Orpheus

Tip Calculator

Work out the tip and split the bill, without the mental arithmetic.

Inputs
15%
Round the total up

To the next whole unit of currency.

Each person pays
34.50
Tip
9.00
Total
69.00
Tip per person
4.50
Effective rate
15%
tip = bill × rate ÷ 100 · each = (bill + tip) ÷ people

Rounding the total up moves the effective rate above the slider setting.

Every tool runs entirely in your browser. Your files are never uploaded to a server.

Multiply the bill by the tip rate and divide by 100. For a split, add the tip to the bill first and then divide by the number of people — dividing before tipping gives a different and usually wrong answer.

How to use Tip Calculator

  1. Enter the bill. Before tip, as printed.
  2. Set the rate. Fifteen to twenty percent is customary in the United States; much less in most of Europe.
  3. Split it. Set how many people, and optionally round the total up to a whole amount.

About calculating a tip

Tipping is a social convention wearing the clothes of arithmetic, which is why a calculator can settle the sum and not the question. Rates vary enormously by country and by service type. The United States has drifted upward over the past two decades from a customary 15 percent to 18 or 20, driven partly by point-of-sale systems that present those figures as defaults, and partly by a tipped minimum wage that is far below the standard one in many states — which means a tip there substitutes for wages rather than supplementing them. Most of Europe includes service in the price and treats rounding up as generous. In Japan and South Korea tipping is generally not practised and can be actively awkward. Two mechanical points are worth getting right. Splitting must happen after the tip is added, not before, or each person tips on their share and the total falls short. And rounding the total up changes the effective rate, sometimes substantially on a small bill: rounding a 23.40 total to 24 adds nearly three percent on top of whatever was already applied, which is shown here so the figure is not a surprise.

Frequently asked questions

How much should I tip?
It depends entirely on where you are. In the United States 18 to 20 percent is now standard for table service. In much of Europe service is included and rounding up is enough. In Japan tipping can cause offence. The custom is local, not universal.
Should I tip on the pre-tax or post-tax amount?
Convention in the United States is on the pre-tax subtotal, though many people tip on the total for simplicity. On a 9 percent sales tax the difference is under two percent of the bill, so either is defensible.
What is the quickest way to work out 20 percent?
Move the decimal point one place left to get 10 percent, then double it. A bill of 63.40 gives 6.34, so 20 percent is 12.68. For 15 percent, take the 10 percent figure and add half of it.
Is it fairer to split the bill evenly or by what each person ordered?
Evenly is faster and works when orders are similar. When they are not, splitting evenly transfers money from the person who had soup to the person who had steak and wine. Either is fine as long as it is agreed before the bill arrives.

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