How to split a bill with a tip
- Enter the total on the bill and the number of people sharing it.
- Choose a tip percentage, or type your own in Other %. Choose 0% to split a bill without a tip.
- If the bill lists tax separately, open Tax on the bill, enter the tax and choose whether to tip on the amount before tax or on the whole bill.
- Choose the rounding. Exact to the cent gives shares that add up to the total precisely. Round each share up gives everyone the same whole amount. Round the total up rounds the grand total to a whole amount, then splits it.
How the split is calculated
The tip is the chosen percentage of the tip base — either the whole bill, or the bill minus the tax shown on it. The total is the bill plus the tip. All of this is done in whole cents, so there is no floating-point drift.
Why some shares are a cent more
Most totals do not divide evenly. 98.90 split four ways is 24.725 each, and nobody can pay half a cent. Rounding every share to 24.73 would collect 98.92; rounding them all to 24.72 would leave two cents short. So the calculator gives the leftover cents one at a time to the first people in the group: two people pay 24.73 and two pay 24.72, and the shares add up to exactly 98.90. The page says how many people pay each amount.
Tipping before or after tax
Tipping on the amount before tax is a common convention where tax is added to the bill, because the tax is not part of the service. The difference is small but real: on a bill of 86.40 that includes 6.40 of tax, a 20% tip is 16.00 on the pre-tax amount and 17.28 on the whole bill. Where prices already include tax, as they do in most of Europe, the bill total is the natural base.
Service charges and the law
Check whether the bill already includes a service charge before adding a tip on top. In the UK, the Employment (Allocation of Tips) Act 2023, in force since 1 October 2024, requires employers to pass all tips and service charges to workers without deductions, and to share them fairly and transparently. Tipping customs vary a great deal between countries and between kinds of business, so the percentages on the buttons are only shortcuts, not recommendations.
Examples
| Bill | Tip | People | Rounding | Each pays |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 86.00 | 15% (12.90) | 4 | Exact | 24.73 × 2 and 24.72 × 2 |
| 86.00 | 15% (12.90) | 4 | Each share up | 25.00 (1.10 extra) |
| 86.00 | 15% | 4 | Total up to 99.00 | 24.75 |
| 86.40 incl. 6.40 tax | 20% before tax (16.00) | 2 | Exact | 51.20 |
| 100.00 | none | 3 | Exact | 33.34 × 1 and 33.33 × 2 |
| 100.00 | none | 3 | Each share up | 34.00 (2.00 extra) |
A 20% tip on the same 86 bill would be 17.20. With four people and a 15% tip, rounding each share up to 25 collects 100.00, so the extra 1.10 simply becomes part of the tip.
Limits
- Even splits only. If people ordered very different amounts, add up each person's items first, or split the shared part here and settle the rest separately.
- One currency. The calculator does not convert currencies; enter the bill in the currency you will pay in.
- No local advice. Whether and how much to tip depends on the country and the business. Check the bill for an included service charge.
Frequently asked questions
How do I split a bill with a tip?
Add the tip to the bill, then divide the total by the number of people. The calculator does both and handles the leftover cents so the shares add up exactly.
Should I tip before or after tax?
Where tax is added at the end of the bill, tipping on the pre-tax amount is a common convention. Where prices include tax, tip on the total.
Why do some people pay one cent more?
Because most totals do not divide evenly. The leftover cents are given to the first people so the shares add up to the total exactly.
Can I round everyone up to a whole number?
Yes. Choose "Round each share up"; the page shows how much extra that collects.
Is anything saved?
No. The calculation runs in your browser.