Tip Calculator
The tip calculator gives the tip, the total and the per-person share, including whether you are tipping on the tax.
Each person pays
- Total to pay
- $109.01
- Tip 20% of $85.00, the pre-tax subtotal.
- $17.00
- Sales tax 8.25% of $85.00.
- $7.01
- Subtotal
- $85.00
- Each of 2 people pays
- $54.51
- Tipping on the post-tax total instead A difference of $1.40.
- $18.40
- Doing it in your head So 20% is $17.00, and 15% is $12.75.
- 10% is $8.50
| Tip | Amount | Total | Each |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10% | $8.50 | $100.51 | $50.26 |
| 15% | $12.75 | $104.76 | $52.38 |
| 18% | $15.30 | $107.31 | $53.66 |
| 20% | $17.00 | $109.01 | $54.51 |
| 22% | $18.70 | $110.71 | $55.36 |
| 25% | $21.25 | $113.26 | $56.63 |
How the Tip Calculator works
A tip is a percentage of the bill, so the arithmetic is simple and the interesting questions are about convention.
The arithmetic: tip = subtotal x rate, and total = subtotal + tax + tip. An $85 bill at 8.25% tax with a 20% tip is $85 + $7.01 + $17.00 = $109.01. Split two ways, $54.51 each.
Then the rate, which is a social question with a moving answer. In US table service, 15% was standard for decades, 18% became the default sometime in the 2000s, and 20% is now the expectation in most cities. Below 15% reads as a complaint. Large parties, typically six or more, frequently have an 18% to 20% gratuity added automatically.
Outside table service the norms are often flat amounts rather than percentages. Food delivery has a floor around $5, since a percentage of a small order does not cover the trip. Hotel housekeeping is a few dollars a night, left daily rather than at the end.
Splitting the bill introduces its own small problem: the per-person share almost never lands on a round number. Rounding each share up to the dollar is the usual fix, and the surplus adds to the tip. With four people rounding $27.25 to $28, the tip picks up $3. If the group ate very differently, splitting the subtotal by what each person ordered and then applying tax and tip proportionally is fairer, and is what everybody at the table has already decided not to do.
Tip Calculator FAQ
How much should I tip?
In the US, 15% to 20% for table service, with 20% now the common default in cities. Bartenders get $1 to $2 a drink or 20% of the tab, taxi and rideshare drivers 10% to 20%, and delivery 15% to 20% with about a $5 minimum. Counter service is genuinely optional regardless of what the terminal suggests.
Do I tip before or after tax?
The convention is before tax, on the subtotal, since the tax is not the restaurant's revenue. Tipping on the post-tax total is also normal and costs a little more: about $1.65 extra on a $100 bill at 8.25% tax with a 20% tip. Neither is wrong.
How do I work out a 20% tip in my head?
Move the decimal point one place left to get 10%, then double it. An $85 bill: 10% is $8.50, so 20% is $17. For 15%, take the 10% figure and add half of it: $8.50 + $4.25 = $12.75. For 18%, take 20% and subtract a tenth of it.
Should I tip on top of an automatic gratuity?
No, not normally. An automatic gratuity of 18% to 20% for a large party is the tip. Many bills then also show a suggested tip line calculated on the total including that gratuity, which is how people end up tipping around 40% without noticing. Read the bill before signing.