What about delivery and takeout?

Delivery: 15-20% to the driver. Takeout: 0-10%; many people skip it entirely since there's no table service.

Should I tip when service was poor?

In the US, where servers are paid sub-minimum because tips are expected, 10-15% even for poor service is the floor. Speak to the manager separately if there's a real issue.

Why is the US federal tipped-employee minimum so low?

Under the Fair Labor Standards Act 29 USC §203(m), employers may apply a tip credit so the cash wage falls as low as $2.13/hr, provided tips bring the worker to at least the standard federal minimum. Several states (CA, OR, WA, NV, MT, MN, AK) require the full minimum cash wage in addition to tips.

Are tips taxable income?

Yes — IRS Pub 531 requires the worker to report all tips received, including cash tips of $20 or more in any month, to the employer for withholding. Both employee and employer pay FICA on reported tips.

Tip Calculator

Tip amount and per-person split for any bill.

Result

Total per person

$23.60

Tip amount$14.40
Total bill (with tip)$94.40
Tip per person$3.60
Bill per person (no tip)$20.00
Quick reference15% = $12.00 | 18% = $14.40 | 20% = $16.00

How to use this calculator

Enter the pre-tip bill amount (typically subtotal, not total with tax — though tipping on tax is more generous).
Pick a tip %.
Set the number of people splitting.

About this tool

A simple bill-splitting calculator. Enter the bill amount, tip percentage, and how many people are splitting; see the per-person total. Includes a quick-reference line showing the tip in dollars at 15% / 18% / 20% so you can pick the right round-number tip on the fly. Tip etiquette (US): 15% for adequate service, 18% standard, 20% for excellent. Many places now suggest 25-30% on the receipt — that's above customary, not required.

What this calculator does

This calculator splits a restaurant or service bill across any number of people at any tip percentage. It returns the tip amount, total bill, tip per person, bill per person before tip, and a quick-reference line showing the dollar tip at 15%, 18%, and 20% so you can pick a round-number tip on the fly. The math is plain percentage arithmetic — no jurisdictional adjustments — though the FAQ section covers the etiquette and tax/wage law that shape what people actually leave.

How it works — the formula

Tip = bill × (tip% / 100)
Total = bill + tip
Per person = total / number of people

Tipping math is straightforward percentage arithmetic. The conventional pre-tax US tip range is 15% (adequate), 18% (standard), 20% (excellent). Tips are taxable income (IRS Pub 531) and the employer pays its share of FICA on reported tips. The federal "tipped-employee" cash wage of $2.13/hr survives under the FLSA tip-credit provision (29 USC §203(m)); several states mandate the full minimum wage on top of tips.

Sources: IRS Publication 531 — Reporting Tip Income · US Department of Labor — Fair Labor Standards Act tip-credit provisions · Pew Research — Tipping Culture in America

Worked examples

Example 1

Standard restaurant

Inputs:: bill = $80, tip = 18%, people = 4
Output:: Tip = $14.40; total = $94.40; per person = $23.60

Standard US sit-down service. 18% is the typical baseline; the per-person figure rounds neatly so each diner can settle in cash without making change.

Example 2

Big group, generous tip

Inputs:: bill = $250, tip = 20%, people = 8
Output:: Tip = $50; total = $300; per person = $37.50

Large parties often hit an auto-gratuity (typically 18%) baked into the check. Confirm the bill before adding a second tip on top — the most common cause of accidental double-tipping.

Example 3

Quick reference table

Inputs:: bill = $100
Output:: 15% = $15.00 | 18% = $18.00 | 20% = $20.00

Round-base example — useful for mental math. At $100 base, every 1% of tip equals $1, so deciding between 18% and 20% is a $2 question per person.

US tipping norms (2026)

Tipping in the US has become a source of ongoing cultural debate — "tip creep" as more service categories add tip prompts to payment terminals, "tip fatigue" as customer resistance grows, and "tipflation" as base tip percentages have crept up over decades. The following ranges reflect current US expectations across major service categories:

Typical US tip percentages by service type (2026)

Service	Baseline	Good service	Exceptional
Restaurant sit-down	15%	18-20%	25%+
Restaurant delivery	10-15%	15-20%	20%+
Restaurant takeout	0-10%	10-15%	15-20%
Bar / drinks	$1-2/drink	$2-3/drink	or 15-20%
Coffee shop	Not required	$0.50-1	or 10-15%
Rideshare / taxi	10-15%	15-20%	20%+
Hair salon / barber	15-20%	20-25%	25%+
Hotel housekeeping	$2-5/night	$5-10/night	$10+/night
Hotel bellhop	$1-2/bag	$2-3/bag	$3-5/bag
Food delivery	10-15%	15-20%	20%+

These are US norms. International tipping conventions differ dramatically — Japan generally does not tip, most of continental Europe tips 5-10%%, Australia rarely tips.

