically add a service charge or automatic gratuity directly to the check - typically 18% or 20%. This is called a "mandatory gratuity" or "auto-grat," and it exists because large groups create significantly more work for servers and are statistically more likely to leave smaller tips. Before adding any additional tip, always check your receipt carefully for a line that says "service charge," "gratuity," or "auto-grat."
If automatic gratuity has already been applied and the service was truly exceptional, it is a kind gesture to leave a small additional cash tip. If you feel the service was poor and you are paying a mandatory charge you cannot waive, speaking with the manager is the appropriate next step - not simply refusing to pay a line item the restaurant has legally added to the bill. For parties under 6, standard etiquette applies: 18-20% for good service, more for outstanding service.
Tipping norms vary significantly by service type. Here is a practical breakdown for common situations:
Sit-down restaurants: 18-20% for good service, 22-25% for exceptional. Anything below 15% sends a strong signal of dissatisfaction. Buffet restaurants: 10% or a flat $1-2 per person, since servers typically only handle drink refills and plate clearing. Bar service: $1-2 per drink for simple pours, 15-20% on a full tab. Takeout orders: 10-15% if placing the order in person, 0-10% for online/phone orders depending on how much work was involved. Delivery services: 15-20% of the order total, with a minimum of $3-5 given the physical effort involved. Barista/coffee shop: $0.50-$1 per drink is appreciated but not required. Food trucks: Generally 10-15%, as there is no table service, but many staff operate on similar wage structures to restaurants.
Splitting a bill evenly is the simplest method - it works well when everyone orders roughly similar amounts and no one has dietary restrictions that pushed them toward cheaper menu items. But it can cause friction when one person orders a salad and water while others get steak and cocktails. The cleanest solution is to speak up before ordering, not after: a quick "let us split this by what we each order" sets the expectation early and removes any awkwardness.
If you forget to establish that upfront, the most socially graceful solution is usually for the higher-spending guests to offer to cover the imbalance. The person who ordered less should not have to advocate for themselves if others are aware of the disparity. A practical workaround: use a payment app to itemize individual orders, then apply each person's proportional share of the tip. Our calculator handles even splits - for itemized splits, jot each person's subtotal, enter it as the bill amount with 1 person to find their individual tip, then collect accordingly.
Rounding is a practical tool for making collection easier when splitting a bill. "Don't Round" shows you the mathematically precise share down to the cent - useful if you are paying by card and want an exact figure to type in. "Round Tip to Nearest Dollar" adjusts only the gratuity, giving you a cleaner tip amount while keeping the per-person share still potentially decimal. "Round Each Person's Share Up" is the most popular group-dining choice because everyone pays a simple whole-dollar amount and the extra cents go to the server as a bonus. "Round Grand Total Up" works well when one person is covering the full check and wants a tidy figure to pay.
For group dinners paid in cash, rounding each person's share up to the nearest dollar is strongly recommended - it eliminates coin change, speeds up collection, and the small extra always goes toward the tip, which is a courteous outcome. If everyone is paying by Venmo or card, exact figures are easy to enter, so rounding becomes a matter of personal preference rather than practical necessity.