How to work out a tip and split the bill fairly

Guide · Updated 2026-11-10

Add a tip to a restaurant, café or taxi bill, decide whether it is worked out before or after tax, and split the total evenly, rounded up to whole amounts if you like.

Open the Tip calculator Free, in your browser, nothing uploaded.

The end of a meal out is the wrong moment for mental maths. The tip calculator takes the bill, the tax, the tip you choose and the number of people, and gives each person one clear amount to pay. It is useful for diners, travellers working out an unfamiliar custom, and anyone who always ends up collecting the money for the group. For other percentage sums, open the percentage calculator, and for shared rent and household bills split by room size or income, the bill splitter is the better fit.

What it is

A tip is a percentage of a bill, so the whole tool rests on one idea: tip = base × tip% ÷ 100. The interesting part is choosing the base.

• Tax is worked out first: tax = bill × tax rate ÷ 100.
• If you tip on the bill before tax, the base is the bill alone.
• If you tip on the bill with tax, the base is bill + tax, so the tip is a little bigger.
• Total = bill + tax + tip.
• Each person pays total ÷ number of people.

Two switches change the result. If a service charge is already on the bill, the tool sets the tip to zero so you do not pay for service twice. If you round up each share, everyone pays the next whole number, and the few extra coins this collects simply go to the server as a slightly larger tip. The tool shows that extra as its own line.

Because only the numbers matter, it works the same in rupees, dollars, pounds, dirhams or anything else.

How to use it

1. Type the Bill (before tax). If tax is already built into the menu prices, type the whole bill here and put 0 for tax.
2. Type the Tax rate on the bill as a percent.
3. Enter the number of People splitting.
4. Tap one of the tip buttons (10%, 15%, 18% or 20%) or type any percent in Custom. Typing a custom value that matches a button lights that button up.
5. Under Work the tip out on, pick the bill before tax or the bill with tax.
6. Tick A service charge is already included if the bill shows one, or Round up what each person pays for whole-number shares. The big figure shows each person’s share, with the bill, tax, tip, total and any rounding extra listed under it.

A worked example

Three colleagues have lunch. The bill is 86.40 before tax, the tax rate is 13%, and they want to leave 18%.

Tip on the bill before tax.

• Tax: 86.40 × 13 ÷ 100 = 11.232, shown as 11.23.
• Tip: 86.40 × 18 ÷ 100 = 15.552, shown as 15.55.
• Total: 86.40 + 11.232 + 15.552 = 113.184, shown as 113.18.
• Each: 113.184 ÷ 3 = 37.728, shown as 37.73.

Same lunch, rounded up. Each person pays 38.00. Together that is 114.00, which is 0.816 more than the total (shown as 0.82), and it goes to the server as extra tip.

Tip on the bill with tax instead. The base is now 86.40 + 11.232 = 97.632, so the tip is 97.632 × 18 ÷ 100 ≈ 17.57. The total becomes about 115.21, and each person pays about 38.40. The choice of base adds about 2.02 to the tip here.

Where it is used

• Restaurants and cafés. The everyday use: one share per person, no awkward sums at the table.
• Taxis, delivery and hairdressers. Any service where a tip is customary can be worked out the same way; set people to 1.
• Travel. When you are abroad and unsure of the custom, the tool at least makes the sum easy once you know what is usual. Look it up for each country, because customs differ a lot.
• Group events. Team lunches, birthday dinners and club outings where one person pays and everyone else sends their share.
• Teaching percentages. Teachers use bills and tips as a real-life example of working out a percent of an amount and of why the base matters.

Common mistakes

• Tipping twice. Some bills already include a service charge, often printed near the bottom. Check before you tip, and tick the service charge box if it is there.
• Putting a tax-inclusive bill in with a tax rate. If the prices already include tax, typing a tax rate adds it a second time. Use 0 for tax in that case.
• Forgetting the rounding extra. Rounding up shares changes the real tip. The tool lists the extra so you know what the server actually receives.
• Assuming one custom fits everywhere. A percentage that is normal in one country can be unusual or even unwelcome in another. Check what is usual where you are.
• Using an even split for uneven orders. If one person had a much bigger meal, an even split is not fair. Work out each person’s own part first.

Questions people ask

Can I tip a fixed amount instead of a percent? The tool works in percents. To leave a set amount, divide it by the bill and multiply by 100, then type that as the custom percent. For example, 12 on a bill of 80 is 15%.

Does the tool round the tip itself? No. It keeps the exact figures and only shows them to two decimal places. The one rounding it does is the optional round-up of each share.

Is a tip the same as a service charge? Not always. A service charge is added by the venue and may or may not go to staff, and the rules on it differ by country. Check the official source, such as your local consumer agency, if you want to know where it goes.

This article is general education, not financial advice.