Tip Calculator

How the split works

The calculator does three steps in order: tip = bill × tip percentage, total = bill + tip, each share = total ÷ people. A £120 bill with a 15% tip gives an £18 tip, a £138 total, and £34.50 each across four people. Splitting after adding the tip, rather than tipping on each share, keeps the maths clean and guarantees the tip percentage is exactly what you chose.

Equal shares are the default, but they are not always fair: if one person ordered a steak and another a salad, an even split overcharges the salad. For uneven orders, tip on each person's own subtotal instead — the same percentage applied per person — or let the big spender cover the difference. The calculator's equal split suits groups that ordered roughly the same.

How much to tip, and where

Tipping customs differ sharply by country, and the percentage that is generous in one place can be insulting or unnecessary in another. In the UK, tipping is discretionary: 10–15% in a restaurant is a common thank-you for good service, and nothing is expected at a counter or bar. In the US, 15–20% in a sit-down restaurant is the norm, and staff often rely on it as part of their pay.

Before adding anything, check the bill for a service charge. UK restaurants increasingly add a discretionary 12.5–15% service charge automatically; if one is already there, an extra tip is a bonus, not an obligation, and you can ask for the charge to be removed if the service was poor. Double-tipping by accident — service charge plus a full tip on top — is the most common bill-splitting mistake.

Rounding and the awkward remainder

Even splits rarely come out neat: £138 across four people is £34.50 each, but £140 across three is £46.67, leaving a penny unaccounted for. The practical fix is for one person to cover the odd penny, or to round each share up to the nearest pound and let the small surplus stand as extra tip. Either way, agree the method before anyone pays, not after.

Card payments make this easier than cash ever did — most banking apps split a bill to the penny — but the social question remains: who pays the card, and does everyone transfer immediately? The fastest groups nominate one payer, settle shares on the spot, and avoid the slow drift of “I'll get you back later” entirely.