Tip Calculator

Split the bill, and see what rounding up actually adds to the tip.

The bill
What people actually do at a table. The extra it adds is shown separately.
Leave at zero if the bill has no tax on it, or if you want to tip on the full amount.

How this is worked out

The tip is a percentage of the bill, and the total is the two added together. That part is easy. Three things about it are not.

Rounding is not free. Almost nobody hands over £34.38 each. Rounding a share up to the nearest whole unit is normal, and it quietly increases the tip — sometimes substantially. On an £87.40 bill split three ways with an 18% tip, rounding each share up to the nearest pound adds £1.87 and turns an 18% tip into 20.1%. This calculator shows that as its own line rather than absorbing it.

Tipping on tax is tipping the government. Where the bill arrives with sales tax already on it, tipping on the post-tax total means your percentage is applied to money that never reaches the restaurant. The convention in the US and Canada is to tip on the pre-tax figure, and the difference on a $200 bill at 9% tax and a 20% tip is about $3.60.

The norm is not universal. 18% is standard in the United States and Canada; 10–12.5% is usual in the UK and often already added as a service charge; in Australia tipping is genuinely optional because staff are paid a full minimum wage. The default here follows where you are.

A worked example

Bill
$87.40
Tip at 18%
$15.73
Total
$103.13
Split three ways
$34.38 each
Rounded up to the nearest $1
$35.00 each
Rounding adds
$1.87
Effective tip
20.1%

Rounding up is generous, and worth doing knowingly

There is nothing wrong with rounding up — it makes settling a bill quick and it is a small kindness to the person serving you. What is worth avoiding is doing it without noticing, then wondering why the total came out higher than the percentage you chose.

The effect is largest on small bills and large groups, because the rounding is applied per person. Six people rounding up to the nearest pound can add nearly six pounds to a bill; on a £40 total that is close to a 15 percentage point increase in the tip on its own.

The calculator reports the effective tip percentage after rounding, which is the number that actually left your account. If it comes out higher than you intended, round to a smaller increment or reduce the base percentage.

Tipping norms are genuinely different, and confidently wrong advice is common

In the United States, tipped staff are frequently paid a sub-minimum base wage on the assumption that tips make up the difference. That makes 15–20% for table service part of the compensation rather than a bonus, and it is why the American norm is both higher and less discretionary than elsewhere.

In the United Kingdom, 10–12.5% is usual and is often already on the bill as an optional service charge. You are entitled to ask for a discretionary service charge to be removed, and adding a further tip on top of one is double-paying. Worth checking the bill before reaching for a card machine that helpfully suggests 20%.

In Australia, hospitality staff are paid a full minimum wage with penalty rates for evenings and weekends. Tipping is genuinely optional and rounding up or 10% for something exceptional is generous rather than expected. Australian visitors to the US routinely under-tip by accident, and American visitors to Australia routinely over-tip; neither is rudeness.

The card machine is not neutral

Suggested tip percentages on a payment terminal are chosen by whoever configured it, and the suggestions have drifted upward — 18, 22 and 25 percent are now common defaults where 15 was once the top option. They are also frequently calculated on the post-tax total, which quietly raises the amount again.

Prompting has also spread to counter service, takeaway and self-checkout, where no table service has occurred at all. This is a business decision rather than a social norm, and declining a prompt at a counter is not a breach of etiquette.

If you want to tip a specific percentage of the pre-tax amount, work it out rather than accepting a suggestion. That is what this page is for.

Splitting fairly when the meal was not equal

An even split is the fastest option and it is fine when everyone ordered comparably. It stops being fair when one person had a starter, a main and three drinks and another had a salad and tap water — and the person who ordered least is usually the one who says nothing.

The practical middle ground: split the bill evenly but let anyone who had substantially less pay their own items plus a share of the tip. That handles the common case without an itemised negotiation.

The table on this page shows the per-person figure at several group sizes, which is useful when someone leaves early or an extra person joins.

Assumptions and sources

Tip and total
Tip = bill × percentage. Where a tax percentage is given and pre-tax tipping is selected, the tax is removed from the base first.
Rounding
Each person's share is rounded up to the chosen increment, and the resulting extra is reported separately along with the effective tip percentage.
Tipping norms
Approximate conventions for the US, UK, Canada, Australia and India. Social conventions vary by region and venue and change over time. In India a service charge on a restaurant bill is not a government levy and, under the Department of Consumer Affairs guidelines, cannot be made compulsory. checked 2026-09
Tipping conventions are social rather than legal and vary by region, venue and occasion. The norms described here are general guidance, not rules.
Questions

What people ask about tipping

Should I tip on the pre-tax or post-tax amount?

Pre-tax is the convention in the US and Canada — tipping on the post-tax total applies your percentage to money that goes to the government rather than the restaurant. On a $200 bill at 9% tax and a 20% tip the difference is about $3.60.

How much should I tip in the UK?

10–12.5% for table service is usual, and it is often already added as an optional service charge. Check the bill before adding more — a discretionary service charge can be asked to be removed, and adding a tip on top of one means paying twice.

Do you tip in Australia?

It is genuinely optional. Hospitality staff are paid a full minimum wage with penalty rates, so rounding up or 10% for something exceptional is generous rather than expected. This is one of the few English-speaking countries where not tipping is unremarkable.

Why is my total higher than the tip percentage I chose?

Almost certainly rounding. Rounding each person's share up to a whole unit adds a little per person, and it multiplies with group size. This calculator shows that extra as its own line and reports the effective percentage after it.

Should I tip what the card machine suggests?

Only if you want to. Suggested percentages are configured by the business, have drifted upward over time, and are often calculated on the post-tax total. Prompts have also spread to counter service where no table service happened — declining those is not rude.

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