Tip calculator
Tip on the subtotal or the post-tax total, then split it evenly with the leftover cent handled.
Enter the bill to see the tip.
Enter the bill, the tax if it is listed separately, and the percentage you want to leave. The tip, the grand total, and each person's share appear immediately.
The one setting worth understanding is what the percentage applies to. Tipping 20% on a post-tax total tips on the tax as well, which on a $100 check with 8% tax is about $1.60 more than tipping on the subtotal. Both conventions are in common use, so this calculator asks instead of deciding for you.
Tip on the subtotal or on the total
In the United States, the pre-tax subtotal is the traditional base, and it is what most etiquette guides recommend. Tipping on the post-tax total is simpler to do in your head and slightly more generous, which is why many card terminals suggest it by default.
Neither is wrong. The difference on a normal restaurant bill is a dollar or two. It becomes worth thinking about on a large group check, where tipping on tax can add ten dollars or more.
Rounding up without breaking the total
Rounding is where per-person tables usually stop adding up. If each person rounds their own share up to the next whole dollar, the group hands over more than the check, and the difference has to go somewhere.
This calculator makes that explicit. Round up per person and the grand total rises to match the sum of the rounded shares — you see exactly how much extra the table is leaving. Round up the total instead and the check is rounded once, then split evenly. Either way the shares and the total agree.
Tipping outside the United States
Tipping norms vary enough that a default percentage is unhelpful abroad. Service is frequently included in Europe, rounding up is common in Japan only in the sense that it usually isn't done at all, and 10% is a more typical baseline across much of Asia and Australia. Set the percentage to match where you are, or set it to zero and use the calculator purely to split the check.
Questions
- Should I tip on the pre-tax or post-tax amount?
- Pre-tax is the traditional base in the United States and what most guides recommend. Post-tax is easier to calculate mentally and leaves slightly more. This calculator supports both — the difference is usually a dollar or two.
- How much should I tip?
- In the United States, 18–20% is standard for sit-down restaurant service and 15% is the low end. Elsewhere the norm varies widely and service is often already included, so check the local convention rather than applying a US percentage.
- How do I split a tip between people?
- Set the number of people and the per-person amount appears with the tip already included. The individual shares always add up to the grand total exactly.
- What does rounding up per person do to the total?
- It raises it. Rounding each share up to the next whole unit means the table pays the sum of those rounded shares, and the calculator shows how much extra that is rather than hiding it.
- Does it work in other currencies?
- Yes. Amounts are read and displayed in the selected currency's own conventions, including European-style separators. Rounding up snaps to the nearest round number for that currency — the next dollar or euro, or the next ¥100 for yen, since rounding yen to the next ¥1 would do nothing.
When one calculation isn’t enough
A calculator answers a single question. Make It Even keeps the answer current: add expenses as they happen, split each one however it needs to be split, and everyone sees the running balance. It handles multiple currencies using the exchange rate from each expense’s own date, so old totals never drift.
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