Tip Calculator

How to calculate a tip and split a bill

Enter the bill, the tip percentage, and how many people are paying. The tool multiplies the bill by the tip rate, adds it to get the total, then divides that total by the headcount.

Use the pre-tax subtotal in the bill field if you want to follow the standard US convention, since the tip percentage is applied to whatever number you type.

• Enter the bill in the Bill amount field. It starts at 50.
• Enter the tip percentage in the Tip (%) field. It starts at 18.
• Enter the headcount in the Split between field. It starts at 2.
• Read the Tip amount, Total with tip, and Per person lines, all of which update as you type.
• Nudge the tip percentage up or down if you want the total to land on a round number.

Common tips at a glance

Most of the arithmetic people want from a tip calculator is one of a handful of combinations. A 20 percent tip on 60 is 12, for a total of 72. An 18 percent tip on 50 is 9, for 59. A 15 percent tip on 85 is 12.75, for 97.75. On a round 100 bill the three standard rates give 15, 18, and 20 exactly, which is the easiest sanity check there is.

Two mental shortcuts get you close without any tool. Ten percent is the bill with the decimal point moved one place left, so double it for 20 percent. Fifteen percent is that 10 percent plus half of it again. The calculator is for the cases where the bill is not round and the split is not obvious.

• 15 percent on 50 is 7.50, total 57.50.
• 18 percent on 50 is 9.00, total 59.00.
• 20 percent on 50 is 10.00, total 60.00.
• 20 percent on 60 is 12.00, total 72.00.
• 15 percent on 85 is 12.75, total 97.75.

Splitting the check and the leftover cents

The per-person line is the total with tip divided by the headcount, with no rounding of any kind. A 50 bill at 18 percent split two ways is 29.50 each, which is clean. A 72 total split three ways is 24.00 each, also clean. A 59 total split three ways is 19.666666, and someone has to absorb the fraction.

When the split lands awkwardly, the practical fix is to move the tip rather than the arithmetic. Raise the tip percentage until the total reaches a number the group can divide, which is usually a rounder gratuity than you started with and costs a few cents. The tool does not do this for you, so watch the total line while you adjust.

For an uneven split, run each person through the bill field on their own subtotal at the same tip percentage and read the total with tip for each. If you only want the percentage itself, the Percentage Calculator does the general version of the same sum.

• 72.00 split 3 ways: 24.00 each.
• 59.00 split 2 ways: 29.50 each.
• 97.75 split 4 ways shows 24.44 each, since 24.4375 is displayed to the cent, and four of those add up to a penny more than the check.
• Leaving the headcount at 0 or blank shows the full total rather than dividing by zero.