How to Calculate a Tip and How Much to Leave

Formula

• tip = bill × tip percent / 100
• total = bill + tip
• share per person = total / people

The bill is the amount on the receipt. The tip percent is the part of the bill you leave as a tip. People is the number of people who share the bill equally.

Step-by-step example

Two people want to leave an 18% tip on a bill of 68.50:

1. Tip: 68.50 × 18 / 100 = 12.33.
2. Total: 68.50 + 12.33 = 80.83.
3. Share per person: 80.83 / 2 = 40.415, about 40.42.
4. To pay whole amounts, each person pays 41. The total becomes 82; the 1.17 difference goes to the tip, which rises to 13.50, or 19.71% of the bill.

For your own bill, use the tip calculator; it can round each share up for you.

Tipping in your head

For a 10% tip, move the decimal point one place to the left; the other rates follow from it. On a bill of 1,200:

Before or after tax?

The amount on the receipt includes the tax. If you tip on that amount, you also tip on the tax. On a bill of 52.60 before an 8% tax, the receipt says 56.81. A 20% tip on the amount before tax is 10.52, for a total of 67.33; on the receipt amount it is 11.36, for a total of 68.17. The difference is small, and the choice is yours. The calculator does both.

How much to tip

A tip is voluntary, and the custom changes by country and service:

• United States: The Emily Post Institute suggests 15–20% of the amount before tax for sit-down wait service, and 10% at a buffet.
• London: Visit London says it is customary to leave 10 to 15% of the bill when eating out. Restaurants often add a service charge, usually 12.5%; check the bill so that you do not tip twice.
• Türkiye: No law sets a rate. A 2016 Daily Sabah article calls a 5–10% tip ideal in local restaurants and 10–15% appropriate in high-end ones. Since 30 January 2026, restaurants and cafés may not charge a service, table or cover charge; any extra payment is voluntary.