How it works
Three numbers decide the tip: the bill, the percentage and the split. The engine computes the tip amount, adds it to the bill for the per-diner total, and divides the gratuity across the servers who actually get it — useful when a table splits service between two staff or tips are pooled. The percentage is a norm, not a law: 15% is the old baseline, 18-20% the modern standard in the US, 10% common in much of Europe and parts of Asia, and 0% in countries where service is included. The interesting design question is what the tip is for: rewarding service quality, subsidising wages the employer should pay, or expressing social convention. The tool's per-diner number is what matters at the table — the point where rounding up to the nearest dollar crosses into generosity. Tip with cash when you can: the server keeps the full amount instead of the credit-card processed version.
Formula
Tip = bill x tip% | Per diner = (bill + tip) / diners | Per server = tip / servers
Tips
- Cash tips reach the server in full — card tips can be pooled or delayed by the house.
- Round the per-diner number up and tell the group the rounded figure; nobody wants the cents.
- 18% on a bad bill is a statement about the service; 0% is a statement about the system.
- On takeout, a 10% tip still covers the bagger — 0% is fine when service was genuinely none.
Frequently asked questions
- How much should I tip?
- In the US, 15-20% for table service is standard, 20% for exceptional service; 10-15% for counter service with a tip jar; 15-20% for delivery. Outside the US, norms vary widely — 5-10% in much of Europe, service included in Japan and parts of Asia. The calculator handles any percentage you choose.
- Should I tip on the pre-tax bill?
- Strictly, tipping on the pre-tax amount is the fair baseline — 18% of a $100 pre-tax bill is $18 versus $19.80 on the taxed total. Most diners tip on the post-tax number because it is on the receipt; either is defensible as long as it is deliberate.
- How do I split a bill fairly?
- Divide the pre-tax bill by the number of diners, then apply the tip percentage to each person's share. When orders differ wildly, split by what each person ordered instead — the calculator's per-diner mode handles the equal-split case cleanly.
- What is pooled tipping?
- In restaurants with pooled tips, all gratuity is shared among the whole front-of-house team at the end of the shift. When that applies, 'servers' in the calculator is the pool size and per-server becomes the per-person share of the pool.