Tip Calculator
Enter the bill, the tip percentage you want to leave and how many people are paying. The calculator gives the tip, the total and what each person pays, rounded to the cent.
Answer
Each person pays
33.24
Tip 15.21, total 99.71, split 3 ways.
Rounded for display. The working shows the exact value.
Rounded to the cent, 3 shares add up to 99.72 — 0.01 more than the total.
- 18% tip
- 15.21
- total
- 99.71
- 3 rounded shares
- 99.72
Check the work
Every line comes from the same calculation as the answer.
each = (bill + bill × tip ÷ 100) ÷ people
| tip | 84.50 × 18 ÷ 100 | 15.21 |
|---|---|---|
| total | 84.50 + 15.21 | 99.71 |
| each | 99.71 ÷ 3 | 33.2367 → 33.24 |
How it works
A tip is a percentage of the bill. An 18% tip on 84.50 is 84.50 × 0.18 = 15.21, so the total comes to 99.71. Split three ways, each share is 33.2366…, which no one can pay exactly.
That last step is where splitting bills goes wrong. The calculator shows the exact share and the share rounded to the cent, and tells you how much the rounded shares add up to, so the table can decide who covers the extra cent or two.
Customs for how much to tip, and whether to tip on the amount before or after tax, differ between countries and between kinds of service. The calculator takes whatever percentage and bill amount you choose rather than assuming one.
Formula
tip = bill × rate ÷ 100; total = bill + tip; each = total ÷ people
The tip is the chosen percentage of the bill; the total is shared equally among the people paying.
Worked examples
- Try these numbers
84.50 with an 18% tip, split three ways
- 84.50 × 0.18 = 15.21.
- 84.50 + 15.21 = 99.71.
- 99.71 ÷ 3 = 33.2367, which is 33.24 to the cent.
Tip 15.21, total 99.71; each pays 33.24 (three shares make 99.72).
- Try these numbers
50 with a 20% tip, one person
- 50 × 0.20 = 10.
- 50 + 10 = 60.
Tip 10, total 60.
- Try these numbers
Splitting a bill with no tip
- A 0% tip adds nothing.
- 120 ÷ 4 = 30.
Each of four people pays 30.
Inputs and results
- Bill
- The amount the tip is based on, in your currency.
- Tip
- The tip as a percentage of the bill.
- People
- How many people share the total, as a whole number.
- Tip
- Bill times tip percentage.
- Total
- Bill plus tip.
- Each pays
- Total divided by people, shown to the cent.
When to use it
- Splitting a restaurant bill evenly with friends.
- Checking a suggested tip printed on a receipt.
- Working out a tip for a delivery, a taxi or a hairdresser.
Common mistakes
- Tipping on a bill that already includes a service charge.
- Rounding each share down, which leaves the table a few cents short.
- Calculating the tip on the after-tax total when you meant the pre-tax amount, or the other way round.
What it does not do
- It splits the total equally; it does not divide by what each person ordered.
- It does not know local tipping customs or whether service is already included.
- It does not add tax; enter the bill amount you want the tip calculated on.
Method and assumptions
The tip is the bill multiplied by the tip percentage and divided by 100. The total is the bill plus the tip, and each share is the total divided by the number of people.
Shares are shown rounded to the nearest cent, half up. When rounding means the shares do not add up exactly to the total, the difference is stated.
Assumptions
- The tip is a percentage of the bill entered.
- Everyone pays an equal share.
Edge cases
- A 0% tip simply splits the bill.
- People must be a whole number of at least 1.
- When the total does not divide evenly, rounded shares can add up to a cent or two more or less than the total.
Sources and corrections
This calculator uses an elementary formula, so it needs no outside data source. The method, the rounding rules and how a reported error is corrected are set out in the site standards.
Result looks wrong?
Send the inputs you used and the answer you expected. Every report is checked against the formula and its tests, and confirmed errors are corrected in public.