How this calculator works
Enter a bill and a tip rate and you get the tip, the total, and each person's share. Four settings change the answer: sales tax, which you can tip on or exclude — the tip and sales tax calculator runs both of those side by side and prices the difference; how many people are splitting; a round-up applied to the total or to every individual share; and a direction switch that recovers the bill when you know only the total. Whenever rounding moves the number, the panel reports the tip as a share of the pre-tax bill — the rate you actually left, not the one you picked. The rest of the tip calculators run on the same arithmetic and the same published ranges.
The formula
Tip = Bill before tax × Tip rate
Total = Bill before tax + Sales tax + Tip
Per person = Total ÷ Party size
Bill = Total ÷ (1 + Tax rate + Tip rate)
Substituted: $60.00 × 20% = $12.00, so the total is $72.00. The last line runs the same calculation backwards, which is why a total cannot be unwound without knowing the rate that was applied to it.
Worked examples
Example 1 — a $60.00 dinner split four ways
- Bill before tax:
- $60.00
- Tip rate:
- 20% (top of the published range)
- People:
- 4
- Tip: $60.00 × 20% = $12.00
- Total: $60.00 + $12.00 = $72.00
- Each share: $72.00 ÷ 4 = $18.00
Each person pays: $18.00
Odd cents are handed out one at a time rather than rounded away, so the shares always add back up to the total.
Example 2 — working backwards from a card charge
- Total charged:
- $72.00
- Tip rate applied:
- 20%
- Divide out the tip: $72.00 ÷ (1 + 20%) = $60.00
- Tip that implies: $72.00 − $60.00 = $12.00
Bill before the tip: $60.00
The case expenses need, where a receipt shows one charge but the meal and the gratuity go on separate lines.
Gratuity vs tip: are they the same thing?
In ordinary US restaurant usage the two words mean the same thing — a voluntary amount you decide on and add yourself. What matters is the difference between a tip and an automatic gratuity: the fixed percentage many restaurants add for a large party, arriving already calculated. Federal regulation draws the line precisely. A tip is “a sum presented by a customer as a gift or gratuity in recognition of some service performed”, and whether one is given “and its amount, are matters determined solely by the customer”. A compulsory charge imposed by the establishment is a service charge, not a tip, and it belongs to the business — which is why an automatic gratuity cannot be adjusted, and why tipping again on top of one is optional.
| Voluntary tip | Automatic gratuity | |
|---|---|---|
| Sets the amount | The customer | The business, in advance |
| On the bill | Blank line you fill in | Already added |
| Can you change it | Yes | Not without asking |
| A tip in federal law | Yes | No — a service charge |
How much to tip at a restaurant or a bar
These ranges seed the calculator's presets. Bar tipping has two accepted shapes rather than one: a flat $1.00–$2.00 per drink for a simple pour, or a percentage of the tab, which is the fairer basis for an open tab or involved cocktails. Counter service genuinely starts at nothing — the source calls the tip jar discretionary and suggests a margin only on a large order. Where a source gives a range rather than a figure, this site uses the midpoint and labels it as such, never “the standard tip”.
| Setting | Published range | What the source says |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurant table service | 15%–20% | 15% is a minimum even for poor service, not a typical figure |
| Bar & bartender | 15%–20% of the tab, or $1.00–$2.00 per drink | Two independent modes; the flat per-drink amount is the everyday case |
| Counter service & takeout | 0%–10% | Discretionary. The low end is genuinely zero; 10% only for a large order |
Key facts
- The Emily Post Institute puts standard US restaurant table service at 15%–20% and describes 15% as a minimum rather than a typical tip.
- Under 29 CFR § 531.55, a compulsory service charge imposed by a restaurant is not a tip in federal law, because the customer no longer determines the amount.
- Federal law lets an employer pay a tipped employee a cash wage as low as $2.13 an hour and count tips toward the rest of the minimum wage (29 CFR § 531.59) — a federal floor, not a nationwide rate.
Working backwards from a total you already paid
Switch the calculator to The total paid and it runs in reverse, as in Example 2 above. Add a sales-tax rate and that comes out too, in the right order — tax is charged on the bill, so it is removed before the tip is — with the three parts reconciled so they add back to the exact total you typed.
Working out the tip on a specific amount
The table inside the calculator follows whatever bill you enter, showing the totals either side of it at each preset rate. To open a particular calculation ready-made, put it in the address: ?bill=60&tip=20&split=4 loads a $60.00 bill at 20% across four people — a link worth sending to the rest of the table.
Who should use this and when
Reach for it when the arithmetic is not the interesting part of the decision. Diners settle a bill at the table, or check a total before signing a slip that already carried an automatic gratuity. Anyone filing expenses uses the reverse mode. Visitors to the US use it because tipping here carries a weight it does not carry elsewhere — see the wage floor in the key facts above. To round a number rather than tip on one, the rounding calculator is the simpler tool.
Tips and common pitfalls
- Check for an automatic gratuity before adding a tip. Large parties are the usual trigger, and tipping again on top of one is the most expensive mistake on this page.
- Rounding is not free. Rounding every share up costs more than rounding the single total, because it happens once per person — the calculator shows the resulting rate so the choice is visible.
- These ranges are US-specific. They describe US practice as published by a US etiquette authority; service-included conventions elsewhere are different and are not modelled here.
Frequently asked questions
How do you calculate a tip?+
Multiply the bill before sales tax by the tip rate, then add it on. A 20% tip on a $60.00 bill is $12.00, for a $72.00 total. In your head: move the decimal one place left for 10%, then halve that and add it back, or double it.
What is a good tip?+
The Emily Post Institute puts standard US restaurant table service at 15%–20%, framing the bottom of that range as a minimum you leave even when service disappoints rather than as a typical amount. Tipping is customary, not compulsory, and the range differs by setting and region.
Is gratuity the same thing as a tip?+
In everyday US restaurant speech, yes — both describe a voluntary amount you choose and add yourself. The exception is an automatic gratuity, the fixed percentage some restaurants add for a large party. Federal regulation treats a compulsory charge imposed by the establishment as a service charge, not a tip, because the customer no longer decides the amount.
Do you tip on the bill before or after sales tax?+
Both are done. Tipping on the pre-tax subtotal is the more common convention and is what this calculator does by default; the toggle switches it. Because sales tax is not part of the service, tipping on it raises what you pay without raising the share earned on the food and drink.
How much is a 20% tip on a $60.00 bill?+
$12.00, for a total of $72.00 before sales tax. Split four ways that is $18.00 each. Any amount can be loaded straight into the calculator by adding it to the address — ?bill=60&tip=20 opens exactly this calculation.
How do you find the bill before the tip if you only know the total?+
Divide the total by one plus the tip rate, and by one plus the tax rate if tax was charged. A $72.00 total including a 20% tip started as a $60.00 bill. Switch the calculator to "The total paid" to skip the arithmetic.
Related Tip Tools
Compare 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.
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.
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.
Food Delivery Tip CalculatorWork out the tip for a food, pizza or grocery delivery — kept separate from the delivery fee — with the published per-order minimum, plus takeout and pickup guidance.
Estimates & assumptions
- Tipping norms are customary, not legal requirements. Every range here is quoted from a published etiquette source and varies by region, venue and service.
- No source consulted states whether its percentages apply before or after sales tax, so this page does not claim one. The calculator lets you choose, and reports the tip as a share of the pre-tax bill either way.
- Sales tax is applied at whatever rate you enter; this calculator holds no tax-rate table and does not look one up for you.
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.