Tip and split bill calculator

How to use the tip calculator

1. Type the bill: the amount on the receipt, without the currency sign.
2. Choose a tip: press 10, 15, 18, 20 or 25%, or type any percentage in the box, like 12.5. Type 0 for no tip.
3. Set the number of people with the − and + buttons, or type it.
4. Tick Round each person’s share up to a whole amount if you’d rather pay in round numbers.

The tip, the total and what each person pays change as you type, with how much of each share is tip. Nothing you type leaves your device.

How the tip is worked out

The calculator does three sums:

• Tip = bill × tip percentage ÷ 100
• Total = bill + tip
• Each person = total ÷ number of people

Amounts are rounded to the cent, as money is. Here are some usual tips on common bills:

Bill	10%	15%	18%	20%
20.00	2.00	3.00	3.60	4.00
50.00	5.00	7.50	9.00	10.00
85.00	8.50	12.75	15.30	17.00
120.00	12.00	18.00	21.60	24.00

A worked example

Four friends have dinner. The bill is 86.40 and they want to tip 18%.

• The tip is 86.40 × 18 ÷ 100 = 15.55.
• The total is 86.40 + 15.55 = 101.95.
• Each person pays 101.95 ÷ 4 = 25.4875, so 25.49, of which 3.89 is tip.

Four shares of 25.49 make 101.96, one cent too many, so the calculator says that 3 people pay 25.49 and 1 person pays 25.48.

With the rounding option ticked, each friend pays 26.00. The total becomes 104.00 and the tip 17.60: 20.4% of the bill, which the calculator also shows.

Before or after tax?

Etiquette guides in the US usually suggest tipping on the amount before tax. If your bill shows a subtotal before tax, type that to see the tip, then add the tip to the full bill. The difference is often small: with a subtotal of 80.00 and 8% tax, a 20% tip is 16.00 before tax and 17.28 after.

Splitting unevenly

An even split is fair when everyone ate about the same. When one person had a starter and two drinks and another a salad, add up what each ordered, sharing anything for the table equally. Then type each person’s part as the bill, with 1 person, to see their tip and total. With a 20% tip, a part of 30.00 becomes 36.00, and a part of 50.00 becomes 60.00.

Rounding up

Rounding each share up to a whole amount makes paying in cash, or by phone, simpler. The extra goes to the tip, and the calculator shows the new tip and its percentage, so you know what you’re leaving.

Tipping customs differ by country

What’s polite in one country can be odd in another:

• United States: 15 to 20% at a sit-down restaurant is usual, and tips are often a large part of a server’s pay.
• Many European countries: a smaller tip, or rounding up the bill, is common. Service is sometimes included in the prices or added to the bill, so check before you tip.
• Japan: tipping isn’t expected.

When you travel, check the bill for a service charge first, and when in doubt, ask.