Enter the bill and a tip percentage to see the tip and total, then split it across any number of people to get the amount each person owes.
Tipping norms vary sharply. In the US and Canada service is not built into wages, so 15–20% is effectively expected. Japan and Korea do not tip at all, and most of Europe already includes a service charge — rounding up is enough.
Federal law permits a "tip credit": an employer may pay tipped staff a cash wage below the minimum and count tips toward the difference.
The federal minimum cash wage is $2.13 an hour. If tips don't bring earnings up to the minimum the employer must make up the shortfall, but that reconciliation happens on a weekly average — so in practice each shift's tips are that person's income.
States differ. California, Washington and Oregon among others allow no tip credit at all and must pay the full state minimum regardless of tips. Tipping persists there, but not as the mechanism that makes the wage legal.
Withholding a tip in the US is therefore closer to docking someone's pay than to rating the service. It is a difference in labour law, not in manners.
Where tips are part of the wage — the US and Canada. Restaurants 15–20%, bars $1–2 per drink, taxis 10–15%, hotel porters $1–2 per bag.
Where service is already included — most of Europe. A bill marked servizio incluso or service compris has it built in; 5–10% or rounding up covers genuine satisfaction.
Where tipping isn't done — Korea, Japan, China. In Japan, money left behind is treated as forgotten and staff may chase you down the street to return it. Insisting reads as an imposition.
When unsure, read the bill. If a service charge, gratuity or coperto already appears as a line item, anything further is optional.
Convention is to tip on the pre-tax subtotal, since the tax is not the restaurant's money.
The gap is small either way. On a $100 meal in New York City at 8.875% sales tax, an 18% tip is $18.00 pre-tax and $19.60 post-tax — a difference of $1.60.
The suggested-tip table printed on many receipts is calculated on the post-tax total. Following it means tipping slightly above convention.
Even split versus by-consumption: even is easier arithmetic but penalises whoever didn't drink. Agreeing before the bill arrives avoids the awkward part.
Rounding direction matters. Rounding each person's share down leaves the total short — this calculator gives the per-person figure, so either someone absorbs the remainder or everyone rounds up.
Splitting across cards works in most US restaurants, but the tip goes on each card separately. Dividing the total tip by the number of cards and writing that on each one comes out right.
Large parties often trigger an automatic gratuity of around 18% for six or more. Missing that line and tipping again means paying twice.
Counter service at a café is not obligatory. A tablet offering 15/20/25% can be answered with "No tip" — the practice of prompting everywhere is why people talk about "tipflation".
Delivery: 15–20% of the order or a $3–5 minimum, more in bad weather or over a long distance.
Hairdressers and barbers: 15–20%. Hotel housekeeping: $2–5 left daily rather than at the end, because the person cleaning changes day to day.
Tour guides: roughly $5–10 for a half day, $10–20 for a full day.
It varies by country and setting, but US restaurants are typically 15–20%. Quick-select buttons and a custom field are both supported.
Yes. Set the number of people and it divides the total and tip to show the per-person amount.
Convention usually favors tipping on the pre-tax subtotal, but many people simply tip on the total for convenience — either way, this tool lets you enter whichever amount you prefer.
What this tool bases its numbers on, and how far those numbers go.
Tip = base amount × tip rate. Total = base + tip. Per person = total ÷ number of people. Whether the base is pre-tax or post-tax is set by the amount you enter.A $100 pre-tax bill at 18% gives a $18 tip and a $118 total; split four ways, $29.50 each.