Tip Calculator

How to use this calculator

1. Choose your currency. It changes formatting only, not the maths.
2. Enter the total on your bill.
3. Pick a tip percentage, type your own, or switch to a fixed tip amount.
4. Enter the number of people splitting the bill equally.
5. If the bill needs it, open Add tax, service charge or rounding. There you can say that the bill already includes tax, enter tax, add a service charge or automatic gratuity already on the bill, choose what a percentage tip is calculated on, and round the total or each person's share.
6. Read the tip, total and what each person pays, with the bill breakdown below. A per-person breakdown appears when tax, a service charge or rounding is used.

This calculator only works out the amounts you enter. Tipping customs, service charges and tax vary by country and venue, so check your bill first.

What do I need to enter?

• Bill amount — the total on your bill. It becomes Bill subtotal once you add tax or a service charge separately, so nothing is counted twice.
• Your tip — either a percentage (quick buttons for 0%, 10%, 12.5%, 15%, 18%, 20% and 25%, or a custom figure from 0 to 1,000) or a fixed tip amount.
• Number of people — a whole number from 1 to 100. The bill, tax, service charge and tip are split equally.
• My bill already includes tax — tick this if the bill already has tax in it, so none is added again.
• Tax — a percentage (0 to 1,000) or a fixed amount, optional.
• Service charge or automatic gratuity — No service charge, a percentage of the subtotal or a fixed amount. It is kept separate from your tip.
• Calculate percentage tip on — what the percentage applies to: the subtotal before tax, the subtotal plus tax, or plus tax and service charge. It does nothing for a fixed tip.
• Rounding — Do not round, round the total up, round each share up, or round each share to the nearest whole currency unit.

What do the results show?

• Each person pays — the main figure. It reads “after rounding” when a rounding option has changed the amount.
• Tip — or Additional tip when a service charge is on the bill — and Tip per person.
• Total bill — the amount payable, with the exact total underneath if rounding changed it.
• Bill breakdown and Per-person breakdown — a table listing only the rows that apply: subtotal, tax, service charge, tip and any rounding adjustment.

How is the tip and split calculated?

The tip is a percentage of the chosen tip base, or a fixed amount you enter directly. The total is the bill plus any tax, any service charge and the tip, and each person's share is that total divided evenly by the number of people.

For example, on an £80 bill with a 15% tip calculated on the subtotal, no tax and no service charge: the tip is £80 × 15 ÷ 100 = £12, the total is £80 + £12 = £92, and split between 4 people, each person pays £92 ÷ 4 = £23, of which £3 is their share of the tip.

How do I work out a tip in my head?

Find 10% first, then build every other percentage from it.

• 10%: move the decimal point one place to the left. 10% of £80.00 is £8.00.
• 20%: double the 10% figure. 20% of £80.00 is £16.00.
• 15%: add half of the 10% figure to it. £8.00 + £4.00 = £12.00.
• 12.5%: add a quarter of the 10% figure to it. £8.00 + £2.00 = £10.00.

The table shows the tip alone at these percentages. Add it to the bill for the total. For any other percentage, use the Percentage Calculator.

Tip base, tax and service charge, explained

The tip base is the amount a percentage tip is calculated on. This calculator always shows you the tip base explicitly rather than assuming one, because reasonable people calculate this differently. A service charge or automatic gratuity that a venue has already added is kept separate from any extra tip you choose to leave. The two are never combined without both figures being shown.

How do tips and service charges work in the UK?

The answers below come from GOV.UK, HMRC and Citizens Advice. The tipping code applies in England, Scotland and Wales.

Do I have to pay a service charge in the UK?

It depends on how the charge is presented. HMRC guidance calls a service charge voluntary when it is made clear to the customer that the charge is purely discretionary and there is no obligation to pay, and mandatory when there is an obligation to pay. A tip, by comparison, is an uncalled for and spontaneous payment offered by a customer. If you are unsure, check how the charge is described on the menu and on the bill.

Does the waiter get my tip in the UK?

Yes. The Employment (Allocation of Tips) Act 2023 makes it mandatory for all tips to be passed on to workers without deductions, and the GOV.UK code of practice covers tips, gratuities and service charges. Citizens Advice explains that tips include service charges added to the bill, that an employer can only take tax and National Insurance from them, and that workers should receive them by the end of the month after they were given. A tip given directly to a worker in cash or through a tipping app is not covered by the Act.

Should I tip on top of a service charge?

That is your choice. A service charge is already added to the bill and is passed on to workers like a tip, so an extra tip is optional. To leave one, enter the service charge under Add tax, service charge or rounding and your tip in the main form. The calculator then lists the service charge and your additional tip as separate lines.

For example, a £80.00 bill with a 12.5% service charge adds £10.00, so the total is £90.00 and each of 4 people pays £22.50. Adding a further 10% tip on the £80.00 bill adds £8.00, so the total is £98.00 and each person pays £24.50.

Sources for the tipping rules

• GOV.UK: Distributing tips fairly, statutory code of practice. The code that sits behind the Employment (Allocation of Tips) Act 2023, covering England, Scotland and Wales.
• Citizens Advice: Check what tips and service charges you're entitled to. What counts as a tip, what an employer can deduct and when workers should be paid.
• GOV.UK: Guidance on tips, gratuities, service charges and troncs. HMRC's definitions of a tip, a voluntary service charge and a mandatory service charge.

This is general information, not legal advice. Tipping rules can change, so check the linked pages for the current position.

How does rounding work?

Rounding is always applied after the exact bill, tip and split have been calculated, never before. Rounding the total or each share up collects a little more than the exact amount owed, and this calculator shows the adjustment. Rounding each share to the nearest whole unit can instead collect slightly less than the bill, and this calculator flags that shortfall so you know before you pay.

What if I need a percentage or discount first?

Working out a sale price or a percentage off before splitting the bill? See the Discount Calculator. For a percentage of any number, use the Percentage of a Number Calculator.

Frequently asked questions