EachSplit
Split a bill

Tip calculator

Tips on the pre-tax subtotal, the way US etiquette guidance says to, and splits the total so the shares add up to the check exactly. Nothing is saved and there is no sign-up.

Tip18%
Split between
2people

Each person pays

$0.00

Subtotal
$0.00
Tip (18%)
$0.00
Total
$0.00

Did everyone order the same thing?

If not, an even split is the wrong answer — it charges whoever had a salad for a share of somebody else's steak. On a typical three-person check that gap is around $12. Photograph the receipt instead and everyone claims their own items from one link, with tax and tip landing in proportion to what each person actually had.

Split it by item insteadScan a receipt, no sign-up

Why the tax setting changes the answer

Most tip calculators take whatever number you type and multiply it by the tip percentage. If you typed the total off the bottom of the check, that number already includes sales tax — so you have just tipped your server a percentage of the state's tax revenue.

It is not a large amount. On a $100 check at 8.25% tax with a 20% tip, tipping on the total rather than the subtotal costs $1.65. It is the principle that people argue about, and the answer is settled: the Emily Post Institute and essentially every US etiquette source say to tip on the pre-tax amount, because tax is a government charge that has nothing to do with the service you received. Tick the tax box above and the tax is taken back out before the tip is worked out.

The leftover cent

$70.01 does not divide by three. The honest answer is $23.34, $23.34 and $23.33 — and most calculators will not tell you that, because showing one number is tidier. They round, and the shares then either collect a cent too much or leave the check short.

This one shows the split and names who carries the extra cent. It is a trivial amount and an unusually good test of whether a tool is doing arithmetic or approximating it — which matters much more on a thirty-line receipt than on a tip. Every split in the rest of the app is calculated in whole cents and checked to sum exactly to the receipt total; if it ever failed to, it would refuse to display rather than show a number that is wrong.

When an even split will not do

Scan the receipt and let everyone claim what they had. Free, and nobody else needs an account.

Split a receipt by item

How to split a restaurant bill · Splitting by item · All the guides

Tipping questions

Do you tip before or after tax?

Before. The standard US guidance, including the Emily Post Institute's, is to tip 15–20% of the pre-tax subtotal — tax is a government charge and has nothing to do with the service. Tipping on the post-tax total is widely accepted and usually costs $1–$3 more on a normal check. This calculator tips on the pre-tax subtotal, and will take the tax back out for you if the amount you typed already includes it.

How much should I tip?

15–20% for standard table service in the US, with 20% now the common default in cities. 10% or less is generally read as a comment on the service. For counter service, coffee and takeout there is no obligation, and anything you leave is a bonus rather than an expectation.

How do you split a bill with tip and tax?

Work out the tip on the pre-tax subtotal, add the tax and the tip to that subtotal, and divide the result by the number of people. That is what this calculator does. If people ordered very different things, an even split is the wrong tool — split it by item instead, so tax and tip follow what each person actually ordered.

Why does one person pay a cent more?

Because a total that does not divide evenly has to leave a cent somewhere. $70.01 between three people is $23.34, $23.34 and $23.33 — most calculators show $23.34 to everyone, which collects a cent too much, or round down and leave the check short. This one shows you exactly who is carrying the extra, which is the only version that adds up.

Should a gratuity already on the check be included?

No — check the bottom of the check first. Parties of six or more are frequently charged an automatic gratuity of 18–20%. If one has been added, the tip is already paid, and putting the total into a tip calculator would tip you twice.

Is this calculator free and does it store anything?

It is free, and it stores nothing. Everything is worked out in your browser; no amount you type is sent anywhere or saved. There is no account and no sign-up.