Advanced Tip Splitter
Split a restaurant bill with tip among any number of diners.
Supports unequal splits where each person pays different amounts with exact share breakdown.
The basic math
Equal split: per person = (bill + tip) ÷ number of people
Unequal split: each diner gets a weight; their share is (bill + tip) × (their weight ÷ total weights).
A $120 bill with 20% tip ($24) split equally among 4 people = $36 each. Same bill, but person 1 ordered double what everyone else did: weights “2, 1, 1, 1” (total 5). Person 1 pays $144 × 2/5 = $57.60. The other three pay $144 × 1/5 = $28.80 each.
US tipping standards as of 2024
The expectations have crept up steadily. Where 15% was the standard 20 years ago, 18 to 22% is now the unstated norm in most sit-down restaurants:
| Service | Expected tip |
|---|---|
| Sit-down restaurant — average service | 18% |
| Sit-down restaurant — good service | 20% |
| Sit-down restaurant — exceptional | 22 to 25% |
| Bar / cocktail (per drink) | $1 to $2 per drink, or 20% of tab |
| Coffee shop / quick counter | $1 to $2, or 10-15% (controversial) |
| Hair salon | 18 to 22% |
| Hotel housekeeping | $3 to $5/night |
| Hotel bellhop | $2 to $5 per bag |
| Food delivery (DoorDash, Uber Eats) | 15 to 20%, $3 minimum |
| Pizza delivery | $3 to $5 for cheap, 15% for larger orders |
| Taxi / Uber | 10 to 15% |
| Tattoo artist | 20% |
| Massage therapist | 18 to 20% |
| Movers | $5 to $10/hour per mover |
| Furniture delivery | $5 to $20 depending on difficulty |
The “tip on tax or pre-tax” debate
Technically, tip is on the pre-tax bill. Practically, most people tip on the post-tax total because it’s easier. The difference is small — 8% sales tax × 20% tip = 1.6% of the bill. On a $100 dinner, the difference between tipping pre-tax and post-tax is roughly $1.60. Not worth the calculation; tip on whatever’s easier.
When the bill auto-tips
Many restaurants auto-add 18 to 20% gratuity for parties of 6 or more (some now do it for 4+). Always check the bill before adding additional tip — auto-gratuity is the most common cause of “I tipped twice on accident.”
Splitting an unequal meal — the awkward conversation
The actual hardest part of dining out with friends isn’t the math; it’s the social calculus when someone ordered an $80 steak and three drinks while you had a $14 pasta and water. Three honest approaches:
- Strict per-item. Each person pays for what they ordered plus their share of tax and tip. Most accurate; can feel transactional.
- Even split. Everyone pays the same. Easy; can feel unfair if appetites diverge significantly.
- Loose-even. Heavy drinkers/eaters volunteer to throw in $10-20 extra. Common in friend groups.
The unequal-split mode of this calculator handles the per-item approach numerically — enter weights that roughly match what each person ordered.
Tipping internationally
Many countries explicitly do not tip the way Americans do:
| Country | Convention |
|---|---|
| Japan, South Korea | No tipping; can be insulting |
| Australia, New Zealand | Optional; rounding up only |
| Most of EU (France, Italy, Spain, Germany) | 5 to 10% if great service; service charge often included |
| UK | 10 to 12.5%; often “service charge” already on bill |
| Iceland | No tipping; built into prices |
| Mexico, Latin America | 10 to 15% common |
| China | Generally no tipping (changing in tourist areas) |
| Most Middle East | 10 to 15% in restaurants |
US tipping culture is genuinely an outlier internationally. Travelers often offend or confuse staff by either over-tipping (Japan) or under-tipping (back home).
The 50/50 split for couples / partners — pre-tip math
Many partners use a 50/50 approach but skip the tip share equation: split the bill 50/50, then one partner picks up the tip entirely. Mathematically the same as 50/50 on the total but feels cleaner socially. Same trick works for “I’ll buy dinner, you cover the tip.”
The credit card “tip line” trap
When you sign a credit card receipt, the tip line and total line are both editable until processing settles. Always fill both lines yourself, draw a line through any blank ones, and keep the customer copy. The “extra zero added to the tip” scam is rare but real — typically by drawing in a 0 after your tip amount, $4.50 becomes $45.00. Drawing lines through blanks defeats this.
The “would you pay it on a paper map” rule
The single best tipping advice for travel: tip what you’d be embarrassed to be seen leaving if a local friend was at the table. Above that and you’re flaunting. Below that and you’re stingy. The number doesn’t need to be a percentage; it needs to be defensible.
How we build and check this calculator
This calculator runs entirely in your browser, so the numbers you enter stay on your device. The math behind it is written by hand and tested against worked examples and standard references before the page goes live.
SuperGlobalCalculator is independently built and maintained. See how we build and verify our calculators.