How this calculator works
Pick restaurant, pizza, grocery delivery or takeout/pickup, enter what the order cost, and the tip and total follow. Delivery and pickup read different published guidance, so switching between them changes both the rate offered and whether the per-order minimum applies. For a restaurant table bill rather than a delivery order, use the tip calculator instead; the rest of the tip calculators share the same arithmetic and the same published ranges.
The formula
Tip = Order subtotal × Tip rate (the delivery fee is never multiplied)
Tip = the published per-order minimum, whichever of the two is higher
You pay = Order subtotal + Delivery fee + Tip
Substituted: $60.00 × 10% = $6.00. The $5.99 fee is added afterwards, untouched by that multiplication, for a $71.99 total.
Worked examples
Example 1 — a $18.00 order, the minimum applies
- Order subtotal:
- $18.00
- Delivery fee:
- $3.99
- Rate:
- 10% (the published figure)
- Tip at the published rate: $18.00 × 10% = $1.80
- Compared with the floor: $1.80 is below the $5.00 minimum, so the minimum applies
- Total: $18.00 + $3.99 + $5.00 = $26.99
You pay: $26.99
The fee never enters either the percentage step or the floor comparison — it is added on only at the end.
Example 2 — a $60.00 order, why the fee stays out of the tip
- Order subtotal:
- $60.00
- Delivery fee:
- $5.99
- Rate:
- 10%
- Tip on the order alone (correct): $60.00 × 10% = $6.00
- Tip if the fee were folded in (not what this tool does): $65.99 × 10% = $6.60
- The difference: $0.60
You pay: $71.99
The fee is a charge from the platform or restaurant, not a gratuity — folding it into the tip base pays extra on money that was never the order.
Takeout and pickup: a different norm
Collecting your own order removes the driver from the transaction, and the published guidance treats it differently as a result: tipping is described as discretionary rather than expected — adding your change to a jar, or a dollar or two, is the wording used — with a margin of up to 10% suggested only for a large or complex order. There is no per-order minimum for pickup in the source this page relies on, unlike delivery's $5.00 floor.
Published ranges this calculator reads
| Order type | Published guidance | Per-order minimum |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurant, pizza & grocery delivery | 10% of the order subtotal | $5.00 |
| Takeout / pickup (no driver) | Discretionary, up to 10% for a large or complex order | None published |
Key facts
- The Emily Post Institute publishes 10% of the order for delivery, or $5.00 or more per order — whichever is higher — and does not name a separate figure for pizza or groceries.
- The delivery fee and the tip are calculated separately here. The fee never enters the percentage calculation or the floor comparison.
- Takeout and pickup are discretionary, with a margin up to 10% suggested only for large or complex orders — there is no published per-order minimum for pickup.
Who should use this and when
Reach for it when an app or a card machine is asking for a tip and the order includes a delivery fee, a service fee, or both — figures that are easy to mistake for part of the bill the tip is based on. It suits a first order from a new platform, where the fee breakdown is unfamiliar, and any order small enough that the per-order minimum, not the percentage, decides the answer.
Common pitfalls
- Tipping on the fee-inclusive total. An app's checkout screen often shows one combined figure before the tip step; enter the order subtotal alone here to see what a percentage tip actually comes to.
- Assuming the percentage always wins. On a small order the $5.00 floor is usually the larger number — check both before deciding.
- Carrying the delivery figure over to a pickup order. No driver, no per-order minimum, and a lower, discretionary range.
- Assuming every platform handles a tip the same way. This page states the etiquette guidance for what to leave; it makes no claim about any specific app's payout mechanics.
Frequently asked questions
How much should I tip a delivery driver?+
The Emily Post Institute publishes 10% of the order, or $5.00 or more per order — whichever is higher. On a $60.00 order that is $6.00; on an order small enough that 10% would come to less than $5.00, the $5.00 floor applies instead.
How much should I tip for pizza delivery?+
The same 10%-or-$5.00-minimum figure. The source's wording covers "takeout from a restaurant" without naming pizza specifically, so this page does not invent a different rate for it — select Pizza delivery and the calculator reads the same published range.
Do I tip on the delivery fee?+
No. The tip here is calculated on the order subtotal alone — what the food or groceries cost — never on the delivery fee. On a $60.00 order with a $5.99 fee, tipping on the combined $65.99 instead would add $0.60 to the tip — money the fee, not the order, generated.
Is there a minimum tip for a small delivery order?+
Yes — the published guidance pairs 10% with a $5.00 per-order floor, and the higher of the two applies. On a $18.00 order, 10% would be $1.80, so the $5.00 floor takes over.
How much should I tip for takeout or pickup?+
It is discretionary when you collect the order yourself — no driver is involved. The Emily Post Institute describes adding your change or a dollar or two, with a margin of up to 10% suggested only for a large or complex order.
Does the tip go to the driver?+
No source consulted for this page states how any specific delivery platform allocates a tip, and practices change, so this page does not claim one. What can be said generally: a tip and a delivery fee are two different charges, calculated and entered separately here — only what you enter as a tip is intended for whoever delivered your order.
Related Tip Tools
Work out the tip on any bill, add sales tax, round the total up, or work backwards from a total you already paid.
Tip and Sales Tax CalculatorCompare tipping on the pre-tax subtotal against tipping on the tax-inclusive total, see the difference in dollars, and check how an automatic gratuity interacts with sales tax.
Haircut & Salon Tip CalculatorWork out the tip for a haircut, colour, barber visit, manicure or pedicure, and split one tip between a stylist and an assistant.
Tip Percentage CalculatorPick a tip percentage and see what it means in dollars, check it against the published US tipping range, and scan a $5–$200 tip chart at 10%, 15%, 18%, 20% and 25%.
Bill Split CalculatorSplit a bill evenly, by what each person ordered, or in proportion to income, and work out who owes whom.
Estimates & assumptions
- Tipping is customary, not a legal requirement. The delivery and takeout ranges here are quoted from a published etiquette source and vary by region and platform.
- This page states no claim about how any specific delivery platform allocates or pays out a tip — that information was not fetched from any platform's own documentation and is not stated here.
- The delivery fee is treated as separate from the tip throughout this calculator. Whether a fee is refundable, waived, or covers something else is a platform policy this site does not track.
- The source does not state whether its percentages apply before or after sales tax, so this page does not claim one.
Figures are for everyday planning only and are not financial, tax, or legal advice. Where a range is quoted, follow the source link and read it in full.