Tip Calculator
A tip calculator multiplies the amount you tip on by the tip percent. For an 18% tip on an $84.50 meal, multiply 84.50 by 0.18 to get $15.21. Add the $6.76 tax and the tip to the bill and the total is $106.47, or $35.49 each when three people split it evenly.
Leave a $15.21 tip (18% of the $84.50 pre-tax subtotal). The total is $106.47, which is $35.49 each for 3 people.
Show steps
- Add the tax to the subtotal: $84.50 + $6.76 = $91.26. This is the bill before the tip.
- Pick the amount to tip on. You chose the $84.50 pre-tax subtotal. Tipping on the subtotal leaves the tax out of the tip.
- Change the percent to a decimal: 18% = 18 ÷ 100 = 0.18.
- Multiply: $84.50 × 0.18 = $15.21.
- Add the tip to the bill: $91.26 + $15.21 = $106.47.
- Divide by the number of people: $106.47 ÷ 3 = $35.49 each.
| Tip % | Tip | Total | Each |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10% | $8.45 | $99.71 | $33.24 |
| 12% | $10.14 | $101.40 | $33.80 |
| 15% | $12.68 | $103.94 | $34.65 |
| 18% (yours) | $15.21 | $106.47 | $35.49 |
| 20% | $16.90 | $108.16 | $36.05 |
| 22% | $18.59 | $109.85 | $36.62 |
| 25% | $21.13 | $112.39 | $37.46 |
| 30% | $25.35 | $116.61 | $38.87 |
Totals include the $6.76 tax and are before any rounding. Each = total ÷ 3, to the nearest cent.
How much to tip is your choice, and customs differ by place and service. A mandatory service charge or automatic gratuity already on the bill is not a tip, so check the receipt before adding more.
How to use the tip calculator
- Type the bill before tax and, if you have it, the sales tax in dollars or as a percent. If you only have the final total, type that as the bill and leave tax blank.
- Pick a tip percentage with a button or type your own, such as 17.5.
- Choose whether to tip on the pre-tax subtotal or on the total with tax.
- Set the number of people and how to split: evenly, by shares (for example 0.5 for a child) or by what each person ordered.
- If you want whole-dollar amounts, round the total or each person up. The result shows the tip you actually leave as an effective percentage.
The answer updates as you type. Open Show steps for the working, and use Copy result to send the split to the group.
Tip formula
A tip is a percent of an amount, so it uses the same formula as any percentage:
Tip = amount tipped on × (tip percent ÷ 100)
Total = bill with tax + tip
Each person = total ÷ number of people
The amount tipped on is either the subtotal before tax or the total after tax. Tip money is rounded to the nearest cent, and when a total does not divide evenly, some people pay one cent more so the shares still add up to the exact total.
Tip on the pre-tax or post-tax amount?
Both are common, and the choice is yours. Tipping on the pre-tax subtotal means the tip covers the food and service but not the tax. Tipping on the total is quicker because it is the biggest number on the receipt. The gap between the two is easy to find: it equals the tax times the tip percent.
With $6.76 of tax and an 18% tip, the difference is 6.76 × 0.18 ≈ $1.22. The pre-tax tip is $15.21 and the post-tax tip is 91.26 × 0.18 = 16.4268, which rounds to $16.43.
Worked examples
Example 1: an 18% tip split three ways
Three friends have a $84.50 subtotal and $6.76 tax. The bill with tax is 84.50 + 6.76 = $91.26. An 18% tip on the subtotal is 84.50 × 0.18 = $15.21, so the total is 91.26 + 15.21 = $106.47. Split evenly, each person pays 106.47 ÷ 3 = $35.49.
Example 2: rounding up and the effective tip
A $63.40 bill with a 20% tip gives 63.40 × 0.20 = $12.68 and a total of $76.08. Rounding the total up to $77 adds $0.92, so the tip becomes $13.60. The tip you actually leave is 13.60 ÷ 63.40 × 100 ≈ 21.45%, not 20%. The calculator shows this effective tip percent every time you round.
Example 3: splitting by what each person ordered
Go back to the $84.50 bill. Person 1 ordered $30.00 and Person 2 ordered $22.50. Person 3 had only the shared appetizers, which make up the other 84.50 − 30.00 − 22.50 = $32.00. Split three ways, that is $10.67, $10.67 and $10.66, so the food totals are $40.67, $33.17 and $10.66.
Tax and tip follow each person’s share of the $84.50. Person 1 ate 40.67 ÷ 84.50 of the meal, so they pay $3.26 of the tax and $7.32 of the $15.21 tip, for $51.25 in all. Person 2 pays $41.79 and Person 3 pays $13.43. Together that is $106.47, the same total as the even split.
Example 4: when the total does not divide evenly
A $100.00 total split three ways is 33.333… dollars each. Nobody can pay a third of a cent, so one person pays $33.34 and two pay $33.33. The three shares add back to exactly $100.00.