Tip before or after tax?

US restaurant tipping traditionally tips on the pre-tax subtotal, but many customers tip on the total (pre-tax subtotal + sales tax). The difference is usually 1-3%% depending on state sales tax rate. In practice, either convention is acceptable and servers do not track the distinction — they know their table is a good tipper or not, not whether the tip base included tax.

For expensive meals in high-tax states (New York, California), tipping on pre-tax can save enough to matter ($5-15 on a $200 dinner). For everyday meals the difference is trivial.

This calculator supports both conventions. Choose your preference in the settings.

Splitting the check

Splitting a restaurant bill across diners can be done three ways. Even split — total ÷ number of diners — is fastest but unfair if some diners ordered significantly more or less. Itemised split — each person pays for their own items — is fair but tedious in a large group. Adjusted split — each person pays their itemised share plus a proportional share of tax, tip, and shared items — is the fair-and-manageable middle ground.

Most restaurant management software now allows split checks by the server, either dividing evenly or letting each person pay their itemised portion via card. When splitting cash, use this calculator to compute each person's share fairly.

Tipped minimum wage

The US federal tipped minimum wage is $2.13/hour (unchanged since 1991), with the assumption that customer tips will bring total earnings to the standard federal minimum wage of $7.25/hour. If tips do not bring the worker up to standard minimum, the employer is legally required to make up the difference.

Several states have eliminated the tipped-wage subminimum and require the full state minimum wage plus tips: California, Oregon, Washington, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, Alaska, and Guam. In these states, tips are supplemental income on top of a livable wage, and the social pressure to tip generously to "make up" the wage is somewhat reduced.

Understanding this changes tip decisions for some customers. In New York City, where tipped minimum is $10.65 and full minimum is $16.00 (2025), a customer tipping the traditional 20%% is adding to an already-legal wage. In Alabama, where tipped minimum is $2.13 and full is $7.25, that same 20%% may be the majority of the server's income for the shift.

Source: DOL — Minimum Wages for Tipped Employees

When to use this vs other tools

Tip Calculator handles the dining math. For the percentage math behind it or the wage / tax angle, reach for one of the related tools.

Percentage Calculator
Use for any percent-of-X arithmetic outside dining: discounts, markups, percent change. Tip Calculator is just this specialised for restaurants plus an n-way split.
Salary to Hourly Calculator
Use to understand the wage side of tipping. Under the FLSA tipped-employee provision, the federal cash floor can be as low as $2.13/hr — this tool shows how that compares to the equivalent annualised wage in your state.
Tax Bracket Calculator
Use when budgeting around tipped income — IRS Pub 531 requires all received tips to be reported as taxable income, which moves a tipped worker's effective bracket more than people expect.
Profit Margin Calculator
Use on the business side. Restaurants typically run 3–5% net margin; understanding margin clarifies why "just add 18% to your card" matters more than diners realise.

Authority note

Internal Revenue Service (IRS)

Publication 531 — Reporting Tip Income; FLSA Tip Credit (29 USC §203(m)) via US Department of Labor

IRS Pub 531 governs the tax treatment of tips for both worker and employer. The FLSA tip-credit provision sets the federal cash-wage floor for tipped employees; many states (CA, OR, WA, NV, MT, MN, AK) override it with the full minimum wage on top of tips.

Limitations

Tipping conventions vary by country. The US treats tipping as effectively mandatory; much of Europe, Japan, and Australia treat it as optional or even rude.
"Service charge" already added to a bill (common at large parties) replaces the tip — do not double-tip.
Tax inclusion in the base is jurisdiction-specific; this calculator tips on the pre-tax bill by convention.
Cashless tipping increases the IRS-reported portion and the employer's share of FICA, which affects worker take-home.

Tipping is a social custom, not a regulation. This calculator does not provide tax or wage advice — refer to IRS Pub 531 and DOL guidance for the legal/tax treatment of tips.

Frequently asked

Pre-tax is technically correct — tax isn't the server's service. Post-tax is more generous and easier (just multiply the total). Most people don't bother distinguishing.