Tip Calculator
Runs locallyInput stays in your browserFree, no sign-up
The math is three lines: tip = tip base × tip rate, tax = bill × tax rate, total due = bill + tip + tax. The part that trips people up is the tip base: the pre-tax base is the bill itself, while the post-tax base is the bill plus tax — and the convention in US restaurants is pre-tax, so the tip is figured on the food, not on the food plus tax. Default example: a 100 bill, 15% tip, no tax, split between 2 people — tip 15, total due 115, 57.50 per person, 7.50 of tip per person. Change any number and the result updates at once.
Three situations cover most uses. First, the US restaurant check: an 86.50 bill, 8% tax, 18% tip — tax 6.92, tip 15.57, total due 108.99, split three ways at 36.33 each. The server's tip is figured on the menu prices, so enter the rate against the pre-tax bill. Second, the group dinner: a 240 bill, 20% tip, four people — tip 48, total 288, 72 each, settled in seconds instead of a round of mental arithmetic at the table. Third, travel and delivery: taxi fares, food delivery, and hotel porters all take tips, and working out the number before you hand over the cash beats fumbling with a phone calculator on the spot.
Edge cases, stated plainly. First, pre-tax versus post-tax is worth real money: on the same 86.50 bill at 8% tax and 18% tip, the tip is 15.57 pre-tax and 16.82 post-tax — a 1.25 difference on one meal. This page defaults to pre-tax; if your check already folds tax into the total and you want to tip on that total, switch the base. Second, split remainders: a 100 bill at 15% split three ways totals 115, which is 38.333 per person — rounded to cents that is 38.34, 38.33, and 38.33, with the first person carrying the extra cent, so the shares add back to 115 exactly. Third, input limits: the bill must be greater than 0, tip and tax rates sit between 0 and 100, and the head count is a whole number from 1 to 100 — anything outside those bounds is rejected with a message rather than answered with a made-up number. Fourth, tip and tax are each rounded to the cent, and the total due is the sum of bill, tip, and tax, so adding the displayed figures always reconciles — there is no missing cent. Fifth, amounts carry no currency symbol, so the math is identical in any currency; where tipping is not customary, set the tip to 0 and the page becomes a plain split.
Using it is straightforward: enter the bill amount and the number of people up top, pick a tip rate (10%, 15%, 18%, 20%, and 25% are the common presets, or choose Custom and type any rate), enter the tax rate, and pick whether the tip base is pre-tax or post-tax. Tip amount, tax amount, total due, per-person share, and tip per person update as you type, and the split details show how the remainder was handled. Copy the result into the group chat and the person who paid can collect without retyping a single number; Reset returns to the default example. Everything is calculated in your browser — the amounts you enter are never uploaded, and there is no sign-up.
How to use
- Enter the bill amount and the number of people (1 means no split).
- Pick a tip rate: 10%, 15%, 18%, 20%, or 25% from the dropdown, or choose Custom and type any rate.
- Enter the tax rate (0 where there is no tax) and pick the tip base: pre-tax or post-tax.
- Read the tip amount, tax amount, total due, and per-person share, and check the remainder in the split details.
- Copy the result into the group chat and collect by the breakdown; change any number and the result updates at once.
FAQ
Is tip calculated before or after tax?
Before tax — that is the convention in US restaurants: tip amount = bill × tip rate, with tax figured separately. Tipping on the after-tax total taxes the tip itself: on an 86.50 bill at 8% tax and 18% tip, the pre-tax tip is 15.57 and the post-tax tip is 16.82, a 1.25 difference. This page defaults to pre-tax; switch to post-tax only when you deliberately want to tip on the total including tax.
Should I tip 15%, 18%, or 20%?
By the common US restaurant scale: 15% is the floor for service with no obvious problem, 18% to 20% is the standard range for good service, and 25% is for service that genuinely stood out. Food delivery usually runs 10% to 15%, or 3 to 5 dollars; takeout can be nothing or 10%; at a bar, 1 to 2 dollars per drink. Where tipping is not customary, set the tip to 0.
Why do split shares differ by a cent?
That is the normal remainder from rounding to cents: a 100 bill at 15% split three ways totals 115, which is 38.333 per person, so the rounded shares are 38.34, 38.33, and 38.33. This page hands the extra cent to the first person, so the three shares add back to 115 exactly, and the split details show who carries it.
What do I enter when there is no tax?
Enter 0. Domestic purchases and tax-free situations have no tax, so 0 makes this a plain split. A service charge can go in the tax field, since the math is identical: both scale with the bill. The tip rate can likewise be 0, which means no tip — just a total and a split.
What is the highest tip rate I can enter?
0 to 100. Enter 0 for no tip, or 100 to tip the full amount of the bill; anything above 100 is rejected with a message. The rate box takes decimals, so 12.5% works, and the common rates — 10%, 15%, 18%, 20%, 25% — are in the dropdown.