Tip amounts for common bills
Each cell is the tip in dollars, rounded to the cent.
| Bill | 15% | 18% | 20% | 22% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $20 | $3.00 | $3.60 | $4.00 | $4.40 |
| $40 | $6.00 | $7.20 | $8.00 | $8.80 |
| $60 | $9.00 | $10.80 | $12.00 | $13.20 |
| $75 | $11.25 | $13.50 | $15.00 | $16.50 |
| $100 | $15.00 | $18.00 | $20.00 | $22.00 |
| $150 | $22.50 | $27.00 | $30.00 | $33.00 |
| $250 | $37.50 | $45.00 | $50.00 | $55.00 |
How to calculate a tip in your head
Every quick method starts from 10%. Take a $64.00 bill:
- 10%: move the decimal point one place left. 10% of $64.00 is $6.40.
- 20%: double the 10% amount. 2 × 6.40 = $12.80.
- 15%: add half of the 10% amount. 6.40 + 3.20 = $9.60.
- 18%: take 20% and subtract 2% (a fifth of 10%). 12.80 − 1.28 = $11.52.
- 25%: divide by 4. 64 ÷ 4 = $16.00.
For an awkward bill, round it first. A $47.85 bill is about $48, so 20% is about 2 × 4.80 = $9.60. The exact 20% tip is $9.57, only 3 cents less. The calculator’s Tip in your head panel repeats these steps with your own bill.
Choosing a tip percentage
No tip percentage is official. The quick-pick buttons run from 10% to 25% in the steps people commonly use, and you can type any other value. Customs vary by country, region and type of service, so treat the buttons as a starting point, not a rule.
Check the receipt for a service charge first. The IRS says a payment is a tip only if the customer voluntarily decides to pay it and determines the amount, and it lists automatic charges, such as a mandatory 18% charge for large parties, as service charges rather than tips. If one is already on the bill, anything you add on top is your tip.
Common tip mistakes
- Multiplying by 18 instead of 0.18. 18% means 18 ÷ 100. An answer 100 times too big is the giveaway.
- Tipping on tax without meaning to. If you want a pre-tax tip, start from the subtotal line, not the total.
- Double tipping. An automatic gratuity already counts as the service charge, so a second full tip may not be what you intend.
- Forgetting what rounding does. Rounding a small bill up to the next dollar can push the effective tip well above the percent you chose.
- Uneven orders, even split. When one person ordered much more, split by items so tax and tip follow what each person ate.
Tip practice quiz: 10 questions
Test yourself with 10 multiple-choice questions. Choose an answer and press Submit to see if you are right and why. Your score appears at the end.
Change 15% to 0.15 and multiply: 42.00 × 0.15 = $6.30. Or find 10% ($4.20) and add half of it ($2.10).
The tip is 68.00 × 0.20 = $13.60, so the total is 68.00 + 13.60 = $81.60.
Tip on the subtotal only: 90.00 × 0.18 = $16.20. Tipping on the $97.20 total would give $17.50.
The difference is the tax times the tip percent: 7.20 × 0.18 = $1.296, about $1.30.
Rounding adds $0.12, so the tip is 10.48 + 0.12 = $10.60. Then 10.60 ÷ 52.40 × 100 ≈ 20.23%.
10% means one tenth, so move the decimal point one place to the left: $73.50 becomes $7.35.
18% means 18 ÷ 100 = 0.18. The tip is 40 × 0.18 = $7.20, which is 720 ÷ 100.
100 ÷ 3 = 33.333…, so the extra cent goes to one person: 33.34 + 33.33 + 33.33 = $100.00.
Ana ate 30 ÷ 60 = one half of the food, so her part of the tip is 12 × 0.5 = $6.00.
Quiz complete
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate a 20% tip?
Find 10% by moving the decimal point one place left, then double it. For a $56.00 bill, 10% is $5.60, so a 20% tip is $11.20. As a formula: 56.00 × 0.20 = $11.20.
How much is an 18% tip on $50?
Multiply 50 by 0.18 to get $9.00, so the total is $59.00 before tax. Quick check: 20% of $50 is $10.00 and 2% is $1.00, and 10.00 − 1.00 = $9.00.
Should you tip on the total before or after tax?
Either is fine; it is a personal choice. Tipping before tax keeps the tax out of the tip, and tipping after tax is simpler. The difference equals the tax times the tip percent, so with $8 of tax and a 20% tip it is $1.60.
How do you split a bill with tip?
Add the tax and tip to the bill first, then divide. A $120 total with a $24 tip is $144, which is $36 each for four people. If people ordered very different amounts, split by items so each person's tax and tip match their share of the food.
What is the difference between a tip and a service charge?
A tip is voluntary and you choose the amount. A service charge is set by the business, such as an automatic gratuity for a large party, and the IRS treats it as a service charge, not a tip. Anything you add on top of it is a tip.
Related calculators
- Discount, tax and tip calculator (our older combined tool for sale prices, tax and tip)
- Percentage calculator
- Percent change calculator
- Rounding calculator
- Fraction, decimal and percent calculator
- Unit rate calculator
Sources
- IRS: Tip recordkeeping and reporting (definition of a tip and of service charges, checked November 2026)
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