Finance · 3 min read
How Much to Tip (and How to Split a Bill)
Typical tipping percentages in the US, whether to tip on the pre-tax total, and how to split a bill fairly.
Try the tip & split calculatorPut these numbers to workOpen →Tipping trips people up because the “right” amount depends on the country, the service and the setting. In the US, tipping is customary and often makes up most of a server's pay, so the norms are stronger than in much of the world.
Typical US tip percentages
- •Restaurants (sit-down): 15–20%, with 18–20% for good service.
- •Bars: about $1–2 per drink, or 15–20% of the tab.
- •Taxis / rideshare: 10–15%.
- •Food delivery: 10–15%, more in bad weather.
- •Coffee shops and counter service: optional, often rounding up or 10%.
Tip on the total or the pre-tax amount?
Either is acceptable. Tipping on the pre-tax subtotal is technically correct because the tax isn't part of the service, but many people just tip on the total for simplicity — the difference is usually small.
Quick math: 20% is one-fifth, so move the decimal one place left and double it. 10% of $45 is $4.50, so 20% is $9.
Splitting the bill
For an even split, add the tip first, then divide by the number of people. If everyone ordered very differently, split by what each person had and add the same tip percentage to each share.
- 1Enter the bill amount.
- 2Pick a tip percentage (or type your own).
- 3Set the number of people to see the total and the per-person amount.