Finance · Price and margin
Calculate a tip and split the check
From a bill and a percent, get the tip, the grand total, and an even per-person share. In many US full-service restaurants people leave about 18–20% of the check; that is a custom, not a legal minimum, and not a rating of the meal.
Calculate
How the calculator works
Tip = bill × (p / 100). Grand total = bill + tip. If several people split evenly, divide that total by the headcount. Nobody is weighted (a child’s plate vs a tasting menu: the tool does not know). You choose p; 18 and 20 are common US examples, not commands.
Formula and method
Pourboire = N × p/100
N is the bill, p the percent you chose.
Par personne = (N + pourboire) / k
k is an integer headcount, strictly even shares.
A tip is a proportion added to the amount you typed. US practice varies by city, counter vs table service, and whether a service charge is already on the check — read the ticket. This page does not subtract a service charge, does not add sales tax, and does not police a “correct” percent. Display rounds to the cent; even splits can still leave a leftover penny to settle in cash.
Worked example
$86 bill, 18%, four people
Bill $86, tip 18%, 4 people.
- Tip = 86 × 0.18 = $15.48.
- Total = $101.48.
- Per person = 101.48 / 4 = $25.37.
$15.48 tip, $101.48 total, $25.37 each if the split is even.
$64 bill, 20%, two people
Bill $64, tip 20%, 2 people.
- Tip = $12.80.
- Total = $76.80.
- Per person = $38.40.
$12.80 tip, $38.40 each.
Input notes
- Bill amount
- Amount you are tipping on. If part of the table already paid separately, enter only what remains.
- Tip percent
- Your percent. 18–20 is a common US sit-down range, not a requirement and not a quality score.
- Number of people
- Even split of bill + tip. For uneven shares, compute the tip with 1 person, then divide by hand.
Assumptions and limits
Assumptions
- Tip is a percent of the amount typed, added in full.
- Even split among k people.
- No automatic removal of tax or service charge.
Limits
- Does not allocate by who ordered what.
- Does not detect an already-included service fee.
- Not a legal obligation and not a wage analysis.
How to read the result
The total is the check plus the extra you chose. If the ticket already includes a service charge, adding 18–20% on top may duplicate a fee — read the lines. Equal shares only make sense if everyone is putting in the same amount.
Common mistakes
Tipping 18–20% on top of a large automatic service charge without reading the check.
A service charge is not the same as a voluntary tip. Decide from the ticket, not from habit alone.
Splitting only the pre-tip bill, then putting the whole tip on one card.
For even shares including tip, divide bill + tip. The tool does that when k > 1.
Treating 18% as a law.
It is a common US custom in some restaurants, not a statute and not this site’s rule. 0% is a valid input.
Related calculations
- DiscountApply one markdown: the original times (1 − p/100). Stacked percents off are not a sum: 20% then 20% leaves 64% of list, a 36% combined cut, not 40%.
- PercentageEnter two numbers of the same kind. The tool returns (part ÷ total) × 100 — useful for a test score, a slice of a budget, or a share of a count.
- Bill splitTotal, headcount, optional tip. Everyone pays the same share of bill + tip.
- Profit marginMargin puts profit over selling price; markup puts profit over cost. With $60 cost and $100 price, margin is 40% and markup is 66.7%. You cannot swap the two percents.
- Hourly to salaryThree numbers: hourly rate, weekly hours, paid weeks. The tool returns the week, the calendar month (year / 12) and the year.
- Sales tax / VATOne amount and one rate. The tool either adds tax (net → gross) or extracts it (gross → net) and shows the tax slice.
Frequently asked questions
Is an 18–20% tip required in the United States?
No. It is a widespread custom in many full-service settings, not a legal rate on this page.
The amount due is the ticket. A tip is extra if you add it. Counter service, delivery apps, and cities with different wage rules change what people do. This calculator only converts a percent into dollars and optional even shares.
Should I tip on tax?
The engine tips on whatever number you enter. Local custom varies.
Some people tip on the pre-tax subtotal, some on the total. Enter the base you intend. The tool does not strip sales tax.
How do I handle an uneven split?
Compute the tip with 1 person, then assign shares yourselves.
The divider k is even. If one person only had coffee, an even split of an 18% tip on the whole table is a social choice, not a formula.
What if the default in the form is not 18%?
Change it. The field is yours.
Whatever number is prefilled is a form default, not a recommendation and not a statistic of US tipping.
Author and update
Written by Rédaction HexaCalc (editorial team). Content last updated: August 25, 2026. No third-party medical or financial review is claimed.
This calculation uses a standard mathematical identity. See also the methodology.
Marking a price down instead
A percent off a list price subtracts rather than adds. Two markdowns multiply, they do not add.
Calculate a discountVoluntary tip as a percent of the amount typed, optionally split evenly. Not a required gratuity and not wage advice. This is a calculator, not financial, tax, or credit advice, and not a loan or investment offer. Lenders and brokers apply their own rounding, fees, insurance, and APR. Check the actual contract and disclosures.
Category: Finance