How tip and split-bill math works
A tip is a percentage of the bill added on top as a thank-you for service. The calculation is the bill multiplied by the tip percentage divided by 100. Add that to the bill to get the total, then divide the total by the number of people to find each person's share.
For a bill of 80 with a 20% tip split four ways, the tip is 16, the total is 96, and each person pays 24. The tool performs exactly these steps and does nothing more elaborate.
When it saves time
Restaurants, taxis, hair salons and delivery drivers all raise the same question at the end: how much extra should I add, and what is my part? Doing percentages in your head with a group is awkward, and rounding mistakes tend to leave someone paying more than the others.
This is also useful when travelling, where local custom for tipping may differ. You can try several percentages quickly and see the effect on the total before deciding.
How to use the tip calculator
- Enter the Bill amount. It starts at 64.5.
- Enter the Tip %. It starts at 18.
- Enter the number of people in Split between. It starts at 2 and cannot go below 1 in the calculation.
- Read Tip, Total and Per person.
With the starting values, the tip is 11.61 and the total is 76.11. Results update as you type, and the calculation stays in your browser.
Things to keep in mind
The tip is calculated on the bill amount you enter, so decide beforehand whether that figure includes tax. Many people tip on the pre-tax amount, but practice varies, and the tool will use whatever number you give it.
The split is an equal one. It cannot handle people who ordered different amounts, and it does not round the per-person amount up to a convenient whole number. Outputs show a dollar sign and two decimals regardless of the currency you use, and a share like 33.333 is rounded for display only. If you enter 0 or a negative number of people, the tool treats it as 1. To work out a percentage of any other number, the Percentage Calculator is a good companion.