Tip Calculator

Tip Calculator

Tip Calculator works out the tip, the new total, and each person's share from three numbers: the bill, the tip percentage, and how many people are splitting it. The four preset buttons cover the percentages people actually use in US restaurants, and every figure updates as you type.

How to use it

1. Enter the bill amount before tip.
2. Type a tip percentage, or tap one of the 15%, 18%, 20%, or 25% presets.
3. Set how many people are splitting the bill. One is fine.
4. Read the tip, the total, and the per-person amount.

The math behind it

The tip is the bill multiplied by the percentage divided by 100. The total is the bill plus the tip. The per-person figure is the total divided by the number of people.

Nothing is rounded until it is displayed, so splitting an awkward bill across three or seven people will not quietly lose or invent a cent.

Worked example

When it helps

• Splitting a restaurant bill without doing arithmetic at the table.
• Checking whether a suggested tip on a card terminal is what you actually meant to leave.
• Working out a per-head figure before you ask everyone for cash.
• Budgeting a meal out by working backwards from what you want the total to be.

Common mistakes

• Tipping on the post-tax total. US convention is to tip on the pre-tax subtotal, which is usually a dollar or two less.
• Tipping on the pre-discount amount after a coupon. If a voucher covered half the meal, most people still tip on what the food would have cost.
• Forgetting that some restaurants add gratuity automatically for large parties, which means an extra tip on top is a second tip.