Tip Calculator
FinanceEnter the bill, the tip percentage and how many people are sharing it. You get the tip, the total and what each person pays, and you can add sales tax and round up to a whole dollar.
Step by step
$85.00 + $0.00 + $17.00 = $102.00
- Sales tax on the bill: $0.00.
- The tip, figured on the amount you chose and rounded the way you chose: $17.00.
- Bill plus sales tax plus tip: $102.00.
- Divide by 1: $102.00 each.
Once every entry is valid, you’ll see each step of the calculation here.
Formula
- tip base
- the bill before tax, or the bill plus sales tax, whichever you choose
- sales tax
- bill × tax rate / 100, rounded to the cent
- tip %
- the tip percentage you enter, for example 20
How it works
The calculator follows the same steps as a receipt. Tip = tip base × tip percent / 100, where the tip base is your bill before tax or, if you choose, the bill plus sales tax. Total = bill + sales tax + tip, and each person pays the total divided by the number of people. Tax and tip are rounded to the nearest cent, so the numbers add up the way a printed check does. For example, 20 percent of $85 is $17, so the total is $102.
How much to tip is a matter of custom, not law. The Emily Post Institute gives these ranges for the US: 15 to 20 percent of the pre-tax bill for sit-down table service, 10 percent at a buffet, 10 to 15 percent of the bill for food delivery, $2 to $5 for a pizza delivery depending on the order and the effort, 15 to 20 percent of the fare for a taxi driver (at least $1), 15 to 20 percent at a hair salon and $2 to $5 a day for hotel housekeeping. Takeout carries no obligation, although 10 percent is a kind gesture for a large or complicated order. The tip chart under the results lists the usual percentages for your bill.
Tipping before or after tax is the one choice that changes the math. Etiquette figures table service on the pre-tax bill. Tipping on the total with tax is simpler and adds only a little: at 8 percent sales tax and a 20 percent tip, the extra is 20% × 8% = 1.6 percent of the pre-tax bill, about $1.60 on a $100 meal. Tips also matter because federal law (29 U.S.C. 203(m)) lets an employer count part of a tipped worker’s tips toward the minimum wage, so in many states tips make up a large share of a server’s pay. Rules differ by state.
To split a bill, add the tax and the tip first, then divide. The round-up options raise the tip so that the tip, the total or each person’s share ends on a whole dollar; they never lower it. When a total does not divide evenly, the shares shown to the cent can be a cent or two off, so one person can cover the difference.
The formula
To find 20 percent in your head, move the decimal point one place left to get 10 percent and double it. On a $64.00 check, 10 percent is $6.40, so 20 percent is $12.80. For 15 percent, add half of the 10 percent amount: $6.40 + $3.20 = $9.60.
With the round-up options, the calculator first finds the exact tip and total, then raises the tip by the smallest amount that makes the chosen number a whole dollar. A $47.50 bill with an 18 percent tip is $8.55, which becomes $9.00 when the tip is rounded up.
Example
Dinner for four is $120 before tax, sales tax is 8% and you tip 20% of the pre-tax bill. What does each person pay?
- Sales tax: $120 × 8% = $9.60.
- Tip on the pre-tax bill: $120 × 20% = $24.00.
- Total: $120.00 + $9.60 + $24.00 = $153.60. Split four ways, each person pays $38.40.
The tip is $24.00 and the total is $153.60, which comes to $38.40 per person.
Load this example into the calculatorFrequently asked questions
How do I calculate a tip?
Multiply the bill by the tip percentage written as a decimal: 20 percent of $85 is 85 × 0.20 = $17. Add the tip to the bill for the total. In your head, find 10 percent by moving the decimal point one place left, then double it for 20 percent or add half of it for 15 percent.
How much should I tip at a restaurant?
For sit-down table service the Emily Post Institute gives 15 to 20 percent of the bill before tax. Buffets are 10 percent, and takeout carries no obligation. Tipping is custom, not law, so pick the percentage that fits the service you received.
Should I tip on the bill before or after tax?
Etiquette says before tax: the Emily Post Institute lists restaurant tips as a percentage of the pre-tax bill. Tipping on the total with tax is common because it is simpler, and it adds little: at 8 percent tax and a 20 percent tip the extra is 1.6 percent of the pre-tax bill. You can choose either one under “Tip is figured on” above.
How do I split a bill with a tip?
Start with the whole check: the bill plus sales tax plus the tip. Then enter the number of people under “Split between” and the calculator divides that total and shows what each one owes. If everyone ordered a different amount, work out each person’s share of the pre-tax bill and apply the same tip percentage to it instead of splitting evenly.
How much should I tip for delivery, taxis or haircuts?
The Emily Post Institute lists food delivery at 10 to 15 percent of the bill and pizza delivery at $2 to $5, depending on the size of the order and how hard the delivery is. Taxi drivers get 15 to 20 percent of the fare, at least $1, and hair stylists 15 to 20 percent. Hotel housekeeping is $2 to $5 per day.
What do the round-up options do?
They raise the tip so that one number ends on a whole dollar. Round the tip up makes the tip a whole-dollar amount, round the total up makes the total a whole dollar, and round each share up makes what each person pays a whole dollar. The tip is never lowered, so the effective tip can end up a little above the percentage you entered.
Do I have to tip on takeout?
No. The Emily Post Institute says there is no obligation to tip on takeout, and suggests about 10 percent when there is extra service, such as curbside delivery, or the order is large or complicated.
- Tipping Etiquette 101: A Comprehensive Guide on Tipping (Emily Post Institute)
- 29 U.S. Code § 203 - Definitions (subsection (m), tipped employees) (Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School)